Jazz & Rib Fest

All in all it’s quite the hot mess.
While it may seem odd as a vegetarian, I try to have high hopes every year for the Jazz & Ribs Fest. I enjoy outdoor festivals and love McFerson Commons, and spending an evening with good food and great jazz sounds like a perfect evening. Welp, then we actually get there. This may be because we’re coming at the busiest times, but the lines for everything are just SO LONG. Now, frequent childhood visits to Cedar Point have prepared me quite well for long lines, but these ones just don’t move at all. Somehow we always find the same vendor each year not because we like their food so much (it’s more than decent), but because they are the only one without a seemingly 90 minute wait. Maybe if I was getting the ribs it would be worth it, but it was just too hot and we were too hungry for that kind of wait. There aren’t really good places to sit down and eat, and the music doesn’t carry well through the event space, so we never feel like staying long after finishing our food. They’ve got to figure out a better way to make this work.

This was probably the best Jazz and Ribfest that I have attended… ever. (Minus the heat and humidity)!
Favorite rib spots — Armadillos and Chicago BBQ! They both had fall off the bone ribs with awesome sauces!
Loves:
— Admission = Free. Who doesn’t like attending a free event? The music is pretty sweet… even for jazz. ;)
— All of the fun activities for kids…(probably now more than before since I’m a new mama and also have a seven year old stepson). We also got a free Brutus doll for the little one just by liking a Brutus picture on Instagram.
— Free «round robin» of snacks and drinks. Again, who is going to walk away from free stuff? We had free chocolates, yogurt, gum, Sarah Lee snacks, TEQUILA, and a «spaghetti spoon».
Dislikes/​Can Use Improvement:
— The Stomboli Vendor/​Truck. We decided to stop by this truck after The Color Run on Saturday morning just to grab a quick bite to eat before heading home. We ordered the Buffalo Chicken Stromboli. You could tell that the stromboli was reheated from the night before. If this had been made fresh, it would have been pretty good. It definitely wasn’t worth the $ 8 that morning.
— With the extreme heat and the amount of people that attend this event — additional tents, tables, chairs, and fans could come in use.
Overall, this was a great experience and I will continue to attend annually!

This is one of my favorite festivals in Columbus that I look forward to hitting up every year. I was a little worried this year with all the rain we’ve been having that it was going to get rained out, but I lucked out for the most part. The rain actually helped on Sunday, since it drove the lines down, and I went in and swooped up some ribs when the crowds all left.
If you’re going to come down here, you can expect some lines, but the later you go, it seems the longer the lines are. I was down there at 9:30 pm on Saturday, and everything had crazy lines, but when I went on Friday night around 8 pm, it probably only took me around 20 minutes to get through a line at Porky-​N-​Beans, which is usually one of the more popular spots there. I recommend checking out some of the places that don’t have long lines as well, because all of the vendors here are very good. The sauces at Smokin’ T’s were delicious.
There’s also three stages setup, one at each end of the closed off street, and one as you go down toward the river front. I’m not a huge Jazz fan but just having it in the background makes the area all the more lively, and everyone seems to be in a pretty good mood.
My one complaint is that there’s never enough places to sit, so expect to find a spot along the wall or set up shop in the grass. The plaza right in the middle has some tables and chairs but not nearly enough to accommodate everyone. Also, there’s lots of swag being given out in the middle of the festival if you get there early, so make sure you check it out. If you don’t like large crowds, this may not be for you, but if you can deal, then you’re going to have a fun time and get some great food.

