Southeast Ohio is home to some of the best festivals in the state, from big music showcases to niche culinary and art gatherings. Every year, people from around the Buckeye state and the greater Midwest travel to Southeast Ohio to sample stellar craft beer, see the largest Nutcracker collection in the world, and maybe even ride in a hot air balloon.

Here are the top 10 festivals you can’t miss in Southeast Ohio.

Marietta: Rivers, Trails, and Ales Festival

Each August, Marietta hosts the Rivers, Trails, and Ales Festival, bringing together three popular pastimes in the region. Paddlers and rowers can enjoy the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers with kayak rentals. Cyclists benefit from free, organized road and mountain bike rides around Marietta. Bikes are available for rent. At the beer fest, breweries come from around the state to show off their craft ales.

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Frankfort Sunflower Festival

Each July, the Frankfort Sunflower Festival takes place in Ross County in southeastern Ohio. The flower extravaganza includes live music, crafts, concessions, rides and games, a car show, a pie contest, and a parade, to name a few attractions.

Attendees can enter their sunflower floral arrangements into the festival’s Sunflower Show. There are prizes for different categories including tallest stem, most blooms on one stem, prettiest, ugliest, most unusual, and more!

This sunflower festival is truly fun for all ages including a teen black light rave, a 5K, a petting zoo, and a baby sunflower costume contest!

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Nelsonville Music Festival

Southeastern Ohio’s Nelsonville Music Festival (NMF) has been named by Billboard as “one of the best-kept secrets of the U.S. music festival circuit.” Set in the rolling hills of Nelsonville, at the Snow Fork Event Center, this three-day festival offers a unique lineup of artists from around the country, the state, and the local region. Over 40 acts of various genres perform at the festival from R&B, hip hop, and folk music groups to country, rock, and indie sets.

The outdoor setting makes this event great for young people and families with opportunities for camping, kid’s activities, craft and food vendors, and more! NMF is produced by Stuart’s Opera House, a non-profit historic theater and performing arts center in Nelsonville. The festival proceeds support art education at Stuart’s Opera House.

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Athens: Ohio Brew Week

Ohio Brew Week is a 9-day beer brewing and fermenting festival in downtown Athens where attendees can choose from hundreds of beers, ciders, meads, and more. The event began as a way to generate business in Athens during the slower summer months. But what started as a local community effort has turned into a staple annual event for the Ohio beer industry.

Many events are hosted throughout the week including live music, a 100-month-old malted bourbon release, an 80s dance night, brew week bingo, a 5K beer run, and multiple special brewery events.

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Marietta: Ohio River Sternwheel Festival

One of Ohio’s oldest cities, Marietta, is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers. Each September, it’s home to a festival drawing 100,000 people annually. The Ohio River Sternwheel Festival celebrates the rich history of boating on the Ohio River with paddle-wheelers, fireworks, live music, a car show, a pageant, and the crowning of “Queen Genevieve.”

Each year, 30-35 authentic sternwheel boats dock along Marietta’s scenic riverbank, giving festival goers a glimpse into river life from past generations. There is something for everyone with children’s activities, delicious food vendors, a Sunday sunrise service, and arts and crafts for sale. The festival concludes with the annual sternwheel boat race.

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Zanesville: Y-Bridge Arts Festival

A unique festival is hosted each summer by the Artist Colony of Zanesville, an art community that sponsors galleries and artists’ studios in the town.

The Zanesville Y-Bridge Arts Festival brings together artists and musicians from across the region for musical performances, yoga classes, dance classes, and fundraising for art education. Children interested in art have the chance to participate in lots of activities including felt wildlife crafting and wildlife mosaics, rock dot painting, and Japanese koinobori kites.

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Coshocton Hot Air Balloon Festival

Each June for the past 40 years, the skies above Coshocton County are filled with colorful hot air balloons. The annual festival is a chance to watch these beautiful balloons float above the horizon at dawn and dusk. Festival goers even have the chance to take a tethered ride in an anchored balloon, hovering 20-50 feet above the ground.

The festival’s Night Glow is a special experience where balloons are inflated on the festival grounds and the fiery burners cause a glowing effect.

In addition to balloon watching and riding, visitors can enjoy fair food, fireworks, and live music!

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Gallipolis in Lights

From Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, the Gallipolis City Park glows with thousands of Christmas lights. The annual holiday light display is visible each night from dusk until dawn, bringing cheer to the local community and those around the southeastern Ohio region.

Gallipolis in Lights is an official stop along the Ohio Holiday Lights Trail, and in 2022 it earned the Today Show’s “Merriest Main Street” title! The light display opens with an Official Park Lighting including reindeer, free hot chocolate and cookies, and live entertainment.

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Portsmouth: Winterfest

Portsmouth’s Winterfest turns the charming Ohio River town into a winter wonderland each year from the Thanksgiving holiday through the first week of January. The charm and spirit of Winterfest earned Portsmouth a designation as a Hallmark Hometown Christmas town! The weeks-long festival includes an ice skating rink, lots of craft vendors for holiday shopping, and delicious food trucks.

Local choirs, bands, and soloists provide merry entertainment as visitors of all ages enjoy carriage rides through town. A must-see is the historic Boneyfiddle District decked out in a dazzling display of lights, with new features added each season.

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Steubenville Nutcracker Village

Steubenville, Ohio is home to the world’s largest collection of life-size nutcrackers. Each Christmas, the Steubenville Nutcracker Village group displays over 200 of the classic Christmas statues in a free 24/7 exhibit around the downtown. Each nutcracker, taking at least 40 hours to complete, was hand-carved by Brodie Stuzman and hand-painted by Therese Fedoryka.

The Steubenville Nutcracker Village is fun for all ages including an advent market, a Christmas tree competition, a bar crawl, a lantern parade, a nutcracker masquerade ball, and so much more.

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