The Flyover Festival will feature musical performances, author readings, panel discussions, film screenings and a day-long book-and-music fair around Columbus from May 11 to May 13. Credit: Sara Stacy
A new festival will take over Ohio State’s campus and Clintonville this weekend to showcase the arts, film, literary and musical talent hailing from the Midwest.
The Flyover Fest was inspired by other multi-genre arts festivals visited by Brett Gregory, editorial and marketing assistant for Two Dollar Radio, a Columbus-based independent publishing company, and Eric Obenauf, co-owner of Two Dollar Radio.
“(Eric and I) asked, ‘Why can’t we bring a festival like this to Columbus?” Gregory said, “because we have a lot to show here in the arts scene, whether it’s music or film.”
Events will include musical performances, author readings, panel discussions, film screenings and a day-long book-and-music fair featuring vendors from across the Midwest and Canada.
Gregory said the festival’s organizers hope to create an inclusive atmosphere, while also prompting discovery of new talent by attendees, performers and vendors.
“I think it’s a good place for people, whether they’re performing or just attending, to find a publishing company, a book, an author, a band that they might not be exposed to in their typical little scene,” he said.
Venues for the festival will include Wild Goose Creative, Used Kids Records, the Wexner Center for the Arts and others in Clintonville.
The Wexner Center will host programming all three nights of the festival. The first event will feature a discussion with Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Amber Hunt, host of the podcast, “Accused,” which explores the unsolved murder of a Miami University student in 1978.
The discussion will be followed by a screening of the 2012 crime documentary, “The Central Park Five.”
Though other events were intended to stand alone, David Filipi, director of film and video at the Wexner Center, said he heard about Obenauf’s vision for the festival and thought the Wexner Center’s screenings would be a good addition to the lineup.
“The films on the other two nights, Friday and Saturday, were things we were showing anyway,” said Filipi. “We felt they might be a nice fit for the ethos of the festival.”
A lineup of local and regional musicians and acts are also scheduled throughout the weekend, featuring a variety of genres, ranging from rap and hip-hop to indie-rock.
Musical acts are scheduled to play on the Pabst stage at Spacebar at 2590 N. High St. and the Columbus Alive stage at The Rambling House at 310 E. Hudson St. on Friday and Saturday.
The Flyover Fest will take place from Thursday to Saturday. Tickets are required for some events and are available at www.theflyoverfest.com.