Enjoy coming here every year. I try to avoid late nights on Friday and Saturday when the wait for the best ribs are between 1−½ hours. We usually head down in the afternoons, get a few samples to try and get our food TOGO and eat at home for dinner. The lines are only around 15 – 30 min tops. Best way to enjoy the event without the obnoxious waiting. Bring a chair, a water bottle, extra napkins, hand sanitizer and patience if you do stay and decide to go in the early to late evening. Best for people watching. The things people do and wear always amaze me! Also, plenty of parking around but be ready to pay $ 10 for convenience.
They sell beer and purchase of coins prior to grabbing a cup is needed. $ 5 or two coins are needed to get one. Can’t complain with a cold beer from a tap. If beer isnt your drink, they have plenty of people selling waters at the entrances for 0.50, if you didn’t bring a water bottle filled with water than buy a few, only a $ 1. You will thank me later.
Pit masters was my favorite ribs, 2015. They were meaty and not too sweet of a bbq sauce. They had pretty decent potato salad and beans. My favorite sides are from Johnsons. I Love the greens, beans, potato salad and can get down with the mac N cheese. The ribs weren’t as yummy as Pit Masters. We also tried Chicago style and I was disappointed on the ribs. They weren’t meaty and mostly fat on them and a very sweet sauce. Plenty of other choices to try.

Horrible venue. Packed in like sardines. No semblance of organization. People could just plop down anywhere. Good lines unbearable it took 2 hours, 2 hours to get out of the parking garage. Avoid this festival like the plague.

Whoa, I thought I’d already written this review. Whoops, I am way behind.
Anyhoo, I wish we’d thought to bring chairs with us. They would have come in handy while waiting in the crazy long lines. There were much shorter lines at some of the BBQ places further away from the stage but some of the ones we wanted to try were in that first, insanely packed section.
The music was great, jazz on a hot summer night is pretty perfect. We had some pretty solid ribs and brisket from a couple different joints. I kind of wish this was a fall festival though, it can be unbearably hot with all the grills, people and smoke around. All in all, not a bad way to spend an evening.

Major con: crazy long lines for mediocre food. I believe I waited almost two hours for ribs (I picked the wrong line I know… I should’ve left but I was already committed). Turns out that I make better ribs myself at home than the ribs that I purchased. And I barely had time to listen to music because of the line :(Come here for music alone, not the food.

Every year I look forward to the Jazz and Rib Fest (because ribs…) And every year, I’m disappointed.
I’ve been before, at this location and the previous one. Each time I went full of hope, eager to sample many different vendors. But the crowds overwhelm the stands, and so I end up waiting in line forever for something that turns out to be, well, good not great. Parking sucks, it’s always hot, there’s almost nowhere to sit and eat, and since jazz is a deterrent for me, not a draw, I end up trying to move away from the music.
This time I went right when it opened Friday, hoping to avoid the crowds. Nope. Parking was disorganized because they were still putting up signs. There were long lines at each stand. And there’s still not room to sit. A tiny tent with tables, which is nice, but far too small. The low wall, where I was able to squeeze in, and which was thankfully shady. That’s it.
I would love to be able to get a rib or two from each place and compare. But if there are a dozen vendors and you wait 15 minutes for each (I waited longer,) that’s at least 3 hours of waiting, not to mention walking and eating. I love ribs, but it’s just not worth it– I made it to two places, and even then I did it grudgingly because I had already paid to park and walked a ways to get in.

It’s been a few years since I last attended the Jazz & Rib Fest, so when Lily’s Mini Delights posted that they would be at the Fest this year, and then I woke up to a nicely overcast coolish day, I knew the stars had aligned for me. We headed downtown around 1 pm, when it was still drizzling a bit, in hopes of avoiding excessive crowds. It seemed to work, since there was plenty of room to walk around and check everything out, and the lines were manageable (about 15 minutes).
My husband and I sampled Just North of Memphis’s half rack ($ 14) with their Sweet Kristy Sauce, since I had seen they won best sauce in 2012 and was curious to try it. It did not disappoint. The meat was tender and juicy, and had a nice dry rub. The sauce was good, well balanced with its flavors, and complemented the ribs nicely. Like all of the stands (of which there were many), it’s a bit pricey. I wish there was some way to get a sampler of all the ribs in one place for one basic price. I’m not sure how you could possibly afford to try them all separately, because even the 3 – 4 rib samplers were $ 7 – 8 at each booth, and there are good 20 or so options.
The location is near the North Bank Park area this year, which I didn’t love. It seemed to be organized in a rather awkward manner. It would be easy to miss an entire section of ribs and food stands because of the way it is spread out. I only found the other section because I was on the hunt for my Lily’s donuts. You also can’t really hear the jazz music from most of the stands, so when you are waiting in a long line, you miss out on the music, which seems counter intuitive for a Jazz & Rib Fest.
The booths in the middle of the area were fun — that’s where a lot of the activities, samples, and what-​not were located. There were a lot of goodies and coupons to be had. The nice lady with Dove chocolate was especially awesome and friendly.
And, yes, I did get a piping hot serving of Lily’s donuts. You know I wasn’t leaving without them. Ribs and donuts, lunch of champions!

