We visited the Celeste Center at the Ohio State Fair yesterday to see "Weird Al" Yankovic, and he absolutely delivered. He's a world-class entertainer, and Puddles Pity Party was an incredible opening act as well. They both put on a fantastic show. Unfortunately, this review is about the venue, not the performers. The first issue was buying tickets. We purchased ours through Ticketmaster for Section 101, Row J, Seats 22 and 23. The seating chart made it appear that these seats were close to the stage, but in reality they were on the far left side with a very limited view. We could barely see what was happening on stage without watching the large video screens. These seats really should be labeled as "obstructed view" or "very limited view." Charging the same price for these seats as better views doesn't seem fair. The seating itself was another disappointment. The rows are packed so tightly together that it was nearly impossible for people to get in and out without squeezing against everyone else. I'm only 5'8", and while sitting all the way back in my chair, my knees were almost touching the seat in front of me. Every time someone needed to pass, the entire row had to stand up. From a safety standpoint, it was concerning. If there were ever an emergency evacuation, I could easily see people getting hurt because there simply isn't enough room to move. One positive: the chairs were padded and reasonably comfortable. Speaking of safety, I noticed several people nearly trip while trying to find their seats because the arena was so dark. More aisle or floor lighting would go a long way toward preventing falls. Getting into the concert was another headache. Even with three entrances, the lines stretched across the fairgrounds. At one point, staff temporarily stopped allowing people to line up because the crowds were blocking nearby food vendors. As a result, many concertgoers missed a good portion of the opening act. Finally, with nearly 10,000 people inside the building, the temperature became very uncomfortable. Keeping the air conditioning running during the performance would have made a huge difference. Would I come back? Probably--especially if there's another great performer. But I would definitely avoid the side sections next time. The performers earned 5 stars. Unfortunately, the venue itself has a lot of room for improvement. read more

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This venue is terrible for anything other than exhibitions or auto shows. We attended the WCOL Winter Wonder Jam in 2025. We waited over an hour in the drink lines, which was completely avoidable with proper staffing and planning. Then the power went out during Koe Wetzel's performance. I understand the power issue wasn't controllable, but the rest of the experience was extremely disappointing and not reflective of the price we paid. Do better! read more

Celeste Center - Music Venues Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

I never thought to review this place until I took a moment to think about how many times I've visited in the past year and a half. Prior to COVID I'd only visited here and there for concerts and to watch my cousin's show their horses. It's also just a hop, skip and a jump away from the Ohio Expo Center, so overall I'm familiar with the space. Since COVID I've visited for numerous swabs and just recently both of my vaccine shots. While it's nothing fancy, it certainly does the trick and no matter what's going on here, it's always pretty organized and easy to access. I've never really had a problem. Depending on what you're coming for, the experience really changes... keep that in mind if you're planning to head here. read more

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Went to see willie Nelson. This is a multi use facility so go expecting fold out chairs and odd seating arrangements as it's run by the state so The handicapped section is huge and takes up the front rows of one whole side of the stage. read more

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Oh boy, could Columbus do a bit better for venue center's for graduation ceremony's? I mean I felt like was going to pass out because I was jam packed into this building which is bigger than what it actually came out to be for graduation. Luckily, I didn't pass out. What didn't work out with the building? The noise if someone is screaming at a ceremony can be echoed and makes it so loud and annoying to the point it seems disrespectful. I graduated before at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio and I can tell you there was no echo in the sound of the audience. I actually preferred that graduation ceremony over this one, even though this degree is worth a little more than my one up in Dayton. At the Nutter Center too you weren't jammed packed like sardines in a can to fit into a building for a ceremony of maybe less than 900 people. So I had a little more of a breathing room in Dayton compared to here. I literally needed water after this ceremony to prevent myself from passing out and a breathe of fresh air. Columbus State, I highly recommend you picking another venue for future graduation ceremony's not only with this a cluster, but many people wanted to leave quickly because it was uncomfortable. Plus get rid of the announcer who cannot pronounce people's name's or photography it's a bit embarrassing to your institution and not to mention those whom are receiving their diplomas and have to put up with their names being butchered on stage. I hope this advice helps future ceremony's go a bit more smoothly. read more

Celeste Center - Graduation - Music Venues Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Was there for the Jellyroll concert. Overall a good venue. Sections and seating was well marked. Had a great time.

