On September 6, 2026, the Franklin County Fairgrounds filled with something powerful: hope, connection, laughter, music and a community celebrating recovery together.
Presented by Serenity Street Foundation, Soberfest Ohio 2026 welcomed nearly 4,000 attendees and more than 75 resource partners, nearly doubling the previous year’s attendance.
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But the success of Soberfest isn’t measured only by how many people walked through the gates. It’s measured in conversations, connections and moments that remind people that recovery can lead to a life filled with joy.
Recovery Is Worth Celebrating
One of the messages at the heart of Soberfest is simple: sobriety doesn’t mean missing out on life.
It can mean discovering a new way to experience it.
Throughout the day, people in recovery, families, treatment providers, community organizations and supporters came together in an environment where recovery wasn’t something whispered about or hidden away. It was celebrated.
Among the thousands of people who attended were individuals at very different places in their journeys. One resource partner shared that they spoke, cried and hugged with someone who had just one day sober. Netcare heard from a former client who returned 15 years later to tell them that their organization had saved his life. House of Hope welcomed alumni who stopped by simply to say thank you for the difference the organization had made in their lives.
Those are the moments that make Soberfest matter.
A Place for the Whole Family
Recovery affects families, and Soberfest was intentionally created as a place where families could experience the celebration together.
The expanded Kidszone stayed busy throughout the afternoon with activities designed simply to let kids have fun. This year’s festivities included a petting zoo from Horse n’ Around, face painting, balloon art, arts and crafts, and magic shows featuring Carroll Baker.
For parents and families navigating recovery, the message was clear:
You belong here. Your children belong here. And recovery can create more opportunities for your family to experience life together.
As the Soberfest team put it, sobriety doesn’t have to shrink your world—it can expand the joy you’re able to share.
Experience, Strength and Hope — With Plenty of Laughter
Guest speaker Mark Lundholm traveled from San Jose, California to share his own recovery journey with the Soberfest community.
A recovery-themed comedian, speaker and author who describes himself as a “hope dealer,” Lundholm brought humor into a subject that can often feel incredibly heavy. His message gave people permission to laugh while healing and reminded those in early recovery that life after addiction can become rich with meaning.
That balance of honesty, hope and joy captures much of what Soberfest is about.
More Than an Event — A Community
More than 75 treatment centers, recovery organizations, wellness providers and other community partners participated this year.
Those partnerships matter.
Soberfest creates an opportunity for someone who needs help to meet an organization that may become part of their recovery story. It allows providers to form new partnerships. It gives alumni a chance to return to the organizations that helped them. And it gives the recovery community an opportunity to simply spend a day together celebrating how far they’ve come.
As one attendee reflected after the event, seeing the community come together creates an opportunity not only to witness growth in others, but also to reflect on our own journeys.
Thank You for Making Soberfest Ohio 2026 Unforgettable
To every attendee, volunteer, resource partner, performer, speaker, family and supporter who helped make this year’s event possible: thank you.
Nearly 4,000 people showing up sends a powerful message.
Recovery is happening.
Families are healing.
Communities are connecting.
And there is a life on the other side of addiction that is absolutely worth celebrating.
Planning is already beginning for Soberfest Ohio 2027, continuing a tradition that is now in its 14th year.
About Serenity Street Foundation
Founded in 1996, Serenity Street Foundation is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Columbus, Ohio, dedicated to helping men recover from alcohol and drug addiction through safe, structured residential care. The program works toward lasting life change and helps graduates reintegrate into society as responsible, employed citizens.
Recovery is possible. And together, we can celebrate it.