So I have the pleasure of going to both Cleveland and Columbus’s rib fest this year. And this is going to be one of the first times where I say Cleveland that it better. This event was crowded and shoved into a corner. The music was completely separated from the food. The area where the lines were for the food were completely crowded. We ended up waiting for what was one of the best ones the Johnson’s farms ribs, and they even tasted better at the Cleveland event. Now I know that’s not the fault of Columbus however, it it just wasn’t worth it.

I met up with an old friend of mine who likes jazz and ribs. I honestly don’t like either but I’m up for hanging out, you know? I can say that the last time I was here was when this was held at Bicentennial Park further downstream some years ago.
The lines were extremely long and seemed to move real slooooowwww. I over heard some people complaining that it was taking 20 to 30 minutes to get any food or drinks so you may want to eat first and bring your own drinks with you.
I really think they are trying to do too much is such a small area. The Scioto Mile is not that big and it really felt like things were just crammed in way too tight. Traffic was horrible and finding a parking spot was a joke.
Maybe if it were in a larger area with more and better vendors it might be better but in my honest opinion, I wasn’t impressed.
I think the term clusterfuck would be appropriate here.

Pigfoot is good for brisket, great sauce as well. Didn’t try the ribs, so can’t comment there. Crazy tender and juicy brisket, great flavor with or without sauce.
Line for this one is long, maybe 20 – 30 minute wait.
Big boned BBQ was good, sauce had a little kick and not overly sweet or tangy. Brisket was tougher and a bit chunky and came pre-​slathered in sauce. This is second currently to pigfoot.

Went here on Friday ⁷⁄₁₈. Arrived at around 7:00, left around 9:00 due to rain.
Even in the rain, the lines to get ribs were insane. I almost gave up on getting ribs, and I should have. I got into the smallest line and still waited about 20 minutes to get some pretty crappy ribs at a very steep price. $ 25 for 12 bones. I was hoping for a connected slab with some meat in between the ribs. No luck. The ribs were tough with little meat on them. And it was next to impossible to get any sauce out of the containers.
My guess is that the other lines were 45 minutes or longer. Simply not worth the wait.
Maybe it’s better during the day. If you want to get ribs, don’t go in the evening. You’ll just stand in line all night. There has to be a better way. Just too many people, service too slow and/​or not enough vendors.
The only good thing was the setup of the main stage facing the park. Lots of green space to set up and listen. But even then, I didn’t care much for the music. The review of the group advised a blues/​rock sound. Nope. Only sax and keyboard driven jazz. But I won’t let that influence my review. To each his own when it comes to music.
But still, in summary, not recommended by a longshot. The worst Columbus event I’ve ever attended. Never seen lines like this when so many vendors were available. And never such horrible food.
Note my other reviews if you think that I’m just picky or cranky. Certainly not the case.
Avoid this event in the evening if you’re going there to eat. If I could give it zero stars I would.

Calling the crowd dangerous is an understatment. Even with tons of extra police — every year there’s usually some kind of violence.
For some reason a specific demographic has adopted this as THEIR festival — and others arent welcome.
Columbus would be better off cancelling the whole thing.
Food lines are long and prices are pretty steep

One of my friends said this was going on so I decided to go. Unfortunately, I had just come from lunch at a Chinese buffet, so I wasn’t really that hungry for BBQ (bad choice!) But… since I was there, I decided to feed my face anyway. There were TONS of BBQ vendors there. I don’t even remember which one of them I ate at. It was pretty hot and humid out that day… which kind’ve sucked, but other than that it was okay.
I’ll say, there was good people watching. I’d go back just for that!

