Ohio City Street Festival
September 30, 2016
On Sept. 25, the Ohio City Street Festival on the West Side celebrated everything that is amazing and wonderful about the Ohio City neighborhood. At the festival, a variety of various venues and events were showcased to the public, free for all, which included: live music, food from food trucks and other vendors, locally brewed alcohol for all the adults to enjoy and a plethora of other family-friendly activities and musical performances. From 11 a.m.-7 p.m. all of this was on display, and if it wasn’t a wonderful event I don’t know what else could be.
For the festival an entire street, spanning from West 25th Street all the way to Lorain Avenue, was jam-packed with many people basking in the sun of a warm Sunday afternoon as they made their way to see the Ohio City sights that the festival was eager to show. The first stop on my journey was a corner where food tents and trucks were on display. The food included bratwurst dogs, Balkan burgers, tacos, seafood and coffee and all were available for relatively normal pricing. The best was the Balkan burger, a massive sandwich of sorts with lamb, caramelized onions, melted cheese and mixed greens. The beer tasting area was in Market Square next to the stage where various artists came out to perform for a sea of people who listened to the local buzz while tasting the local flavors to get buzzed. The festival also made use of the next door West Side Market, which let visitors try out the various selections of fruits, vegetables and other foods available.
Furthermore, street performances from small-scale performances given by lone actors to sizeable dance performances by a troupe with massive paper heads were also at various key points of the street. Many organizations, from Great Lakes Brewing Company to the Cleveland Museum of Art were a part of this endeavor. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, the nearby Mitchell’s Homemade Ice Cream—who hosted an ice cream eating contest as well—and Dave’s Supermarket were present to show off what this part of “The Land” has to offer. Overall, throughout my time and walk of the festival, I was enamored by the performances, the smell and taste of the food, some lively music and also the exciting banter of other fellow passersby. I had a great time at the festival, and it is definitely something to look forward to again and again each year.
Event: Ohio City Street Festival
Price: Free (for entry)
Date: Sept. 25
Rating: 5 out of 5
