VENUES
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A&R Music Bar
391 Neil Ave, Columbus, OH 43215
A&R Music Bar is located downtown Columbus in the Arena District, and is one of four PromoWest owned venues in Columbus. It is just to the West of Nationwide Arena, and is above The Basement, next door to EXPRESS LIVE!. The venue features a large full-service bar, and serves pizza courtesy of Mikey's Late Night Slice. There is a large patio with several garage doors which are usually open during the summer months. The venue features a raised stage which offers good viewing angles from nearly everywhere in the venue. A&R typically hosts up-and-coming national acts, as well as many popular local acts. Additionally, A&R is often open for happy hour prior to events at EXPRESS LIVE! when it isn't hosting it's own show the same night.
Ace of Cups
2619 N. High St., Columbus, OH 4320
Ace of Cups is located North of The Ohio State University, hosting national and local acts almost every night. In addition to bands, Ace of Cups also hosts comedy shows and karaoke nights. Some events are 18+ and some are 21+.
Alrosa Villa
5055 Sinclair Rd, Columbus, OH 43229
Alrosa Villa is located in North Columbus, just off of I-71 and Morse Road and has been hosting concerts for 40 years. It is a large venue that typically features hard rock acts, among other genres. The Alrosa has ample parking, and overflow parking across the street. Note that the venue is cash-only, so come prepared.
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The Basement
391 Neil Ave, Columbus, OH 43215
The Basement is located downtown Columbus in the Arena District, and is one of four PromoWest owned venues in Columbus. It is just to the West of Nationwide Arena, and is below A&R Music Bar, next door to EXPRESS LIVE!. The venue features a large full-service bar, but does not serve any food. The Basement typically hosts up-and-coming national acts, as well as many popular local acts.
Big Room Bar
1036 S. Front St, Columbus, OH 43206
Big Room Bar is located in Columbus, just South of German Village, and sits above the CD102.5 radio station's broadcast studio. The venue hosts live music several times a week featuring both local and national acts. Every Wednesday evening, Big Room Bar hosts CD102.5 Frontstage Live, where a local band performs a free concert with the first three songs of the set being broadcast live on air. (Note: the Frontstage Live shows start at 9:00 PM sharp). The venue has a great draft list featuring local craft beer, in addition to a full bar and some food offerings, and has a great Happy Hour from 4:00-8:00 PM.
The Bluestone
583 E. Broad St. Columbus, OH 43215
The Bluestone is located in downtown Columbus, just off of I-71 on Broad Street. The venue is housed in a former church, built in 1898, which was renovated into a concert and event space in 2006. The Bluestone hosts acts from all genres in it's unique setting. There are seven bars inside and outside on the patio.
Brothers Drake
26 East 5th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201
Brothers Drake is a local crafter of mead, which is an ancient form of a fermented beverage that uses honey as its primary sugar source. In addition to mead, Brothers Drake also offers a full bar featuring specialty cocktails and Ohio made beers and wines. Brothers Drake features jazz music each Wednesday, and other musical events.
Byrne's Pub
1248 West 3rd Avenue, Columbus, OH 43212
Byrne's Pub is an Irish pub located in Grandview which offers a full food and bar menu, and is open for both lunch and dinner. Byrne's Pub frequently hosts live music usually of the Celtic, Celtic rock, Americana, folk, bluegrass, and similar genres.
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Cafe Bourbon Street | The Summit
2216 Summit St., Columbus, OH 43201
Cafe Bourbon Street/The Summit are two venues in one location located just north of Ohio State's campus that hosts live music. They offer a full bar and a food menu which includes vegetarian and vegan options.
Carabar
115 Parsons Ave, Columbus, OH 43215
Carabar is a dive bar located just East of downtown Columbus in the Olde Towne East neighborhood. They offer a full bar, limited food menu, and a decent selection of Ohio craft beers on draft.
Columbus Commons
160 S. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215
Columbus Commons is a park located in the heart of downtown Columbus on the sight of the former City Center Mall. It has a large stage at one end, and hosts a variety of music events during the warmer months, including the Columbus Symphony Orchestra Picnic With the Pops series.
Copious | Notes
520 South High Street, Columbus, OH 43215
Copious and Notes are located in the Brewery District, just south of Downtown Columbus. Copious is a full service restaurant offering classic American dishes with a focus on locally sourced ingredients. Copious also hosts a variety of events, including music, theatre, brew dinners, and more. Notes, which is below Copious, is the true music venue, hosting a variety of national and local artists.