Went here for the home and garden show. I go for the flowers and landscaping but they have just about every thing you need for your home from cabinets to gutters. Always interesting to see new products that are available and get ideas read more

Seats in the balcony area are rigid and very uncomfortable. Two cold hotdogs, two hard soft pretzels and two sodas were $28.

I attended the Alabama Concert at the Celeste Center on July 25, 2024. I happen to have a hearing loss. I was assured by the Celeste Center staff before attending the concert that the venue had an Assistive Listening Device (ALD) that was Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliant. However, when I went to the box office on the 25th to get an ALD I was handed a receiver that was manufactured in 1985, which is pre-ADA, and a pair of earbuds. Hearing aid users cannot use earbuds and the ADA requires hearing aid-compatible ALDs. So I asked for a hearing aid ALD. I was told that the venue does not have any. I then sat through a 3-hour concert and was unable to understand a single word. In addition, it turns out that the non-compliant ALD I was offered does not meet the ADA's technical requirements and isn't strong enough to work in a venue as large as the Celeste Center. To date, the Celeste Center has not addressed these issues in any meaningful way. So, if you have a hearing loss I would suggest that you avoid the Celeste Center until they fix the ALD issues. I hope you will also complain to the State Fair and Expositions Commission that you are unable to attend events at the Celeste Center until they install a properly functioning Assistive Listening Device. read more

Wow, I can't believe this hasn't been reviewed at all. Mike G. tipped me off, since he and I were both there recently. I've been to several concerts here over the years, and while it's not the best venue, it's decent, and something of a tradition. It can get crowded and hot. More signage would be good- it's hard to tell where to enter the building for which section, and other seating signage inside is kinda small. The Ohio and US flags hanging from the ends look like they need some TLC. But the sound is good, the sightlines are great, and getting in and out usually isn't crazy. Plenty of bathrooms, a few food stands and beer stands, plus they didn't say anything about us carrying in food. This time I saw Joan Jett and Heart. Came for Joan, stayed for a bit of Heart. It was a great show. The crowd loved it. We sat on the floor (well, on single seats on the floor level.) Seats were comfy; short people may have trouble seeing the stage. We'll be back. You get free fair admission with your concert ticket, and it's pretty much an annual tradition for us to go to the fair anyway, for fair food and people watching. read more

First and last time i will ever go to a concert at The Celeste Center, took my Wife to see Toby Keith, terrible set up general lack of organization. Really bad sound in the building not really built for concerts, the saving grace was that most of the audience knew the words to his songs so it was mostly a sing along type of show. read more

Thanks Celeste center, me and my buddy are tripping balls outside of your little center because you guys are not very good at setting up concert events but I hope that whoever did see JUICE WRLD enjoyed themselves and I hope that JUICE WRLD enjoyed Ohio good vibes Celeste center, good vibes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But no forreal if you are trying to go here for a concert don't do it read more

This venue is bullshit. It's like a metal barn for cattle. And that's exactly how they treated all us concert-goers. I, along with every other queen in Columbus, was lured to the Celeste Center during the state fair to see the beloved Dolly Parton. DOLLY PARTON IS THE ONLY REASON TO PUT UP WITH THIS HEAPING PILE OF GARBAGE. My biggest gripe is that the Celeste Center acted like they had never hosted a music concert before. There are tons of entrances, but they decided to create a half hour-long line at one set of doors and force everyone to go through them. Then once inside, there was zero direction or guidance. It was like I was 15 all over again at the Louisiana state fair trying to chase my showpigs through the animal barn. Tbh, I got claustrophobic trying to navigate through the sea of chaos to go see my girlfriend, Dolly. This awful venue was such a mess that I even missed the first song. And trust me -- you do not want to stand between me and seeing a living legend. Once we finally made it to the arena, it was dark and confusing. There was no one to help find our seats, and the section/row/seat numbers were incredibly hard to find. The space is not set up for a concert, and it was difficult to see the stage unless you were directly in front of it. Obviously Dolly was amazing. She is 5 stars e'ery day all day. The Celeste Center, however, can go to hell. read more

Going to have to agree with others about this venue. Very poor setup for a concert. I did not know any better as never have been here before and this was the only place to see the show we wanted. Flat level seating in the front areas and ticket prices are the same. Not worth it. Acoustics are so so. Definitely will pass next time around even if only concert close by. read more

