By Abigail Preiszig
As the days get longer, Northeast Ohio’s arts and culture scene shines with a prism of festivals that feature hundreds of local and national artists, crafter markets, family-friendly activities and live music.
Soak up everything the season and the region have to offer with a spectrum of free outdoor art and music festivals this upcoming June and July.
See also: Summer-Fall 2024 events calendar
ART IN THE VILLAGE
Art in the Village with Craft Marketplace, presented by Howard Alan Events, gives patrons a high-end art buying experience June 1 and June 2 at Legacy Village in Lyndhurst.
“After 33 years of coming here, we’re always excited to return,” says Elaine Laurent, director of business development for Howard Alan Events. “It kicks off our full summer tour.”
The strictly juried festival will showcase over 100 artists – including 18 local artists – across various mediums including painting, jewelry, photography, sculpture and ceramics, and a separate craft market.
What sets this festival apart is the professionalism in each booth, Laurent says. Everything selected runs through a curator, and therefore, each booth looks like its own “mini gallery.”
The venue is also unique with on-site restaurants, shops, public restrooms and free parking, providing built-in clientele and amenities, she says. Annually, the festival brings in around 6,000 attendees over the course of two days.
Many patrons and artists return year after year, creating a form of “rapport,” Laurent adds.
“It’s nice because all of the patrons get to interact with the actual creator of the items,” she says. “The patrons enjoy seeing their friends, people they’ve bought from.”
If you go
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 1
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 2
Legacy Village, 25001 Cedar Road, Lyndhurst
Free admission | artfestival.com/festivals
ART BY THE FALLS
After 40 years at Riverside Park in Chagrin Falls, Art by the Falls, presented by Valley Art Center, will have a new venue June 8 and June 9.
As Cuyahoga County repairs the Chagrin Falls bridge by the park, the fine arts and contemporary craft festival will move to the Cleveland Metroparks Polo Field in Moreland Hills to relieve some of the congestion caused by construction, says Erinn Grube, Valley Art Center events manager.
“I think it’s going to offer a little bit of a different feel and let us bring in some artists we would not have been able to bring in otherwise because we can add 10 booths,” she says.
Being one of the festival’s most competitive seasons ever, the added spaces will bring in over 140 artists from 19 states across many mediums including painting, pottery, jewelery, sculpture and photography, she says.
“There’s just some really neat art out there,” Grube says. “It feels like some stuff we haven’t seen before.”
New this year will be the sale of beer and wine, as well as 12 food vendors. As in past years, the festival will have live music, a kids’ pavilion, an art raffle and a community art project.
“(Funds from) the raffle and things like beer and wine allow us to do a lot of our outreach projects,” she says.
Still “very connected to Chagrin Falls,” there will be a shuttle to take attendees to and from the festival to explore the area’s shops and restaurants, Grube says. There will also be free on-site parking at the polo field.
If you go
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 8
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 9
Cleveland Metroparks Polo Field, 41324 S. Woodland Road, Moreland Hills
Free admission | valleyartcenter.org/artbythefalls.html
TRI-C JAZZFEST
The 45th annual Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland presents nearly 500 musical artists over three days with a gamut of legendary performers and newcomers.
JazzFest features eight ticketed concerts inside Playhouse Square theaters from June 20 through June 22, along with free outdoor concerts on the plaza from 3 p.m. to midnight on June 21 and June 22.
“It’s great fun, and it’s just a really beautiful backdrop of all the theaters and all the marquees and all the flashing lights that are Playhouse Square,” says JazzFest director Terri Pontremoli.
She says she is excited for people to witness artists they have never seen before. The lineup includes jazz legend Charles Lloyd, Cuban pianist and composer Harold López-Nussa and Grammy winner and 12-time nominee Ledisi.
“It has very much to do with what people think jazz is or isn’t,” Pontremoli says. “Herbie Hancock always says that jazz is the spirit of openness and if you come with curiosity, you will definitely find something you love, you will get excited by what you hear.”
Outdoors there will be two stages, the SeibertKeck Insurance Stage showing 14 acts, and the William M. Weiss Foundation Next Gen Stage, which will “showcase the future of jazz” and feature performances by the Tri-C JazzFest Academy camp students and Spirit of the Groove ensembles, according to the JazzFest website.
JazzFest also offers a “Talk Tent” to get to know artists, shopping, a beer garden, street performers, games, a kids’ club and food trucks. Last year’s festival saw about 30,000 attendees over three days, Pontremoli says.
“There’s just a lot to do, it’s great for families … as well as people who just want to go out and hear music,” she says.
If you go
June 20-22
Playhouse Square, 1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland
Indoor shows range from $35 to $85.
Outdoor concerts are free. | tri-c.edu/jazzfest
CAIN PARK ARTS FESTIVAL
For 47 years, the Cain Park Arts Festival has remained relatively the same – and that’s a good thing, says festival director George Kozmon. The festival is finding its way back to pre-COVID-19 numbers with close to 150 artists gathering from July 12 through July 14 at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights.
“(It’s) one of those situations where if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he says. “We keep adding things around the edges, but fundamentally, we don’t want to change the flavor of what it is, which is a community-based art event.”
The festival receives artist applications from across the country, but local and regional artists outnumber national artists, Kozmon says.
“(That) just goes to show the strength of our region because we show no favoritism toward one or the other,” he says. “We’ve got a lot of great artists in this broader community that we’re very proud of.”
Artists will show and sell work in various mediums including wood, clay, glass, fiber and leather. The intimate setting of Cain Park “removes the filter” between patrons and artists and allows everyone to learn something new, Kozmon adds.
The festival also offers live music, an interactive mural painting project for children and a variety of food trucks.
If you go
3 p.m. to 8 p.m. July 12
10 a.m. to 8 p.m. July 13
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 14
Cain Park, 14591 Superior Road, Cleveland Heights
Free admission | cainpark.com/arts-festival
