One thing about summer in Ohio: if you don’t have the will, the skill or the place to hold your own weekend gathering, there’s almost always a festival to go to.

In most cases, several.

Veterans of the festival scene know they aren’t all created equal.

To help give the rest of us a head start, the Dayton Daily News has plunged into the possibilities for a season that will officially begin on Memorial Day weekend, but will actually launch whenever the rain stops. That will be any day now. It will.

Some are nearby. Others require a pleasant drive in the country, or even an overnight stay. Many are free. They come in all themes and sizes.

To guide you through some of the best festivals and can’t-miss attractions in Ohio, we’ve partnered with feature writers across the state. The attractions are organized into five regions: central, northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest.

In no way does this represent everything there is to do this summer, but it’s a hearty sampling of one-tank trips that are relatively easy on the wallet.

The Dayton Daily News is the only local news source with the resources and connections to assemble a guide to summer events like this — a guide to more than 450 ways to get out of the house, brighten a weekend, hang with friends in a crowd, or enjoy some quality time with your family.

Listings compiled by: The Columbus Dispatch.

Cover illustration by: Charlie Zimkus, The Columbus Dispatch