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Double Happiness
482 South Front Street, Columbus, OH 43215
Double Happiness is located in the Brewery District, just South of downtown Columbus. This Asian themed bar hosts live music on a regular basis.
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EXPRESS LIVE!
405 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215
EXPRESS LIVE! (formerly the LC Pavilion) is located downtown Columbus in the Arena District, and is the largest of the four PromoWest owned venues in Columbus. It is just to the West of Nationwide Arena, and is next door to The Basement and A&R Music Bar. EXPRESS LIVE! offers both an indoor venue, holding 2,200 guests, and an outdoor venue, holding 5,200 guests. The venue features multiple full-service bars, and serves pizza courtesy of Mikey's Late Night Slice. The indoor configuration features a large pit in front of the stage, a large floor area behind the pit, and a balcony. The outdoor configuration features a large pit in front of the stage, box seats behind the pit, and a lawn. Both configurations have great sight-lines from everywhere in the venue.
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Kafe Kerouac
2250 N High St, Columbus, OH 43201
Kafe Kerouac is locate just North of Ohio State's campus. They serve coffee, baked goods, beer, and wine, and have a large selection of books and records for sale. Kafe Kerouac has a separate room with a small stage where it hosts musical acts, poets, and other speakers.
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Lincoln Theatre
769 E. Long St., Columbus, OH 43203
The Lincoln Theatre is located on the near east side of Columbus, and first opened in 1928, and reopened in 2009, after being closed for over 30 years. This Egyptian Revival style theater, with a seating capacity of 588, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, and now hosts a wide range of events, including musical acts.
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MINT Collective
42 W. Jenkins Ave., Columbus, OH 43207
MINT is a collaborative space, operated by artists, that is located in Merion Village, south of downtown Columbus. It's mission is to support developing and underrepresented artists, and it hosts many art and media exhibitions, as well as music events.
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Natalie's Coal Fired Pizza
5601 N. High St., Worthington, OH 43085
Natalie's Coal Fired Pizza is an intimate music venue in Worthington, just north of Columbus. As the name suggests, Natalie's serves pizza, Neapolitan style, made in a coal fired oven. Music acts usually feature Americana, folk, singer/songwriter, jazz, blues, Celtic, and other traditional styles. On ticketed show nights, Natalie's start charging one hour prior to the start of the show. Advance tickets are available for some shows.
Nationwide Arena
200 W. Nationwide Blvd., Columbus, OH 43215
Nationwide Arena is the large, multi-purpose, arena that gives the Arena District it's name. In addition to serving as the home for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nationwide Arena hosts many of the biggest touring music acts that come through Columbus. When configured for concerts, the arena holds around 20,000 guests.
Newport Music Hall
1722 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43201
The Newport Music Hall is not just a Columbus landmark, but is actually the longest continually running rock club in the country. It is located across the street from Ohio State's campus, and has a capacity of 1,700 people.
Notes | Copious
520 South High Street, Columbus, OH 43215
Copious and Notes are located in the Brewery District, just south of Downtown Columbus. Copious is a full service restaurant offering classic American dishes with a focus on locally sourced ingredients. Copious also hosts a variety of events, including music, theatre, brew dinners, and more. Notes, which is below Copious, is the true music venue, hosting a variety of national and local artists.
Ohio Theatre
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39 East State Street, Columbus, OH 43215
The Ohio Theatre is located in downtown Columbus, across the street from the statehouse. This historic theatre opened as a movie theatre in 1928, and was completely restored in after a 1969 campaign to save the theatre from demolition. Today, the Ohio Theatre is operated by CAPA, and hosts numerous theatre performances, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, film events, and concerts throughout the year.
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Palace Theatre
34 West Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43215
The Palace Theatre is located in downtown Columbus, on the ground floor of the historic LeVeque Tower. This 2,827 seat theatre opened in 1926, primarily as a vaudeville house, and was the most active live show theatre in Columbus during the '30s, '40s, and '50s. Today, the Palace Theatre is operated by CAPA, and hosts numerous theatre performances, film events, and concerts throughout the year.
Park Street Patio
533 Park Street, Columbus, OH 43215
Park Street Patio is one of four Woodlands Production concert venues, and is located between the Arena District and the Short North, just a block away from the North Market. Park Street Patio features happy hour specials and a large patio where it can host up to 1,000 outdoors and 500 people indoors.
Park Street Saloon
525 Park Street, Columbus, OH 43215
Park Street Saloon is one of four Woodlands Production venues in Columbus, and is located between the Arena District and the Short North, just a block away from the North Market. Featuring national and regional acts, Park Street Saloon can host up to 750 guests.
