Summer Arts and Entertainment in Columbus Ohio

Royal Shakespearean Company stops in for a Columbus visit and it's free! Also free the month of June - movies, concerts, yoga, baseball games and more!

Summer festivals are a Columbus, Ohio staple. Here we celebrate diverse cultures - Hispanic, African American, Serbian, Asian, etc.; diverse music - Jazz, blues, alternative; and diverse foods - ribs, strawberries, tomatoes and anything that can be put on a stick or fried.

The full 2012 CAPA Summer Movie Series featuring movies of every genre: chick flick Bridget Jones' Diary, classic Saturday Morning cartoons, sci-fi action film The Matrix and classic films The Sound of Music, Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo and To Kill a Mockingbird.

The 2011 Picnic with the Pops schedule with the Columbus Symphony.

On June 5-7, the 48-year old Columbus Arts Festival will fill the Discovery District with art, music, food, and hands-on activities. Over 250 nationally acclaimed artists will show their work in this year’s juried art show. Festival admission is free.

Free theater under the stars! This summer, Actors' Theatre is producing The Three Musketeers, The Tempest and As you Like It. Pack a picnic, grab a blanket and head for Schiller Park in German Village.

No matter your musical preference, free tunes are in the air this summer. Budget woes have cut the Columbus Parks and Rec. music programs, but other Central Ohio communities are picking up the slack with plenty of free concerts. So, bring the lawn chairs, blankets, bug repellant and grab yourself a free “music break.”

Budgets are tight and we're all cutting back our spending. But that doesn't mean we have to cut back our fun. Columbus' free summer theater, movies and music are just waiting for audiences. Here are nine freebies that I like. Send me your list.