New pedestrian-only event to shut down part of High Street on Saturday

A new pedestrian-friendly event will debut this weekend in downtown Columbus , shutting down a portion of High Street for live art demonstrations, music, vendors and more.

The inaugural High Spirits Art & Music Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. Guests are encouraged to wear costumes to the free event, which is billed as an alternative celebration of "the absurd, the macabre and the unknown."

During the fest, High Street will be closed to vehicles between Long and Broad streets, and Gay Street will be closed between Third and Wall streets.

More than 40 vendors will be at the Macabre Marketplace, plus there will be food trucks at the Court of Consumption, circus performances, caricature artists, magicians, custom Halloween-themed photo booths and more.

Live entertainment on three stages will be feature headliner DeathbyRomy from Los Angeles and more than 30 other local and regional acts, performing under Janet Echelman's “Current” art installation at High and Gay streets.

Street performers and musicians will also roam the festival grounds.

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The DORA (Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area) will be in effect, permitting guests to enjoy to-go DORA cups from various establishments and vendors at the festival.

High Spirits is presented by the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District (SID) in partnership with the City of Columbus, Downtown Columbus Inc. , Half Baked Art Fund and the Greater Columbus Arts Council .

For a schedule of live entertainment, go to bit.ly/3YbOlma .

bpaschal@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New pedestrian-only event to shut down part of High Street on Saturday