The Lancaster Festival is an annual July celebration of music and art with events held in all corners of Lancaster, Ohio.

Roots of the Lancaster Festival were established in 1980, with the founding of Cameo Concerts.

• From the 1984 Picnic & Pops Program Book:
  
  "Cameo Concerts, a non-profit sponsorship organization, was founded in 1980 by [Lancaster residents] Al and Sandy Romano for the purpose of bringing classical music programs and other cultural events to the Lancaster Community.

  Talented, energetic trustees and outstanding community support have been the keys to Cameo's success.

  Since it's inception, Cameo has sponsored performances here [in Lancaster] by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; the Cleveland Orchestra; the Columbus Symphony Orchestra; The Dayton Philharmonic and the Columbus Symphony Chamber Orchestra.

  In addition to major symphonic presentations, Cameo annually sponsors the Georgian Series, featuring performances by small chamber ensembles in the lovely setting of Lancaster's historic Georgian mansion."

On August 5, 1984, The Columbus Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Music Director Christian Badea, presented a Picnic and Pops concert at Ohio University-Lancaster. This was the first concert held at OU-L's outdoor auditorium, which was to become the home stage of The Lancaster Festival Orchestra in 1988.

The "Lancaster Festival" was inaugurated in 1985, under the artistic direction of Maestro Badea. Artistic Advisor Al Romano was joined by Festival Managers Eleanor Hood and Barbara Hunzicker. The '85 Festival had a 8 day run and included two CSO symphony concerts, a CSO chamber concert at St. Mary Church, and a week full of community arts and music events. The '85 Festival concluded with a memorable live battle reenactment on the hills above the OU-L Amphitheatre, accompanied by the CSO performing Beethoven's "Wellington's Victory."

The Festival was extended to 10 days in 1986 as "Lancaster Festival USA," timed to coincide with the Statue of Liberty's 100th Birthday celebration. Programming expanded to include ballet, folkloric dance and drama. Performances and special events at locations throughout the city included a mixture of classics, jazz, Broadway, bluegrass, arts and crafts, food, fun, and fireworks. Highlights in 1986 included performances by soloists Michael Murray, Marvis Martin, Vinson Cole, Carter Brey, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Ballet Met Columbus performed under artistic director John McFall. To commemorate the appearance of Halley's comet that year, a huge, ethereal, twinkling comet was installed in the high vaulted ceiling of St. Mary Church.

1987 events included performances by the CSO and soloists Joseph Swensen and James Tocco. The Zoppe family Circus came to town for four performances and UPBEAT, a week-long musical adventure for children, took place at the Fairfiled County District Library. Ballet Met returned, and soloists from Opera Columbus were part of the noontime downtown bandstand series. 1987 also saw the first Festival performance of the Lancaster Chorale.

In November of 1987, the Columbus Symphony decided to leave the Lancaster Festival to concentrate on their own Picnic & Pops series. The cameo board hired Maestro Gary Sheldon as the Festival's Music Director. Between February and June '88, Sheldon auditioned over 300 professional musicians and selected the 65 who became The Lancaster Festival Orchestra. Festival organizers also had to recreate much of the infrastructure that had previously been provided by the CSO, including the orchestra stage and concert shell. The Lancaster Festival Orchestra performed it's first concert on Saturday, July 23, 1988, beginning the evening with Glinka's 'Overture to Russlan & Ludmilla'. That evening's concert also included a special narration of John William's 'Suite from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"' by Christopher Reeve.

From that whirlwind beginning in 1988, the Lancaster Festival and it's Orchestra have continued to grow, becoming the versatile and artistically sound organization that it is today.