TOLEDO, Ohio — *Editor's note: The above video aired March 29, 2022.
Prepare for the parade! A popular celebration of a vibrant and historic Toledo neighborhood is returning after a two-year hiatus.
The 49th Annual Historic Old West End Festival is set to kick off in June with all of the fun of the past, but bigger and better this year.
New for 2022, the festival is expanding to include Glenwood Park as another location featuring food, entertainment and children's activities.
If you're new to the Old West End Festival, you're in for a treat.
The King Wamba Carnival Parade is on! The 113th Anniversary parade kicks off the weekend at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 4, and begins at Glenwood Park.
The parade pays homage to the 1909 King Wamba Carnival in Toledo.
It's a tradition that features participants from across the Midwest to create a feast for the eyes with art, cars, floats, performance art and musical presentations. The grand event includes the crowning of this year's king and queen, Andrew Newby and Kristin Kiser, during a coronation ceremony on the Art Fair Stage.
Five historic Old West End homes are included in this year's house tour. The neighborhood once was home to many of the people who helped build the city of Toledo and the Edward D. and Florence S. Libbey House is just one of the homes featured on the tour.
There will be an art fair at the Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion, a marketplace on Woodruff Avenue, a beer garden, food and entertainment at three locations, plus garage and yard sales throughout the neighborhood.
The Old West End 5K Run/Walk will take place Sunday morning, sponsored by the Old West End Festival. For more information, contact the 5K Race Committee at toledooldwestend.com/festival or call 419-242-3433.
The festival begins June 4 and ends June 5. House tours take place both days from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
House tour tickets are $15 per person, $25 per couple, $10 per person if purchased in advance and $5 for a single house tour. Children 12 and under are free.
Pre-sale tickets are on sale now through May 31, cash only, at the following locations:
- Walt Churchill’s Market - 3320 Briarfield Blvd., Maumee, 419-794-4000
- Walt Churchill’s Market - 26625 N. Dixie Hwy., Perrysburg, 419-872-6900
- Sofo’s Foods - 5400 Monroe St., Toledo, 419-882-8555
- Black Kite Coffee - 2499 Collingwood, Toledo, 419-720-5820
- Handmade Toledo - 1717 Adams St., Toledo, 419-214-1717
- Grindhrs Coffee - 625 Adams St., Toledo, 419-214-0168
- Market on the Green - 1806 Madison Ave., Toledo, 567-585-0055