Boy was this place a shit show. I paid $120 for me and my boyfriend to go and see Juice WRLD last night. The doors for the center were supposed to open at 7 p.m- keyword, supposed. We got in line right around 7 p.m. and we did not see one single security guard outside the whole time. The line wrapped around the entire center and with the wind chill, it felt like 19 degrees. We stood in line for a grand total of two and a half HOURS- Thank god I had a coat, too! I can't tell you how many people were just in t-shirts or tank tops. When we finally got up to the door, the crowds were so anxious to get inside that people started to push from behind- It created the potential for something very bad to happen, if someone would've fallen, they could have easily been trampled. The doors, by the way, were all closed except for one where I saw one security guard patting people down one by one before they were able to enter. We finally got seats around 9:30 p.m and they had a bunch of strangers on stage basically saying "fuck" to the beat of various rap songs. We had to endure that for an hour and a half before the opener finally came on. He was on for the normal amount of time for an opener, about an hour, and they sent Juice WRLD on stage about ten minutes after that. The first two songs went smoothly until something happened with the speaker/mic. They turned the lights on in the center and people started to leave until they announced shortly after that they fixed the issue. Despite the problem being solved, they still performed two more songs before they turned the bright, ugly, gymnasium-esque lights off. Juice WRLD probably performed for a total of 50 minutes until they briskly announced that the concert was over. If that doesn't sound bad enough already, let me tell you what the horrible layout was. To put it bluntly, the venue looked like an enlarged rental space for a cheap quinceanera. The floor was covered in tarp and it was a giant rectangular room with pulled out bleachers in the back, I almost couldn't tell if I was at a concert or one of my high school dances. This place is a horrible design for any type of musical performance. Disappointed is an understatement for my experience at Celeste Center. Freezing outside for two hours while getting squished by angry strangers isn't my idea of a good concert. I wish I could say it got better when I got inside but for the explanations aforementioned it clearly did not. All I can say is if you're planning on coming here for a concert, make sure you're in good company because that's the only thing that got me through this night. read more

So... this isn't the best concert venue. Quick tip... a building designed to house both rodeos and concerts probably isn't designed to do either very well. I came here to see Dolly Parton in concert... to say it was crowed is an understatement. I've read reviews that question whether the staff are used to dealing with large crowds and I'd have to say that I fully agree. The crowds for Dolly were huge and quickly overwhelmed any "planning" that the staff may have done to handle a sold-out concert. Lines formed for doors that weren't necessary but no one seemed to do anything to help speed people into the venue. Once inside... the crowds were crushing. Not literally, but the amount of people stuffed into the tiny corridors was, frankly, dangerous. Trying to traverse the length of this building to get to the right place was essentially an exercise in crowd surfing. Once we got to the right spot, we kept going because there isn't any signage telling you what sections are to be found through that entrance. It was a mess. Once we got into the seating area... finding the section was just as difficult. During all this time, I saw exactly one member of staff trying to help the onslaught of people. Okay... now, let's get real-real. Imagine every concert venue you've ever been to before. Okay.. got it in your head? Arena, stadium, theater.... notice something about them? They are not rectangular. And there's a reason for that. I felt especially bad for the first rows on the floor at either extreme end. There is no way these people saw much of the artist. Good thing the tickets were cheap. I could go on and on; but honestly, this venue isn't worth my time. Dolly made the concert amazing... but it would have been even more amazing if the venue would be been worth a darn. I'm glad I got to see Dolly in concert... but I don't think I'll jump at the chance to see another concert at this lack-luster rectangular disaster house. I'll let you know if I feel differently about it for rodeo. read more

Great place! came here for the WCOL birthday bash 2020!! Lots of people, very crowded during concert season but very much recommended for the experience! read more

Celeste Center - Stage - Music Venues Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

I traveled from Pittsburgh to attend the juice WRLD and Kevin gates concert at the Celeste center. Initially walked up to the venue and clearly a mile long line of people were waiting to get in (it was 20 degrees outside). Went right back to my hotel to wait it out a little, it was way to cold to be waiting outside. We came back 45 mins later to find out that they over booked the concert by the hundreds and hundreds of people were standing outside in the freezing cold because they couldn't get into a concert that they paid a ticket to go to. Very disappointed read more

