Columbus Events You Need To Protect Your Hearing At This Summer
Columbus knows how to turn up the volume in the summer, and not just at concerts. Between packed stadiums, busy festivals, and booming fireworks, the sound levels can climb fast. If you’ve ever left an event with ringing ears or muffled hearing, you’re not alone. Here are some of the biggest upcoming events in Columbus this season, along with tips to keep your hearing safe while you take it all in.
Things To Do in Columbus, Ohio This Summer
Buckeye Country Superfest 2025
Put on your cowboy boots and head over to the Ohio Stadium for Buckeye Country Superfest! This massive country music celebration returns on June 21st with a packed lineup of chart-topping artists and thousands of fans filling the stands. With multiple performances throughout the day and night, it’s one of the loudest and liveliest events of the season.
The Columbus Book Festival
Calling all bookworms! Returning this year is the beloved Columbus Book Festival. This huge book event brings together authors, book lovers, and local vendors for a full weekend of readings, panels, and pop-up shops. If you love literature, be sure to swing by the Main Library and Topiary Park on July 12-13 for this indoor & outdoor event!
Columbus Clippers Games
Summer and baseball go hand in hand, and catching a Columbus Clippers game at Huntington Park is a local tradition. With themed nights, fireworks, and a loyal fan base, it’s one of the best ways to enjoy a warm evening in the Arena District.
Red, White, & Boom
Columbus’s largest Independence Day celebration draws huge crowds for food, music, family activities, and the city’s most iconic fireworks show. Held downtown along the Scioto River, this event is an annual favorite with something for everyone.
Planning to go? Don’t miss our quick video on how to protect your hearing during fireworks shows:
How Long Can You Be Exposed to a Loud Noise?
Not all noise is created equal; what matters most is both the volume (measured in decibels, or dB) and how long you're exposed to it. The louder the sound, the less time it takes to cause permanent hearing damage. A great way to visualize this relationship is by looking at a hearing loss decibels chart.
Here are a few real-life examples of common sounds and how long you can safely be around them without hearing protection:
- 85 dB (busy street, loud restaurant): Safe for up to 8 hours
- 100 dB (concert, sporting event): Safe for 15 minutes without protection
- 120+ dB (fireworks, front-row concerts): Damage can occur almost instantly
How to Protect Your Hearing at Loud Events?
Protecting your hearing doesn’t mean you have to sit out on the fun. Try these easy strategies at your next Columbus event:
- Noise prevention devices: Concert ear protection, also called high fidelity earplugs, reduces the overall sound level without sacrificing clarity.
- Take listening breaks: Step away from the noise every hour or so to prevent continuous exposure.
- Stay back from speakers: The farther you are, the lower the decibel level.
- Know your limits: If it’s too loud to talk over comfortably, it’s probably too loud for your ears.
Noticing Ringing or Muffled Hearing After an Event?
If you’re experiencing symptoms of ear damage from loud noise, like ringing in your ears (tinnitus), muffled sounds, or feeling like your hearing hasn’t returned to normal hours or days after an event, it’s a good idea to get your hearing checked. These symptoms could be signs of temporary threshold shifts or the beginning of long-term damage.
Enjoy Summer in Columbus Worry-Free
You shouldn’t have to choose between making summer memories and protecting your hearing. With a little hearing loss prevention, you can enjoy Columbus’s biggest events without second-guessing the impact on your ears.
If you’ve experienced ringing, muffled sounds, or feel like your hearing hasn’t fully bounced back after an event, it’s a good idea to talk to a local audiologist. At Hearing Health Solutions, we help people across Columbus find personalized ways to protect and preserve their hearing, so you can keep doing what you love, loud concerts and all.
Don’t wait until it’s a problem. Schedule a hearing evaluation today and keep your summer worry-free.