One of the most popular parts of the Arnold Sports Festival is getting a little sibling this year.
The Arnold Kids Fitness Expo will be held in conjunction with the annual Arnold Fitness Expo to create an even brawnier sports festival. This year’s festival runs March 5-8.
The Kids Fitness Expo offers over three and a half acres dedicated to younger fitness enthusiasts. All of the mainstays of the adult convention are present, along with kid-specific activities at the Fun Zone in the heart of the expo, such as bounce houses, fashion shows and talent contests.
The new expo was created to appeal to families who might not be able to appreciate the adult-centered activities in the main expo.
“There have always been competitions that included kids at the main expo,” says Brent LaLonde, director of communications for the festival. “But they’ve been just for the competitors and their parents. The Kids Expo is for everyone.”
In the spirit of the Arnold Fitness Expo’s celebration of all things fitness, the Kids Expo will have a variety of demonstration areas set up around the perimeter of the floor space where kids can try out a medley of sports.
The sports available include lacrosse, hockey, baseball, fencing, gymnastics, jump rope, table tennis, golf, soccer, martial arts and, to emphasize that the festival is about mental fitness as well as physical fitness, chess.
Chess gets a special spotlight when an 8-year-old girl goes one-on-one with festival host Arnold Schwarzenegger on the entertainment stage. The stage will also host Irish dancing, magic, juggling and a talent show, while the expo space will host some 200 vendor booths selling youth-oriented fitness equipment and apparel, as well as educating about kids’ camps, parks, clinics and training.
The Arnold Kids Fitness Expo, like the original Arnold Fitness Expo, takes place at the Ohio Expo Center. The center will host a variety of youth and adult competitions, with the Arnold Survival Race just across the street at Crew Stadium.
The Ohio Expo Center and the Greater Columbus Convention Center are hosting the vast majority of festival events and competitions this year following the demolition of Franklin County Veterans Memorial, which used to host events.
Kyle Banfill is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
