ComFest is a large, free, non-corporate, music and arts annual festival

Festival

A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....

 currently held each June at Goodale Park

Goodale Park

Goodale Park is a public park in the Victorian Village area of Columbus, Ohio. It was donated to the city in 1851 by Lincoln Goodale. During the Civil War, it was a staging area for Union troops...

 in the Victorian Village

Victorian Village

Victorian Village is a neighborhood located north and near west of downtown Columbus. It is an older area with a fair number of established trees for an urban setting...

 area of Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

. The festival bills itself as "The Party with a Purpose". To accomplish this goal, the festival relies on community members to work together in the planning and operation of the festival serving on committees and work teams including clean-up and recycling, safety and first aid, entertainment, street fair, and the "World Peace Rocks Forever Committee".

The festival was first held in 1972 as a showcase for a collection of community organizations including the Columbus Free Press

Columbus Free Press

The Columbus Free Press is an alternative journal published in Columbus, Ohio since October 11, 1970. This publication originally focused on anti-war and alternative culture issues...

, Free Health Clinic, Food Co-op, Tenants Union, Crisis Hotline, and Recycling Center. The festival continues to provide a forum for alternative lifestyles and collective activity. Beer from The Columbus Brewing Company is sold in large, colorful mugs to fund the cost of the festival itself and to raise money for community projects and grants. All tips from the beer booths go to homeless shelters.

The purpose of the festival can be summed up in the governing "statement of principles":

1) We think that people ought to work for the collective good of all people rather than for personal gain. We support cooperation and collective activity rather than competition and individual profit.

2) The basic necessities of life are a right and not a privilege. People have the collective right to control the conditions of their lives.

3) People should strive to conduct their lives in harmony with the environment.

4) We recognize that there are primary attitudes which divide and oppress people. These attitudes are usually shown by prejudice against people on the basis of age, class, ability, income, race, sex and sexual preference/orientation. We seek to eliminate these attitudes.

The 37th annual ComFest was held June 27-29 2008. ComFest's "cause" for 2008 was The Ohio Healthy Families Act, which supports a grassroots

Grassroots

A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...

 campaign to put an initiative on the ballot for the fall general election, which would require employers to provide mandatory sick days for their employees. The featured local artists for 2008 were Happy Chichester

Happy Chichester

Harold "Happy" Chichester is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, living in Columbus, Ohio.- Royal Crescent Mob :Happy's first band of note was the 1980s rock/funk group the Royal Crescent Mob in which he played bass. Formed in 1985, the Royal Crescent Mob were renowned for...

 and Shaun Booker. Guest national artists are Michelle Shocked

Michelle Shocked

Michelle Shocked is the stage name of Michelle Karen Johnston, an American singer-songwriter.-History:Shocked received her first international exposure in Europe, particularly Britain, with her debut album The Texas Campfire Tapes .Her first U.S...

 and Black 47

Black 47

Black 47 are a New York City based celtic rock band with Irish Republican sympathies, whose music also shows influence from reggae, hip hop, folk and jazz...

.

Other famous names that have played Comfest were Jello Biafra

Jello Biafra

Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...

.