Went to see Kevin Gates and Juice Wrld on Saturday and was highly disappointed by this venue. There was absolutely zero organization and the people who worked/volunteered didn't even know what was going on. We waited outside for almost 3 hours before getting inside and we had preferred/vip tickets. There were no signs or gates for people with vip tickets versus people with general admission versus people who showed up to buy tickets at the door. Everyone was just clumped together which caused mass confusion and chaos. I will never attend another concert here due to the lack of organization. read more

Down at the Home and Garden show. Meeting lots of new people and getting ideas for the house. Have to do some remodeling soon

Went to a concert there, doors were supposed to open at 7 I arrived at 7:05 and was forced to wait outside in 20 degree weather for nearly 2 hours then the concert didn't even start for 3 hours after it was supposed to plus there were technical difficulties with the headliners causing them to turn the lights on for nearly half of the Show!!! Would not recommend! read more

The Juice Wrld Concert was oversold! My daughter and her boyfriend drove 1.5 hours and stood outside in the freezing cold and snow for another 1.5 hours waiting in line! Just to be told no one else would be let in, due to capacity being hit! Ticketmaster refunded her money, but this doesn't help that their night was ruined, due to this venue overselling tickets!! Absolutely ridiculous! read more

Absolutely terrible. Had two doors open for the whole venue with thousands of people standing outside in the snow. Staff showed no sense of urgency. Ended up leaving early and never made it in. read more

Never go here. I had the worst experience of my life waiting outside for 2 hours in the freezing cold just for them to tell us we weren't getting in. NEVER COME HERE!!! We were afraid of frost bite everything was numb! Worst experience ever. The only positive was my friend finding one AirPod on the ground. read more

NEVER COME HERE. WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE. (except I did find an airpod and two dollars waiting in line). we waited outside for two hours to get into the juice wrld concert in 20 degree weather only for them to decide to close the doors on a mile long line. terrible organization and planning. they don't even deserve one star. read more

It's just not a great setup for concerts. Way too many seats on the floor - there is just no way most of the people in those sections are going to have a good view at all, and those sections are massive. I made a mistake when buying my tickets - I thought I was purchasing in the first section BEHIND the floor seats, but it was just floor seats behind MORE FLOOR SEATS. Miserable, view wise. The acoustics were good, and it was a nice surprise to find that a venue at a fairgrounds was indoors, because so often you end up getting rained out or having to sit in rain when you have tickets for a concert that is scheduled during a fair. Just be aware that you need to either get seats way up front or in the bleachers... and the amount of floor seating is massive, so be careful when choosing your seats! Oh, the Ohio State Fair itself is kinda fun to walk around before the show (especially if you like fair food and, again, as long as rain isn't an issue!)... it's not specific to the venue, but fair admission and parking came with the tickets, and that was a bonus to going to a concert here! read more

The staff from this venue are very accommodating. However, they need major updates. The first 2 sections are floor seating in very small chairs. The rows are not walkable, especially if a crowd decides to stand. If you are short, forget about seeing anything past the first 10 rows. The sections that begin with "2" are a better choice, they are raised bleachers. Though we enjoyed the show, we will not return. read more

I was there for my very first time to see the Oakridge Boys & Kenny Rogers & was very satisfied.......The Air Conditioning was great for such hot weather....felt good the whole time. We took Exit 111 off of I-71 & got into the parking area very easily & did not have to walk too far & was much better than I had feared......Everything was well organized to get to the entrance gate & State Troopers & fair guides were very well prepared for the incoming crowd & we were thru the gate before we knew it......The Celeste Center was not built, of course, for Concerts, but it serves the purpose & we were up in the 300 section & could see everything & hear just fine & the big screens were a help to really see the performers.....I'd rather be up like that in the 200 or 300 sections as not wanting to take photos I was satisfied to take it all in from up there. The seats are tight & not much knee room, so we just stepped out until we got our row of seats filled as both sets on either side of us came @ the same time & that worked out well & everyone was nice & no one bothered with ever leaving alto they did have a half an hour intermission between The Oaks & Kenny. Some people came & went during intermission & food & drinks were allowed, I noticed. The State Troopers & Officers patrolled the Sections over & over during the whole time........I was glad to read the reviews when I was thinking about going and just wanted to say that I was well pleased & it was better that I expected & I would go back there again to see any performer that I would like to see. By the way, It was a GREAT SHOW..... read more