One of the booths from 2019’s 934 Fest. This year’s 934 Fest will unfold Friday and Saturday. Credit: Ty Wright
934 Fest, the annual art and music festival hosted by local nonprofit 934 Gallery, will return this weekend for its ninth year, bringing art, music and vintage vendors to Columbus’ Milo-Grogan neighborhood.
934 Fest will run from 7-11 p.m. Friday and 1-11 p.m. Saturday, occupying two main locations: the actual 934 gallery, located at 934 Cleveland Ave., and the neighboring Milo Arts building, located at 617 E. Third St. The event — which will also extend into surrounding alleyways — is free to attend, with beverage and merchandise sales going toward 934 Gallery’s future operations.
Liz Martin, board president and executive director of 934 Gallery, said the festival was started nine years ago by one of the gallery’s founders, Daniel Loper, as a way to support Columbus artists and musicians.
“Our mission is to offer accessible arts experiences to the community and also to give artists a platform for recognition,” Martin said. “By creating a free festival in our neighborhood celebrating the arts, we’re kind of touching all those points.”
Martin said the festival will begin with a Friday opening of 934 Gallery’s new exhibit — which is titled “SOMEDAY” and features work from the gallery’s founder, Mark Warren Jacques — as well as performances from local bands.
According to 934 Fest’s website, one of Friday’s performances will come from indie-rock band Minnows, which will play the Daniel Loper Memorial stage from 9:15-10 p.m.
Minnows frontman Sean Gardner said his band applied to play at the festival because of 934 Gallery’s reputation for supporting local artists.
“We love supporting the scene and being a part of the scene, and there are a lot of great bands playing, so we’re definitely looking forward to the show,” Gardner said. “It’s nice to play with different bands each time, and we can see a lot of different friends.”
According to 934 Fest’s website, indie-rock group Smug Brothers — which was formed in Dayton in 2004 but has been based in Columbus since 2015 — will finish out Friday’s performances, playing the Daniel Loper Memorial stage from 10:15-11 p.m.
Kyle Melton, Smug Brothers’ singer and guitarist, said the band’s set will feature shorter songs so as to maximize its headlining time slot.
“We’ve done a few festivals in Columbus. We were at the Arts Festival earlier this summer, and we’ve had some good audiences,” Melton said. “It looks like the weather will be nice, so I think people will get out there and be ready for a good rockin’ time.”
Martin said the festival’s Saturday happenings include all-day food trucks, open studio spaces at Milo Arts until 4 p.m. and vendor booths from Punk Rock Pawn Shop and Bizarket Market until 7 p.m. Saturday will likewise feature a performance-art show by 83 Gallery at “The Dallas,” a collaborative workspace at Milo Arts.
Martin said the festival will platform 19 bands across two stages. Participating bands will play on the main Daniel Loper Memorial stage and between the gallery’s artwork-covered buildings on the Mural Alley stage.
According to 934 Fest’s website, indie-pop band Miranova will play the Mural Alley Stage Saturday from 9:45-10:15 p.m.
Alex Douglas, Miranova’s frontman, said the band formed in 2014. This year’s 934 Fest, however, will be the first festival that Miranova has ever played at.
“Despite doing this band for as long as I have, I’m pretty excited about this,” Douglas said. “This is a festival I’ve wanted to play for a long time.”
Douglas said he used to be a member of Milo Arts’ community, having rented and operated a recording studio in the neighborhood for over two years.
“It’s how I got introduced to a lot of musicians in town, and I got to work on some really great albums, and a lot of the people that, really, that play in my bands now are people that I’ve recorded over the years based off of that experience,” Douglas said. “Being a part of this artist community and supporting it in any way I can by playing the festival, it has that sort of significance to me.”
More information about 934 Fest can be found on its website.
This story was updated Sept. 12 at 11:15 a.m. to correct the corresponding photo caption to reflect accurate photo credit and year in which the photo was taken.
