Brite Winter Festival lights up Cleveland

Anne Nickoloff, Staff Reporter

One of Cleveland’s biggest music festivals takes place tomorrow, and it takes place…outside.

Okay, so maybe February in Cleveland isn’t the time of year that people want to go stand in the wind and see a concert.

But Brite Winter don’t care.

Last year, Brite Winter brought in 20,000 concertgoers in just one day, and it’s only expected to grow in popularity.

This year, its fifth year of existence, Brite Winter Festival will feature over 70 bands on several different stages, along with games, food and arts. Some highlights from the lineup include The Lighthouse and the Whaler, Air Traffic Controller, Humble Home and Signals Midwest.

The lineup is incredibly varied, with anything from metal bands to folk bands, and the whole night emphasizes supporting local music. Well, supporting local anything, really. Sponsors consist of surrounding businesses.

Plus, during music breaks, there’s skeeball, foosball, plinko and even a photo booth—not to mention regular food joints in Ohio City. Bonfires can be spotted around the town for concertgoers to warm up. The Great Wall of Light, a large spectacle built by audience members, grows every year as people bring their own lamps and lights to plug in.

The Red Line rolls right into an Ohio City RTA stop, right in the middle of all the festivities.

Oh, and it’s completely free.

For a day-after-Valentine’s-Day activity, Brite Winter makes for a pretty great weekend event.