Sat 2/26 @ 3PM-midnight
Cleveland’s first festival of the year, Brite Winter, began as a casual party in 2010 at a park along the Cuyahoga River in the Flats. The intimate gathering attracted less than a thousand people. Two years later, it moved up to Ohio City, to the intersection of Lorain Avenue and West 25th Street, where it exploded into a massive affair that outgrew the business-crowded streets. In 2016, it moved to its current space on the west Bank of the Flats, where there’s more elbowroom.
After a year in which it was downsized due to the pandemic, the festival is back full strength, with a lineup of 30, mostly local, acts. It’s mostly a variety of indie rockers such as Nashville’s Colony House, Cleveland’s Oregon Space Trail of Doom, King Buu, Lilieae and Grumpy Plum, and Youngstown duo the Super Babes, but even there, they span variety of sounds from mellow to frantic. Acoustic roots band Swap Meet, Moises Borges’ Brazilian band, singer/songwriters Hallie and Taylor Lamborn, punkabilly rockers Whiskey Daredevils, hip-hop artist Chanelle Kazadi, and Gumbo Dance Party, a DJ supplemented with live instruments, add even more diversity.
As usual in recent years, it’s taking place on four outdoor stages on the West Bank of the Flats around and under the bridges off Main and Elm avenues. The festival also features outdoor art installations and the always-popular giant bonfires. And of course food and drink are widely available. Admission is $5 at the gate.
