With the arrival of spring, warmer weather, and a full calendar of events, Richland County is buzzing with activity! Explore our monthly Happenings & Events guide to ensure you don’t miss any of the exciting opportunities this highly anticipated season brings.
This month you can look forward to the annual Maple Syrup Festival at Malabar Farm (March 1 & 2 and 7 & 8), the Free First Monday at Kingwood Center Gardens (March 3), and attend The Great Escape Travel Show at the Ohio State Reformatory (March 1,2) to plan a year full of exciting adventures.
Winter’s Interlude: An Orchid Presentation continues through March 7 at Kingwood Center and The Mansfield Art Center hosts Vibrancy: Art Impacts Mood. Mood Impacts Life through March 16.
Local Shopping & Fun Events
Kick off the new month at First Friday Live on March 7 with Jeff Boyd and Friends at Social on Main. Plan to arrive early to grab dinner-to-go from one of downtown’s fantastic restaurants like Two Cousins Pizza, Athena Greek Restaurant, or Uncle Johns. Don’t forget to share your adventures on Instagram and tag us @DestinationMansfield.
Get a jump on your St. Patrick’s Day celebration on March 15 at Hickory Vines Winery with Karaoke with Sam Romagnoli and Nonno Nick’s Wood Fired Pizza.
Join The Phoenix Brewing Company for a St. Patrick’s Day weekend celebration with Green Beer, Bloody Marys, Irish Cocktails, Grunt Grub Food Truck, and live music from Dagda’s Harp on March 15th and 16th! Then, come back on March 17th for an early opening at 9 AM for festivities all day!
Shop for one-of-a-kind hand-crafted items at the Spring Fling Craft Show at the Richland County Fairgrounds (March 29).
The 2025 Richland Young Professionals Casino Night: Riches in Sight will be held at the Legacy on Possum Run on March 15, featuring casino games, dinner, live music, and a silent auction. This event will benefit The Visual Bucket List Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to creating life-changing visual experiences for children who are losing their sight.
Grab tickets for the March 15th Adult Night at the Museum held March 15 at the Buckeye Imagination Museum. Enjoy games, snacks, and specialty theme drinks at this Spring Fever-themed, kid-free event.
So Many Classes
The Mansfield Art Center offers a variety of classes for all ages that include spring flowers watercolor (March 4), a day in watercolor (March 15) and polymer clay earrings (March 13).
Take a Leprechaun Felting Class (March 15) at Alpaca Meadows. Geared towards all skill levels, you’ll learn the best felting techniques to make three-dimensional figures.
Learn to make a Glass Shamrock Pendant (March 5), participate in Family Art Night (March 12) or, learn to make Colorful Felted Flowers (March 17) at North Lake Park.
Sip and Paint Your Pet’s Mugshot (March 8) or create a Stained Glass Buckeye (March 13) at Hickory Vines Winery and Venue.
Fun for Families
The annual Maple Syrup Festival at Malabar Farm State Park is held the first two weekends in March. Experience a sugar camp with historic and modern syrup-making demonstrations, horse-drawn wagon rides, food and maple products for sale. Self-guided tours of the Big House are offered during festival hours.
Kingwood Center Gardens is open March 3 for the Free First Monday event. This is a great time to visit and explore the grounds to see how the gardens change and transform from month to month.
Oaks & Acorns is a free weekly, nature-based preschool program that is offered every Wednesday at Gorman Nature Center.
Visit the Ohio Bird Sanctuary and meet Pebbles, the ambassador chicken, on Pebbles’ Day (March 8). This ticketed event will include meet and greets with the touchable ambassador’s animals, along with animal-inspired arts and crafts. Families can also watch and interact with pebbles while she shows off her painting skills!
Theater, Art & Live Music
The local college theater presentations kick off at the Ohio State University Mansfield with the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet (March, 1, 2, 3).
In Said the Spider to the Spy by Fred Carmichael, Augusta Waycross steals the identity and Florida beach home of her friend, a famous romance author, leading to a hilarious mix-up involving a stash of Colombian heroin and a series of quirky characters. The play runs March 1, 7, 8, 9 at the Mansfield Playhouse.
Improv Underground Open Mic Night at Theatre 166 (March 5) provides an opportunity for middle and high school age students to hone their improv skills. Jesus Christ Superstar takes the stage at the Renaissance Theatre (March 8, 9, 15, 16). This global phenomenon shares the iconic story of the final days of Jesus Christ through the eyes of Judas Iscariot.
Sawyer Brown has had more than 50 chart-topping hits and will bring their music to the Renaissance Theatre on March 21 for one night only.
Uptown combines the smooth soul of Motown and R&B with today’s top hits, delivering an unforgettable performance that blends Bruno Mars-level stage presence with the vocals of legends like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. Buy tickets now for the March 22 performance at the Renaissance Theatre.
Plan to see Once: A Musical at the Mansfield Playhouse on March 28, 29. This powerful performance tells the story of an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant whose shared love of music rekindles his passion for life and love. This emotionally captivating musical features the Oscar-winning song “Falling Slowly” and explores how music can forge powerful connections, winning multiple prestigious awards along the way.
The Mansfield Symphony performs Tchaikovsky No. 6 on March 29 at the Renaissance Theatre.
You’ll find opportunities to sip a glass of wine or enjoy a cold brew while listening to Jordan & the Mangoes at 3rd Cup Tea (March 7), live music at The Phoenix (March 7), or join Abe Partridge during the Sunday Songwriter Series (March 2) in the Spirit Room at The Phoenix.
Check out our Wine & Ale Trail for more spirited locations and other live entertainment.
Calendar of Events
For the most up-to-date event listings, live music, and other community events, visit our ever-changing Calendar of Events at DestinationMansfield.com. Got a public event to share? Add it to our “Submit an Event” section of the calendar.