Events in Westerville

From summer festivals and markets, fall fun and holiday happenings, Westerville has something going on all year round! This holiday season, Westerville has everything from family-friendly activities, holiday markets to get those on your list unique and fun gifts and tours and experiences to enjoy the season! Browse by type of events below to find just what you're looking for to explore Westerville.

Uptown Cocoa Trail

Feb. 4 12-5 p.m. | Uptown Westerville

Stroll the sidewalks of historic Uptown Westerville for this free event. Shops shops are serving up delectable chocolate-themed refreshments and treats. There’s no better place for a festive Valentine’s / Galentine’s Day event than the “Heart of Westerville”

Galentines - Sip, Shop, Create

Feb. 9 6-8:30 p.m. | Uptown Gather

Grab your girlfriends for a fun night of sipping, snacking, shopping and creating. Join us for beautiful night of self care!

Pop-Up Pickers Club Vintage Makers Market

Feb. 11, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. | The Point at Otterbein University

The event features 40+ vendors with an array of different wares, including: oddities, crystals, local art, jewelry, vintage clothing/shoes (band tees, and all types of different fashion styles from 60s, 70s, 80s, & 90s) vintage toys & retro video games, handmade and re-purposed items. Come out and see what treasures you can find! PLUS we will have live music from local cover band Cool Ethan!

Mardi Gras Masquerade

Feb. 11, 7 p.m. | The Golf Club at Little Turtle

Join us for Westerville Education Challenge's Celebrate Hope 2023 fundraiser, Mardi Gras Masquerade, benefitting WEC and our initiatives in Westerville schools and community. The French Quarter may have Bourbon Street, but our Mardi Gras party will be hard to beat! Let's jazz it up and enjoy Mardi Gras inspired food, desserts, drinks, and live music with dueling pianos by 88 Keys and the Truth. Festive Mardi Gras masks and costumes are encouraged!

Galentine's Day Wine & Sushi Pairing

Feb. 13, 5-8 p.m. | Good Vibes Winery

Three glasses of wine each paired with two pieces of sushi from FUSIAN for only $25. And you can preorder another full sushi roll for an additional $15 per roll. Register no later than Friday Feb. 10 to reserve your seat for this event. To register, email:  jen@goodvibeswinery.com. Please include the following information: 1) number of persons attending, 2) time you plan to arrive, 3) if you would like to order an additional sushi roll, and 4) the type of additional sushi roll you would like to order. Additional sushi roll options: Spicy Tuna, Crispy Shrimp or California Roll.

Open House

Feb. 15, 5:30-8:30 p.m. | The Gathering Space @1091 Eastwind

Tour our event space, meet our Event Managers and reserve your next celebration or special event. Light refreshments will be served.

Versiti Blood Drive

Feb. 16, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m.| Java Central

Giving the gift of Life is the best gift of all! Blood donors will receive free coffee and cookies provided by Java Central. Appointments can be made through Versiti Blood Center below.

WesterBall2023 - There's A Space For Us

Feb. 25 6-10 p.m. | The Point at Otterbein University

WesterBall is a community arts event and serves as a fundraiser for The Arts Council of Westerville. The event will identify passionate supporters of the arts, raise money for local arts & music programming, and help The Arts Council of Westerville realize their goal of a cultural arts center in Westerville. Attendees are encouraged to 'dress to the nines' for this spectacular evening featuring The Big Badd band, dancing, student & professional performances, silent auction, monster art rally, and SO MUCH MORE!

WesterBall promotes art and artists, celebrates diverse cultures, and showcases the talent that exists in Westerville. Get your tickets, and get ready to party!

Uptown Cookie Walk

March 4 12-4 p.m. | Amish Originals

​Join residents and visitors on a tour through the heart of Westerville’s most historic district and visit shops and businesses, each offering a variety of gourmet cookies during the annual Uptown Cookie Walk!

Versiti Blood Drive

March 22 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | Westerville Area Chamber

Give the gift of life - Just one hour of your time can save up to three lives. Schedule your appointment now.

Westerville Art Hop

April 18 12-5 p.m. | Uptown Westerville

Make your way through Uptown and take in the work of artists in our own local shops as well as our 8 true gallery locations.

Taste of Westerville

May 4, 6-9 p.m. | Renaissance Westerville

Experience the most delicious culinary offerings from our Westerville Chamber Members at the  Annual Taste of Westerville!  The event includes restaurants, wine, beer and liquor tastings, a raffle and silent auction. Local celebrity judges will be in attendance, awarding restaurants for Westerville's Tastiest, Best Presentation, and more.

Otterbein Commencement

April 30 | Otterbein Memorial Stadium

Commencement is the culmination of your Otterbein experience. Whether you’re earning your undergraduate or graduate degree, you are better prepared to take on the world! This is the opportunity to celebrate all you’ve achieved.

BMX State Race

June 25 | Westerville BMX Track

Westerville BMX is a USA BMX Sanctioned Program that makes the Olympic Sport of BMX Racing available to people of all ages and ability.

Westerville Music & Arts Festival

July 8-9 | Heritage Park & Everal Barn

This exciting, fun-filled weekend event features 130+ artists, 30+ performances, 20 unique food vendors, youth entertainment and art show, and a silent auction.

