RECAP | 35th Annual Jazz & Rib Fest
Posted on September 6, 2014
It was a year to celebrate – from its beginnings as Jazz in July to the Riverfront Jazz Festival to the Jazz & Rib Fest; the 2014 Jazz & Rib Fest marked 35 years of the finest jazz musicians and the best BBQ from across the country. The Jazz & Rib Fest has become one of the most anticipated summertime traditions in Columbus and this year proved to be no different. Bringing more than 350,000 people from all over the country to the Arena District riverfront, the festival offered jazz connoisseurs 50 live performances by local and international touring artists and 23 award-winning rib teams lined Spring and Long Streets to compete for “Best Ribs” bragging rights.
A variety of musical acts graced the festival stages throughout the weekend. 2014 headliners included Brian Culbertson, Terence Blanchard, Earl Klugh, The Soul Rebels, Spanish Harlem Orchestra and Jessy J. From relaxing under the shade of the Hollywood Casino Plaza to experiencing a day in the life of an Air National Guard to tasting samples from the Big Bite Tour, the festival provided something for all. Partnering for the third consecutive year, The Color Run brought more than 11,000 registered runners for 3.1 miles of color madness. This year’s festival brought many record-breaking numbers – 5,000 pounds of potatoes were consumed, 8,000 lemons were squeezed to make lemonade, 2,000 gallons of ketchup used (that’s 91,429 individual packets!), 188,000 pieces of Dove Dark Chocolate Promises were sampled and we can’t forget the BBQ ribs with over half a million bones consumed by festival attendees!
Jazz & Rib Fest would not be possible without the continuous support and generosity of our lead sponsors and partners including American Electric Power, ABC 6 WSYX/FOX 28 WTTE, Bud Light, Hollywood Casino, Sunny 95, The Arena District, The Color Run, Live Technologies and Ruckus Wireless. We also extend a special thanks to Jazz & Rib Fest tours, sponsors and partners including the Big Bite Tour, Dove Chocolate Tour, Char-Broil TRU-Infrared Tour, Direct Satellite Service, State Farm Insurance, Buckeye Community Health Plan, T-Mobile, MetroPCS, United States Marine Corps, Air National Guard, car2go, Crowne Plaza, Coca-Cola, Sunbelt Rentals, Buckeye Mobile Tour, Columbus Blue Jackets, Columbus Crew and COSI.
We will see everyone next year!
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