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Fashion Meets Music Festival takes over Arena District

October 30, 2014

Originally published in the Columbus Dispatch.
Yes, there’s a big old Ferris wheel sitting in the road in the Arena District.
It’s part of the Fashion Meets Music Festival (www.fmmf.us), a three-day party of style and sound that kicks off today. FMMF, which will take place at different venues in and around the Arena District, promises performances by some 120 musical acts and more fashion shows that you can shake a 5-inch stiletto at.
Destiny’s Child’s Michelle Williams and Ohio darlings O.A.R. are among the acts you can hear today. Or catch a seminar or a fashion show at the convention center. Or zipline across Nationwide Boulevard, because you can. Just make sure you do it fashionably (screaming isn’t cool).
Some festival events are free, while others require tickets from $10 to $250. See the full FMMF schedule here: www.fmmf.us/schedule.
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A primer about the Fashion Meets Music Festival:
Free McFerson Commons shows include those by Michelle Williams (5:30 p.m. Friday), O.A.R., a laid-back rock quintet that was formed among Ohio State University students (9:15 p.m. Friday) and the emotive indie-rockers of Cold War Kids (9:30 p.m. Sunday).
An affiliated Nationwide Arena concert with headliner R. Kelly was dropped last month after new complaints about allegations of sexual misconduct in the singer’s past led a few bands and a sponsor to exit.
Central Ohio acts — including Bummers, New Hollow, Kid Runner and the Floorwalkers — are set to perform throughout the weekend on three outdoor stages along W. Nationwide Boulevard, where a gondola ride, a Ferris wheel and zip lines will be available for attendees.
Dozens of other bands (such as Afroman, Future Islands, Maps & Atlases) will appear during after-hours festival shows at various bars and clubs in and around the Arena District. A $35 pass gains a buyer entry to three nights of music.
On deck, too, are seminars led by Kelli Martin and Althea Harper. Both Ohio natives are alumnae of the TV series Project Runway. Those events — plus a retail marketplace and runway stage featuring lines by Celeste Malvar-Stewart and Horacio Nieto — will take place in the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
An adjacent open-air site will host optional “urban camping.” Prices range from $100 to $200 for single tent, car and RV pass options.