Live Music at Java Central

Every Tuesday, Friday & Saturday 7 p.m.- 9:30 p.m.| Java Central Coffee Roasters

Tuesdays: Live Acoustic Jam!

Fridays: Acoustic Open Mic Night

Saturdays: Live Professional Performances spanning various genres including rock, folk, pop, blues, jazz, bluegrass and more!

Our Town

Feb. 9-25 | Otterbein University, Campus Center Theatre

A landmark in American drama, Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Our Town presents the small town of Grover’s Corners in three acts: “Daily Life,” “Love and Marriage” and “Death and Eternity.” Narrated by a stage manager, the play depicts the simple daily lives of the Webb and Gibbs families as their children fall in love, marry, and eventually – in one of the most famous scenes in American theatre – die. This is the story of every man, of every town, and of every day. The residents of Grover’s Corners provide a glimpse at the universal truths of what it means to be human. In a world that is changing faster every day, perhaps we should all stop to ponder Wilder’s question, “Do human beings ever realize life while they live it?”

Blues Guitar Workshops

Mondays 6:30-7:30/8 p.m. | Java Central Coffee Roasters

Blues Guitar Workshops with Pascal "Rooster" Fouquet (of Lil' Red and the Rooster)

Create & Sip Classes

Winter/Spring 2023 Adult Class Schedule | Uptown Art & Clay

Create with Clay while you Sip! All Create and Sip classes are BYOB, cups and openers are supplied.

Kids Classes: Create with Clay

Winter/Spring 2023 Creative Kids Class Schedule | Uptown Art & Clay

Working with clay is good for a child's development. It encourages the development of sensory and fine motor skills, builds imagination, and boosts self esteem! Sign up your creative kiddo(s) today and get those creative juices flowing!

From the Ashes: Phoenix Rising Printmaking Cooperative

Thru Feb. 24 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Daily (closed on holidays and breaks) | Fisher Gallery at Otterbein University

Public Reception: Friday, January 19, 2023, 5p – 7p
Artist remarks begin at 5:30p

In 1996, artists Anne Cushman and Clare Hagen identified a need for an independent printmaking studio in Columbus, Ohio. To create a studio facility, they began renovating a building built in 1904 on the south side of Columbus. Before they could complete the project a deliberately-set fire broke out in the building. After completing the repairs and renovations, they took inspiration from the fire and gave themselves the name Phoenix Rising Printmaking Cooperative, because they had built up their new space, literally, from the ashes. Like the mythical bird from which its name is derived, Phoenix Rising Printmaking Cooperative has enjoyed a long life: 2023 marks their 25th year as a local arts organization. Over the years, Phoenix Rising Printmaking Cooperative has seen artists come and go; this exhibit showcases the talent and skill of their current core membership.

MIXTAPE: Landscape - Jonathan Johnson

Thru Feb. 24 Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun. 1-4 p.m.
(closed on holidays and breaks) | Miller Gallery at Otterbein University

Public Reception & film screening: Thursday, January 19, 5p – 7p
Forest Language & Silent Garden (new short films) begin at 5:30p in Room C111
Screening followed by Q & A with artist

A new survey features various types of photography, including darkroom experiments, video, and large-scale color prints that focus on landscape, place, and autobiography. Much of the work was created during sabbatical at artist residencies and travel in Thailand, Scotland and Sweden.

The Synergy of Collaboration

Thru March 17 | David Myers Gallery

We are celebrating 21 years in Uptown Westerville with the new exhibit “The Synergy of Collaboration” - featuring paintings by 20+ Artists who experienced a unique, liberating, relaxing process to create artwork beyond what could be planned or imagined! See this extraordinary exhibit through March 17th.

Cecilia “Cissi” Hultman: Acts of Concentration & Graphite Grey Groundings

Thru April 23, Wednesday-Sunday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.(closed on holidays and breaks) | The Frank Museum of Art at Otterbein University

Public Reception: January 26, 2023 from 4p – 6p (Artist remarks will begin at 4:30pm)

Hultman’s practice involves a sensitive attending and responding to life and art that is distinctively poetic. With intimately small and precise drawings, sculpture, video, and minimalist acts of drawing that use her main subject—the line, Hultman will build an installation at The Frank Museum of Art. Concentrated playfulness from very simple starts suggests that drawing is more than graphite grey results. Visitors can join this unfolding from January 11–25 during selected hours.

THE COLOR OF CARE: Film Screening and Panel Discussion

Feb. 9 6 p.m. | The Point at Otterbein 

Produced by Harpo Productions from executive producers Oprah Winfrey, Tery Wood and Catherine Cyr. Directed by OSCAR® nominated and Emmy® award winning director Yance Ford, with producer Kate Bolger. The film traces the origins of racial health disparities to practices that began during slavery in the U.S. and continue today, revealing the impact of racism on health and serving as an urgent warning of what must be done to save lives.

An Evening with Congresswoman Joyce Beatty

Feb. 16, 7 p.m. | Otterbein University, Cowan Hall

The Kathy A. Krendl Lecture Series at Otterbein University invites U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, on "The Leaders We Need Now."