I was really looking forward to this Fest this year as one of many I would go to, but I walked away sorely disappointed.
After a long walk to get there, I found the Jazz and Rib Fest to be packed, trash ridden, and resembling more of a back country county fair than a downtown metropolis festival.
I had a beer, walked around to see all the stands and soak in the jazz. While the music wasn’t bad for live festival music, that was about the only high note. The beer selection was awful, offering only a handful of pale ales and lagers I would’ve expected to drink in a game of beer pong, not to compliment a slab of the best ribs in the state. Or so they’re proclaimed. While the festival is free to enter, the ribs will drain you of your life savings. $ 8 for 4 ribs, $ 16 for a slab, $ 25 for a family portion — those prices set at each and every stand, most offering «samplers» of 2 ribs for $ 4. Sorry but with over 20 different rib selections, I don’t intend on sampling them all for $ 80 so I can fairly offer my judgement. Instead, I snuffed the idea of paying that much for what I knew was not slow roasted, 12 hour perfection of a slab of piggy ribs.
I went home hungry and dismayed.

This event can be a bit pricey. It cost $ 10 to park nearby, and you could easily spend $ 20 or so dollars on food without batting an eye. But the music is awesome and worth your while. Even heavy rain couldn’t put a damper on the experience. Bring a chair and some friends for a good, relaxing time.

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.

Now this is the best event we have been to since moving to Columbus!
Along with that they perfect event for my meat loving men!
We went sunday at 11.30 so it wasn’t too crowded or hot yet.
After a stroll to check out all that was offered we decided we had to do it all.
The only thing that bugged me is that they don’t offer single ribs it was either 3 for $ 7 or ¹⁄₃ stab (4 ribs) for $ 10 which is steep if you want to try them all.
We wound up spending about $ 100 on 3 ribs from each stand and after that had to go home to take a nap, serious meat overload!
This year we cast our vote for Georgia, amazing ribs, left to soak in a deep vat of sweet heat BBQ sauce all day, god were they good!
Parking is $ 5 to $ 10 but there are meters all over, free on sundays so save yourself the money.
It got pretty full and hot by the time we left, go early to save yourself the long wait, even so it will be worth it finding out which state has the best BBQ!

This is one of my favorite festivals in Columbus!
I would like to talk about the venue. I have gone for the last 8 years or so except for last. I drive on down to where I think it is or has been for the last so odd years. Well it wasn’t there. I started to crap my pants. I went onto the Iphone to get some info. Found out the new location and I LOVE IT! Could not have asked for a better area to have it.
Onto the food… they have fried everything, pulled pork, bbq chicken, cobbler, lemon-​shakes-​up things, grilled corn and of course RIBS!!!
There is about 20 different places to get the finger licking (yours and your friend’s or complete stranger’s), rob a person to get more, homemade, secret recipe that has been passed passed down for generations, kick ass ribs. I personally like to go to the ones with the shortest lines; only because I don’t like waiting in line.
I enjoy the grilled corn literally dipped into butter with a touch of pepper and some salt. OMG it is amazing!
There are a ton of vendors giving out free samples. Last night the little lady and I scored, 3 mac and cheese, 2 bbq bottles, 1 free shirt and a dozen or so of high fives.
My favorite vendor was the JEEP exhibit! This place was so sweet. The little is in a market for a new car and she was looking at JEEPs. It was as if the Rib fest knew, creepy. They have an off road course where you can drive the brand-​new 2011 grande cherokee or the rubicon.
The music. It is a perfect summer, family friendly mix.
Sit down, get some sauce on your face, drive a JEEP and relax!
Only down side, the price. Ribs can get pricey!