From mid-May until mid-September, Cleveland and the surrounding area comes alive with dozens of festivals, many of which celebrate Northeast Ohio's rich ethnic heritage. Below are your Guide's picks for the top festivals in the area. Make sure that your summer plans include a few of these favorites (in date order).
1. Hessler Street Festival
Each year, University Circle's Hessler Street goes back to 1969 for the Hessler Street Festival. The two-day street fest features food, live music, crafts, dancing in the streets, and poetry readings. Held on Saturday and Sunday in late May, it's a celebration of the best that era...and lots of fun, too.
2. Tops Great American Rib Fest
The Tops Great American Rib Fest, held each year on Memorial Day weekend, is the unofficial start of the Cleveland summer festival season. This popular four-day event, held at the Tower City Amphitheater, features name entertainers, rib outlets from around the world, kid's activities, and lots of fun. It's a Cleveland summer must-do event.
3. Greek Heritage Festival
This three-day festival, held over Memorial Day weekend each year, is a treat for Greeks and non-Greeks alike. Tremont's Church of the Annunciation hosts this event, which includes a variety of wonderful food, cooked by the women of the church, Greek music and dance, a Greek marketplace, and a lively beer tent in the church's parking lot. Admission to the event is FREE (food and beer are extra.)
4. Parade the Circle
This University Circle annual event is as unique as the neighborhood that sponsors it. There's nothing commercial about "Parade the Circle," held each year in mid-June. All exhibits, floats, and marchers are individually-designed and supported. The event is FREE and the parade starts at noon. Food, music, and fun continue until 4pm.
5. Tops Kids Fest
This interactive festival is held in mid-July each year at the Tower City Amphitheater. It features dozens of pavilions with hands-on kids activities, such as face-painting, crafts, video learning, and more. There's also live music, food, and lots of fun.
6. 185th Street Festival
This spirited festival, held the first weekend in August, celebrates the Slavic roots of the Collingwood neighborhood...and so much more. There's polka music and dancing, potato pancakes and piergi, crafts, and kid's activities at this popular street festival.
7. Vintage Ohio
Held annually during the first week of August, Vintage Ohio, celebrates the ever-growing number of quality wines produced in Ohio, particularly in the NE and North Central Ohio wine-growing regions. This two-day festival, held at Lake Farm Park in Kirtland features samples of Ohio wines, regional foods, live music, and cooking demonstrations.
8. Twins Festival
Twins Day, in Twinsburg, has drawn twins from all over the world since 1976...but you don't have to be a twin to enjoy this three-day festival. This event, held in early August, showcases twins and features food, live entertainment, activities, and lots of fun.
9. Feast of the Assumption
Held in mid-August each year, the Little Italy festival is one of the city's most popular. Centered at Mayfield and Murray Hill Roads, the Feast of the Assumption features a parade, lots of Italian food, carnival rides in the parking lot of Holy Rosary Church, and live music.
10. Slavic Village Harvest Festival
Fleet Avenue, in Cleveland's Slavic Village neighborhood, is closed to traffic between E 55 and E 62nd Sts, during the Harvest Festival, held the last weekend in August. This fun-filled event features dozens of Polish food vendors, selling cabbage and noodles, potato pancakes, kielbasa and sauerkraut, and lots of other goodies. There's also three music stages, polka dancers, craft vendors, and neighborhood tours by Lolly the Trolley.