Jazz & Rib Fest

It happened to be a really hot day in COlumbus this year when we went to the festival. We brought our dog with us (why not..?) and she seemed to even be overwhelmed by everything. It was so crowded by the amount of people that I physically felt uncomfortable. Everwhere you turned there was someone in your face trying to get by or pass you. The heat didnt help things, and it also didnt help that we had a dog with us. WIth lots of people also comes lots of messes, which there were plenty of. There was a lack of places to sit down and eat your ribs; we sat on the wall up the hill, which happened to be covered in choc ice cream and bee's...but it was the only place open (prob cuz no one else who dare go there). Our dog kept the bees off us while we ate. She got to finish off one of my rib bones as a treat so she was happy.

I cant even begin to explane just how many bbq trucks there were.....lots and lots and lots ....and then more around the corner and then down the block. It was endles. We checked every truck for a deal and found nothing helpful. I was so dispointed to find out that everyone was charging $8 for just 4 bones...thats nuts! Do the math...3 trucks and 2 people later thats already $48 and that doesnt include drinks; doesnt include napkins either...a complete oversight on their part! My husband and I shared 8 ribs total and had to leave from sticker shock & heat exhaustion. It was just too much for us. The trucks do offer cheaper prices as you get more ribs. Basically 4 ribs for $8 or a rack for $16. But who's going to want ribs from just one truck?? Esp since you dont even know if you'll like them!? That was my biggest issue....there was no way to know if you'd like them and for $8/ 4ribs it wasnt worth it to me to find out. Why risk money when the prices arent even reasonable??!!

Too exensive, too many people, too hot....period!

Definitely a fun place to go and check out if you have time on the weekend that its in town. It was my first time to this festival and had lots of fun. There was plenty of food vendors, yet you had to be prepared to wait in line for your food. We ended up going Saturday evening just before the place got packed. We listened to the music, ate some good food and had fun. Park over by the Arena Grand Theatre and walk over.

Good as festivals go - wish things were a little cheaper!  Had plenty of good ribs, some definitely better than others.  We went in a large group and had a rack among all of us at a few stations and got to try a lot - this was probably the cheaper way to go.  I never felt unsafe, but we did go on a Sunday afternoon when it wasn't that crowded.  They let you bring your own water, which was a plus.