April Ohio Festivals & Events in Early Spring

Admission for the Easter Egg Hunt at Young’s Dairy Farm is free for this event only.

• When: Usually held on Easter Sunday at 2pm.
• Location: (Map It) 6880 Springfield-Xenia Road in Yellow Springs, Ohio
• Phone: 937-325-0629
• Web: click here

Easter Egg Hunt at Young’s Dairy Farm in Yellow Springs, Ohio: Young’s Dairy Farm celebrates Easter with its annual Easter Egg Hunt, rain, snow, or shine. Easter egg hunts are broken down into various age categories: 4 and younger, 5-7 years old, and 8-10 years old. This tradition at Young’s Dairy has been going on for approximately 20 years and boasts having more than 4,000 hard-boiled and dyed eggs for the hunt. It also presents Barnabe the mascot, so bring a camera for pictures to remember.

Young’s Dairy Farm is a family-owned, working farm. They plan many events and activities for the whole family. Additional points of interest include homemade ice cream, watching cows being milked, goat petting, two restaurants, a bakery, a gift shop, a driving range, batting cages, miniature golf, and more…for a fee.

Admission to the International Street Fair in Athens is free.

• When: April 11, 2026, from 10:30am – 5pm
• Location: (Map It) East Union Street between Court St. and University Terrace in uptown Athens, Ohio
• Phone: 740-593-4330
• Web:  click here

The Athens International Street Fair in Athens, Ohio, has evolved into a local and regional favorite. The Street Fair, which runs from 11 am to 5 pm, is a collaboration of the university’s international student groups and nonprofit community organizations. Typically, more than 30 organizations set up booths at the International Street Fair to sell food, crafts, and other items, and there are stage performances throughout the day.

Admission to the Ohioana Book Festival is free and open to the public.

• When: April 18, 2026
• Where: (Map It) The State Library of Ohio at 274 E. First Ave. #100, in Columbus, Ohio
• Phone:  614-466-3831
• Web: click here

The Ohioana Book Festival in Columbus, Ohio, is “Celebrating Ohio’s Authors.” It brings together over 100 authors and readers of all ages for a day of panel discussions, readings, a book fair, children’s activities, prizes, entertainment, and food.

Admission to the Geauga County Maple Festival is free.

• When: April 23 – 26, 2026 (Always the last full weekend in April, ending on Sunday)
• Location: (Map It) Historic Chardon Square (Rt. 6 & Rt. 44) in Chardon, Ohio (Geauga County)
• Phone: 440-332-7055
• Web: maplefestival.com/

Geauga County Maple Festival in Chardon, Ohio:  Join in the fun as Geauga County celebrates the coming of spring and the year’s maple syrup crop. This festival occurs on Historic Chardon Square in the heart of Geauga County. For visitors looking for fun, there are all the traditional things a festival offers: rides, games, food & great entertainment. What sets this event apart is all the Maple-related activities that take place over the weekend, like the crowning of the Maple Queen, the “sap” run, bucket painting, Maple candy carving, Pancake Breakfasts (with pure maple Syrup), and pancake-eating competitions.

Area sugar bushes also put their syrup to the test with syrup & maple candy judging. Winning syrups are also auctioned off as part of the weekend entertainment. Food choices include Maple candy and Maple corn. The popular Maple stirs are available at the Log Cabin on the Square. Grand parades take place on Saturday and Sunday and showcase many community businesses and events. Check the website above; schedules are frequently updated as the big event approaches. Don’t miss the fun!

Admission to Bellbrook Sugar Maple Festival is free.

• When: April 24 – 26, 2026 (Friday 6-10pm, Saturday 10am-10pm, Sunday 11am – 5pm.)
• Location: (Map It) Downtown Bellbrook, Ohio (State Route 725 between Interstate 675 and U.S. Route 42)
• Web: click here

The Bellbrook Sugar Maple Festival is one of the first outdoor festivals of the year in southern Ohio. Nestled in the Little Miami River valley, historic Bellbrook is small-town America at its most patriotic and picturesque. In addition to all of the expected arts, crafts, concessions, children’s activities, and entertainment (this is serious bluegrass country), the Sugar Maple Festival includes a 5K run (usually on Saturday), a maple syrup food contest, dog show (usually Friday evening), and a beer garden with live entertainment (Friday & Saturday nights).

Admission to Arbor Day Festival at Dawes Arboretum is approx. $10/adult and $5/child age 5-15.

• When: April 25, 2026 (usually the Saturday following Arbor Day), from 10am – 2pm
• Location: (Map It) Dawes Arboretum at 7770 Jacksontown Road SE in Newark, Ohio
• Phone: 740-323-2355
• Web: click here

Arbor Day Festival at Dawes Arboretum in Newark, Ohio:  It’s Arbor Day at last! Festival activities usher in spring and summer at The Arboretum, our busiest times.  This Arbor Day Festival is an opportunity to learn about and appreciate what Mother Nature provides, and to spend a spring day enjoying the outdoors.  An array of activities and educational displays takes place throughout the day, including tree climbing and kids’ crafts.

Admission to the Cartoon Crossroads Columbus is free.

• When: April 2027 dates to be confirmed
• Location: (Map It) City-wide in Columbus, Ohio
• Web: cartooncrossroadscolumbus.com
  

Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, or CXC, is a comics, art, and animation festival where the greatest talent from the world of cartooning and comics descend at this annual celebration of the world’s most exciting art form.

Cartooning superstars headline a group of guests and 45 exhibitors appearing at the city-wide comics’ literary festival.

The group responsible is Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, aka “CXC”, a non-profit organization uniting a dozen Columbus arts organizations and bringing together individuals with over 250 collective years of experience in cartooning and comics-making.

“I love Columbus, and I love comics,” said Jeff Smith, creator of the popular BONE series of graphic novels and CXC’s Festival President and Artistic Director. “I want to bring the two together.”

The CXC approach differs from standard comics conventions by concentrating on the comics-makers as authors and then focusing heavily on the cartooning itself as laudable art rather than as creative fodder for film, television, and toys. Comics and cartoon art are in the spotlight at CXC, and cartoonists are the stars.

CXC also welcomes practitioners that embody a variety of different approaches to cartooning, from graphic novels to gag panels to newspaper strips to webcomics to superhero comics to animated film. CXC features comics to read for audiences aged 2 to 102.

CXC’s city-wide approach — with a dozen partnership institutions and five major Columbus venues— seeks to transform Columbus into an every-year, world-class destination for several multi-billion dollar industries: a Sundance for comics; a Cannes for the cartoon arts.

“I’ve been attending comics shows worldwide for 25 years now,” says Smith. “I want to bring the best of what I’ve experienced to CXC.”

Please e-mail cxcfestival@mail.com or visit cartooncrossroadscolumbus.com for more information, including a full schedule, art as needed, and complete guest lists and programming.