Columbus this weekend, Oct. 16 to 18: free Rock the Lawn at the Civic Center, Covenant opens at the Springer, and Spooktacular at Lake Bottom Park.

The free Rock the Lawn concert at the Civic Center Amphitheater on Saturday, the opening of Covenant at the Springer Opera House on Friday and Spooktacular at Lake Bottom Park lead the weekend of Oct. 16 to 18 in Columbus.

Last checked Oct. 15, 2026. Times come from each organizer’s own page, linked below; some listings were first found on the Visit Columbus events calendar. Confirm with the organizer before you go.

Friday, Oct. 16

  • Homeschool Discovery Day, 10 a.m. to noon, Columbus Botanical Garden, 3603 Weems Road. Homeschool families get the garden’s “Meet La Catrina” program on Día de los Muertos traditions and the monarch migration. Free for members, $5 per nonmember child, one adult free with each registered child. Garden sign-up page.
  • Covenant, opening night, 7 p.m., McClure Theatre at the Springer Opera House, 103 10th St. A Southern Gothic play about a blues guitarist rumored to have sold his soul, inspired by the Robert Johnson legend. Recommended for ages 16 and up. Springer page.
  • Denim and Diamonds: Walker Hayes with Mark Wills, Columbus Civic Center, 400 4th St. A country concert that raises money for Columbus Hospice; the Civic Center lists 7 p.m. Civic Center events.
  • Anne-Marie Cherry and Hunter Farley faculty recital, 7:30 p.m., Legacy Hall at the RiverCenter, 900 Broadway. Horn, tuba and euphonium from the Schwob School of Music faculty. Columbus State events.
  • High school football: Baconton at Jordan, Tri-Cities at Northside at Kinnett Stadium, and Shaw at Spencer at Odis Spencer Stadium. The home schools set kickoff times. Our football page and the GHSA schedule.

Saturday, Oct. 17

  • Look, Listen, and Make Workshop, 10 to 11:30 a.m., The Columbus Museum, 1251 Wynnton Road, $40 to $50. Story time, games and an art project for children 4 to 6 and a caregiver. Museum listing.
  • Fountain City Food Tours, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., starting at 6 11th St. A guided walking tour of Uptown restaurants with local history along the way. Tour tickets.
  • Renew at COMU: Yoga, 10:30 a.m. to noon, The Columbus Museum, $5 to $10. A short gallery visit, then a gentle all-levels yoga class. Bring a mat if you have one. Museum listing.
  • Drop-in tour: Celebrating the COMU Collection, 2 p.m., The Columbus Museum. An hourlong docent tour of the permanent collection. Free, no registration. Museum listing.
  • Spooktacular 2026, 4 to 6 p.m., Lake Bottom Park, 1505 Cherokee Ave. Candy for the children, then a glow party and a family movie night with popcorn. Register on the city’s page. Columbus Parks and Recreation; more in our Halloween events guide.
  • Rock the Lawn, 5 to 11 p.m., Columbus Civic Center Amphitheater, 400 4th St. Free. Rock bands Psycho Wizard, Karavan and Proxi, local food trucks and a Tattoo Alley of local shops. Bring lawn chairs. Civic Center page.
  • Covenant, 7 p.m., McClure Theatre at the Springer. Springer page.
  • The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a live shadow cast, 8 p.m., Emily Woodruff Hall at the Springer. Vinyl Night, with a costume contest; tickets include a props bag. No one under 17 without an adult. Springer page.

Sunday, Oct. 18

  • Covenant matinee, 2 p.m., McClure Theatre at the Springer. Springer page.
  • Schwob Wind Ensemble Chamber Concert, 4 p.m., Legacy Hall at the RiverCenter. Small groups from the Columbus State wind ensemble. Columbus State events.

All weekend

  • Uptown Scarecrow Trail, scarecrows along Broadway in Uptown through Oct. 31. Free to walk. Uptown Columbus; see also fall festivals and pumpkin patches.
  • The Columbus Museum’s galleries, free: Jessica Ingram’s We Are Carver, photographs and stories from Carver High School; Coulter Fussell: The Proving Ground, quilt-based works; Eastern Visions, seven works by Asian American artists on loan from the Honolulu Museum of Art; Circa 1776, objects from the founding era; and Columbus at Play, on how the Chattahoochee Valley has played over the years.
  • Southbound and The Bennett Prize: Rising Voices 4, Bo Bartlett Center, 921 Front Ave., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, both through Dec. 5. Bo Bartlett Center.
  • The Royals, Adair Freeman Rutledge’s photographs of small-town festival queens, The Do Good Fund Gallery, 111 12th St., Suite 103, 1 to 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The Do Good Fund.
  • Columbus Artists’ Guild Members’ Exhibition, the guild’s annual show, at the Columbus Public Library, 3000 Macon Road, through Oct. 30. Columbus Artists’ Guild.

Regular weekend fixtures

  • Market Days on Broadway meets on the first Saturday of the month this fall, so there is no market this weekend; the next is Saturday, Nov. 7. See farmers markets.
  • Historic Westville, 3557 South Lumpkin Road, is open Fridays and Saturdays, with a guided tour on the second Saturday of each month. Historic Westville.
  • National Civil War Naval Museum, 1002 Victory Drive, open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday; adults $12, children 6 and under free. Port Columbus.
  • Fountain City Food Tours walks Uptown every Saturday morning.

More this month: things to do in Columbus in October, arts and exhibitions, Halloween events and fall festivals and pumpkin patches.

Send us your event

Running something in Columbus next weekend? Email hello@fountaincitynews.com with the date, time, venue, price and a photo you have the rights to, and we will consider it for this page.

Frequently asked questions

What is there to do in Columbus this weekend?

The free Rock the Lawn concert plays the Columbus Civic Center Amphitheater from 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, the Springer Opera House opens Covenant at 7 p.m. Friday, and Columbus Parks and Recreation holds Spooktacular at Lake Bottom Park from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday.

What is free in Columbus this weekend?

Rock the Lawn on Saturday is free, and so are the Columbus Museum’s galleries, including We Are Carver and Coulter Fussell: The Proving Ground, and its 2 p.m. Saturday drop-in tour. The Uptown Scarecrow Trail on Broadway is free to walk.

What time is Rock the Lawn in Columbus?

Doors open at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Columbus Civic Center Amphitheater, 400 4th St., and the event ends at 11 p.m. Admission is free, food trucks sell food, and the Civic Center asks guests to bring lawn chairs.