Rambling House Music Bar
310 E. Hudson Street, Columbus, OH 43202
Located North of Ohio State's campus Rambling House Music hosts mostly Roots and Traditional Americana music. Rambling House features and full bar, and also serves their own locally produced sodas. No cover on Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, and typically only $5.00 on Friday and Saturday.
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Ruby Tuesday
1978 Summit Street, Columbus, OH 43201
Located just East of Ohio State's campus at Summit and 19th, Ruby Tuesday has been providing live music and drinks to Columbus since 1973. Housed in the former Franklin County Treasurer's office, Ruby Tuesday has hosted countless regional and local acts throughout the years, including Columbus legends McGuffey Lane from the very beginning.
Rumba Cafe
2507 Summit St., Columbus, OH 43202
Rumba Cafe is located north of Ohio State's campus, and across the street from Used Kids Records. Rumba is a small venue, but since it opened in 2006 it has been attracting tons of high quality national and local acts. The venue features a full bar with many craft beers on draft, and a large selection of whiskeys and bourbons.
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Schottenstein Center
555 Borror Drive, Columbus, OH 43210
The Schottenstein Center is the large multi-purpose arena located on the campus of Ohio State University. In addition to being the home for OSU basketball and ice hockey, The Schott also hosts many of the largest concerts that come to Columbus, as it seats approximately 20,000 for concerts.
The Shrunken Head
251 West 5th Ave., Columbus, OH 43201
The Shrunken Head is a small bar venue located in the Short North area of Columbus. Weeknights feature comedy, open-mic, trivia, and karaoke, while weekends featuring a variety of local and national music acts and other entertainers. Check out the Head's infamous happy hour featuring $1 Yuenglings and $0.75 well shots.
Skully's Music Diner
1151 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43201
Skully's Music Diner, located in the heart of the Short North, has been bringing great national and local acts to their stage for over 20 years. Skully's features and full food menu and bar, and happy hour specials Monday-Saturday.
Southern Theatre
21 East Main St., Columbus, OH 43215
The Southern Theatre is the oldest surviving theatre in Columbus, first opening in 1896. It was initially designed for theatrical productions, and later hosted silent films, vaudeville, and more. The theatre underwent a renovation in 1998 and reopened as a 925 seat theatre which hosts CAPA performances, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, and other touring events.
Spacebar
2590 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43202
Spacebar is a live music venue and bar located north of Ohio State's campus on High Street. Spacebar has a large craft beer selection on tap, and hosts national and local music acts. All shows are 18+, with an extra $2 charge for those under 21.
The Summit | Cafe Bourbon Street
2216 Summit St., Columbus, OH 43201
Cafe Bourbon Street/The Summit are two venues in one location located just north of Ohio State's campus that hosts live music. They offer a full bar and a food menu which includes vegetarian and vegan options.
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Thirty One West
31 W Church St, Newark, OH 43055
Located in Newark, about 30 minutes east of Columbus, Thirty One West is a live music venue in a recently renovated dance hall that was originally built in 1902. Opening as a concert venue in the fall of 2016, Thirty One West can host up to 500 guests in its main ballroom, featuring a large stage, with main floor and balcony viewing areas. It's definitely worth the trip out of the city to check out this awesome new venue.
Tree Bar
887 Chambers Rd., Columbus, OH 43212
Located in Grandview, the Tree Bar is a small music venue and bar hosting national and local acts. Originally opened in 1999 as "Andyman's Treehouse" by the late, legendary CD101 DJ, Tree Bar originally had a large silver maple tree growing up through the roof of its performance space, giving it its name. Today only a large stump remains, but the venue is still committed to continuing the musical legacy established over the years. (Note that the venue is 21+)
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Used Kids Records
2500 Summit St., Columbus, OH 43202
Used Kids Records is the largest record store in Columbus, selling new and used vinyl, CDs, and DVDs, as well as stereo equipment. In business since 1986, Used Kids also hosts regional and local bands on their in-store stage.
Woodlands Backyard
668 Grandview Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215
Woodlands Backyard is one of four Woodlands Production venues. It is located in Grandview and has a capacity of 400. In addition to hosting live music, Woodlands Backyard also offers sand volleyball, mini bowling, plenty of pool tables and arcade games.
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Woodlands Tavern
1200 W. 3rd Ave., Columbus, OH 43212
One of the Woodlands Productions venues, Woodlands Tavern is located in Grandview. The venue features two separate stages, a small one in the bar area and the larger main stage in a separate room where their main shows are held. The main stage area holds 300. Woodlands Tavern features an extensive and well-priced craft beer selection, and the Challah food truck operates the kitchen.