Woolly Birdlike Creatures, a local Frogman, Maple, Russian Pancakes, Paczki, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Welcome back, festival fans.
It’s a really great Festival Weekend because of some wonderful returning festivals.
And, just around the corner, it’s Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday…
…the day to be devouring paczki before giving it all up for Lent, starting Ash Wednesday the day after.
At least for Catholics.
Still, whether you are a practicing Catholic or just enjoy these Polish delicacies, I have created an Ohio Paczki Guide to help find all sorts of paczki in local bakeries or pre-order some for the Mardi Gras Celebration.
I’ve added a bunch more recently and I keep finding more.
Keep in mind, though, that this list (and map) doesn’t not include chain grocery stores where you may also find them (ie Giant Eagle, Meijer, Kroger, IGA), but I do recommend giving some local businesses a good try and maybe comparing them for yourself.
Along with paczki, there are more ways to indulge this weekend, and that’s by means of festivals.
For example, if you love a little (or a lot) Mac and Cheese…
…you should check out the SMART Mac N Cheese Throwdown (Review) in Cleveland.
If blini is more your style…
…maybe with some salmon roe…
…then you should stop by the Russian Maslenitsa Spring Festival (Review), also in Cleveland.
Of course, if you prefer syrup on your pancakes…
…hitch a ride to Malabar Farm’s Maple Syrup Festival (Review) in Lucas.
More indulging festivals include a Bockfest in Hamilton, an Ice Wine Festival in Madison, and the Glass City Wine Festival in Toledo…
…but if are a person with focus and willpower…
…switching out paczi and blini for muscle milk and protein bars…
…then don’t miss the Arnold Sports Festival (Review) in Columbus, which Arnold Schwarzenegger does attend and speak at – so check the schedule if you want to see him.
Aaaaaaand, if you want something a little weird and different, Ohio does not disappoint.
Your favorite Slovenian festival returns with great music, food, vendors…
…and plenty of Kurents – sheepskin-wearing creatures with large bells and sticks to drive the winter away.
This is at the Cleveland Kurentovajne Winter Festival (Review), a delightful festival where you should be sure to catch the parade.
But, while the Kurents were imported from Slovenia’s Ptuj region…
…the Loveland Frogman (Review) is as local as it gets…
…and you can celebrate him and other cryptids this weekend while shopping among tons of vendors, listening to presentations, feasting on some grub and checking out the parade.
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FESTIVAL UPDATE: I’ve been updating the Ohio Festival Guide and Ohio Fair and Show Guide for 2025.
If you didn’t already know, any date with an asterisk (*) means that I haven’t confirmed that event. Once the date is confirmed by me, I remove the asterisk and update the listing as necessary. Certain events will also get copied over to the Cleveland Festival Guide, the Columbus Festival Guide or the Cincinnati Festival Guide.
Currently, I have just gone through August and I’ve also updated March.
Soon I’ll be working on September, which is a monster of a month.
As an FYI, just because the event has an asterisk doesn’t mean that the official festival website linked to the event isn’t already updated. So feel free to check it, just to be sure.
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Have a great weekend, Ohio, and stay warm out there.
If you are traveling this weekend and want to visit out weekend festivals outside of Ohio, check out this week’s post at Festival Guides and Reviews: https://festivalguidesandreviews.com/festival-weekend-030425
If you happen to be in California this weekend, I have been attaching the weekly map to the California Festival Guide, which you can find at https://festivalguidesandreviews.com/california-festivals/
Have a wonderful weekend!
Until next week…
Love, Peace and Festival Grease!
Ohio Festival Weekend: February 27 – March 4, 2025
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MAP of festival and fair food cities this weekend.
If you can’t see the map on your smartphone, click HERE.
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My Experiences of this Weekend’s Festivals
3/1 – Cleveland Kurentovanje Winter Festival – Cleveland – My Review
3/1 – SMART Mac N Cheese Throwdown – Cleveland – My Review
3/2 – Russian Maslenitsa Spring Festival – Cleveland – My Review
3/1 – Winter Warmer Fest – Cleveland – A Blogger’s Review
2/27-3/2 – Arnold Sports Festival – Columbus – My Review
3/1-3/2 – Frogman Festival – Loveland – My Review
3/1-3/2 – Maple Syrup Festival I – Lucas – My Review
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OHIO FAIRS AND SHOWS
2/24-3/2 – Cleveland Auto Show II – Cleveland
3/1-3/2 – Oddmall – Expedition Elsewhere – Akron
3/1-3/2 – Medina County Home and Garden Show – Medina
3/2 – Buckeye Comic Con I – Grove City
3/2 – Holistic Health and Psychic Fair – Marietta
OHIO FESTIVALS
2/27-3/2 – Arnold Sports Festival – Columbus – My Review
3/1 – Cleveland Kurentovanje Winter Festival – Cleveland – My Review
3/1 – SMART Mac N Cheese Throwdown – Cleveland – My Review
3/1 – Winter Warmer Fest – Cleveland – A Blogger’s Review
3/1 – The Liberty Home Association Bockfest – Hamilton
3/1 – Ice Wine Festival I – Madison
3/1 – Cincinnati-Mason Children’s Festival – Mason
3/1 – Rescue Rock Off – Mentor
3/1 – Glass City Wine Festival – Toledo
3/1-3/2 – Maple Syrup Festival I – College Corner
3/1-3/2 – Frogman Festival – Loveland – My Review
3/1-3/2 – Maple Syrup Festival I – Lucas – My Review
3/2 – Russian Maslenitsa Spring Festival – Cleveland – My Review
3/2 – Acoustics for Autism Music Festival – Maumee
CINCINNATI FESTIVALS
3/1 – The Liberty Home Association Bockfest – Hamilton
3/1 – Cincinnati-Mason Children’s Festival – Mason
3/1-3/2 – Frogman Festival – Loveland – My Review
CLEVELAND FESTIVALS
3/1 – Rescue Rock Off – Mentor
3/1 – Ice Wine Festival I – Madison
3/1 – SMART Mac N Cheese Throwdown – Cleveland – My Review
3/1 – Winter Warmer Fest – Cleveland – A Blogger’s Review
3/1 – Cleveland Kurentovanje Winter Festival – Cleveland – My Review
3/2 – Russian Maslenitsa Spring Festival – Cleveland – My Review
COLUMBUS FESTIVALS
2/27-3/2 – Arnold Sports Festival – Columbus – My Review
Do you notice festivals on the map beyond Ohio? Find them below!
Alabama | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Delaware | Florida
Georgia |Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana
Maryland | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri
New Jersey | New York | North Carolina | Oklahoma
Pennsylvania |South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas | Virginia
Washington, DC | West Virginia | Wisconsin
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