Parents weekend and Homecoming collide at Ohio State, bringing big crowds to local bars and restaurants

Delaney Kerstetter
Thu, 02 Oct 2025 02:19:41 +0000
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Restaurant and bar Ethyl and Tank located in the university district at 19 E 13th Ave. Credit: Carly Damon | Lantern File Photo

This year, Homecoming and parents’ weekend fall on the same time, uniting students, parents and alumni for the Ohio State vs. Minnesota game Saturday.?

To prepare, bars and restaurants in the university district are offering various events, activities and deals for the abundant crowd. Here is a sample of what is being offered this weekend:

The O on Lane

Ed Gaughan, owner of The O on Lane, said this weekend brings graduates back to where they used to go during their time at Ohio State.

“Homecoming weekends are kind of nice and unique, because it’s alumni getting back together, trying to go to some of their old spots,” Gaughan said.

The O—located at 352 W Lane Ave.—has a well-established routine for Homecoming. This year, they have a lineup of live bands, a food truck and plenty of space to watch the game.

The pre-game concert kicks off at 2:30 p.m. with CowTown Inc., a country music band, followed by Columbus native, Devin Henry, a country and rock artist.?

DJ Samurai, a Columbus based DJ that specializes in a variety of music, and Krash Minati, a Columbus based rapper, will both have sets throughout the event, during pre-game, half-time and commercial breaks throughout the game.?

“We’ll be serving our food here. We reduce our menu on game days because it’s so crazy. I mean, we put close to 10,000 people through the parking lot,” Gaughan said.

Hot Dog Wally’s, a local food truck in Columbus, will be helping the restaurant serve food by offering hot dogs, burgers, fries and chicken tenders.

Fourth Street Taproom & Kitchen

Alternatively, Fourth Street Taproom & Kitchen—located at 1810 N 4th St.—will offer an open patio for parents and students to get a table and watch the game.

On Saturday, Fourth Street will offer $3 seltzers until close and brunch alongside their $25 mimosa tower from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The brunch deal will also continue on Sunday.?

Threes Above High

Further west on High Street, students can give parents a taste of the weekend nightlife.

Threes Above High at 2203 N High St. was voted one of the best bars of 2025 in the U.S. by USA Today. The bar will have special guest Brianna LaPaglia in attendance on Saturday, as posted on their Instagram.

LaPaglia, also known as Brianna Chickenfry, is an internet personality best known for her role as a host on Barstool Sports PlanBri Uncut and BFFs.

Midway

Midway, another student favorite, is located across the street from the Ohio Union at 1728 N High St.

“Midway is always a huge hit with Parents Weekend, just because the students love bringing their parents to Midway to show them the sort of upbeat, clubbier atmosphere,” said Kaitlan Harlan, the social media and event manager at Midway, Ethyl & Tank and Fourth Street. “The parents, I will say they get down during these weekends.”

Midway’s happy hour, coined “Madness,” will offer $1 wells, a mixed drink of liquor and mixer of choice. The bar will also offer free bombs, a shot of liquor mixed with a non-alcoholic beverage, to anyone wearing silly clothing, Harlan said.?

“About a year and a half ago, some Ohio State students started an Instagram account called @madness_fitz, and it’s now become a trend to come to madness in just silly clothing attire,” Harlan said. “So, we are going to run a special, a free bomb for each parent and student if they come dressed in silly Madness attire.”

Ethyl & Tank

Around the corner from Midway, Harlan said Ethyl and Tank will give parents and alumni the Ohio State bar scene they remember.

“I will say Ethyl specifically seems to capture the vibe of old Ohio State a little bit more,” Harlan said. “We have a lot of vintage signs and posters and lighting there. It really captures that sort of old bar feel that a lot of our alumni associate Ohio State with.”

On Friday, Ethyl will offer dinner until midnight, followed by brunch Saturday morning.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Ethyl will offer $20 mimosa towers and $6 espresso martinis, followed by their “Power Hour” on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

During the hour, the bar will offer $1 beers and wells, then from 10 p.m. to close, customers can buy two Nutrl’s or two Mich Ultras for $8 and $3 for white tea shots.

Block on High, located between Midway and Ethyl and Tank, will host a postgame performance by The Fretters, an acoustic duo, around 10:30 p.m. The band will perform a two-and-a-half-hour-long set.

Merchandise and more

Midway, Ethyl and Fourth Street will also launch their first merchandise line, Harlan said.

The launch includes a T-shirt for each bar and a Parents Weekend tee with, “Proud parent of a Buckeye” printed on the back.

All venues will broadcast the game, making sure fans don’t miss a moment.

“We really just like to make sure that everyone’s having a good time and that we show them the real experience of what it is to be an Ohio State student,” Harlan said.