Local, regional and international performers are given the chance to display their arts at the all-day festival, Live at the Garden.
The fifth edition of the bi-annual event will be spanning three stages and the lobby of the Garden Theater in the Short North, with more than 50 artists performing music, poetry and various forms of performance art. Although Live at the Garden began as a place for just musicians to make a name for themselves, Sandeep Sehbi, founder of the event, says it has blossomed into an event that showcases all varieties of performing arts.
Sehbi has been involved with music festivals and performing arts for roughly four to five years from playing in bands, recording music and helping organize other events. Originally from the United Kingdom, Sehbi said he feels he has a global perspective. Having attended big name festivals such as Coachella and Warped Tour, he believes Live at the Garden has potential beyond just Columbus.
“Live at the Garden is an opportunity to do something that is influenced around the world and around the country,” Sehbi said. “We incorporated fine arts so that it can grow into something here in Columbus.”
Sehbi went on to explain that many of the acts are regional and local, but the event has grown to the international level. Sehbi said he was very excited for the event when he secured the headliner band, Stuck On Planet Earth, which is from Canada and at one point held the No. 1 song on the Canadian Broadcast Radio.
Nathan Grosh, director of Live at the Garden, explained how each year the event changes. In the first year, it was predominately just music, but since then they have put more emphasis on different types of performing arts, such as poetry and street performers, along with growing from one stage to three. He has been working with the event for two years now, and added that he feels this is a great chance for local artists.
“It’s a fine arts performance event to celebrate the rich art culture we have in this city and others around,” Grosh said.
After growing into a much larger event, Sehbi and Grosh both agreed it was the perfect opportunity to give back. Not only does a portion of the money raised go back to the artists who perform, it also goes into charities. This year, part of the profits will be donated to London2Calais, an organization that uses donation money for food and water for refugees in France, where it has already raised $1,000.
“In its original form, it was an opportunity to create stage time for artists in the city that weren’t given the chance to display or perform their arts,” Sehbi said. “Since then, the idea is to create supportive spaces for artists to do arts, but the secondary role is to invest back. It’s a two-prong event.”
In addition, Live at the Garden will be offering presale tickets where fans can buy tickets to support their favorite band. If fans buy tickets in the name of a specific band, a portion of that ticket sale will go back to the artist.
What the future holds for Live at the Garden is still to be determined, but Sehbi said he appreciates everything that’s happened thus far.
“I want to thank the community for being so supportive of the festival,” he said. “The town is an exciting place, and it’s in a rapid growth phase. It’s an exciting time to be an artist in Columbus.”
Live at the Garden starts at noon on Saturday at the Garden Theater, 1187 N. High St. Tickets are $5 and a lineup schedule can be found at LATG5.tumblr.com.
