Brite Winter 2025 in Ohio

Positioned between New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day, Brite Winter stands out as a premier showcase for Northeastern Ohio’s vibrant artistic and musical talents. It reflects the festival’s commitment to its core values: positivity, creativity, artistic excellence, accessibility, and a deep connection to the community.

Brite Winter Highlights

By highlighting Cleveland’s local culture and fostering inclusivity, Brite Winter has become an essential winter celebration for the city. Designed to celebrate winter, the event incorporates fire, interactive art installations, music, games, and food to foster a sense of togetherness while encouraging locals to embrace the cold season.

The annual festival with the emphasis on music hosted its first event in 2010. A six-stage festival takes place every February and features about 35-40 bands every year. It attracts about 20,000 attendees during rather quiet and somewhat lethargic winter time in Cleveland.

Previous Lineups

Past lineups of the festival included The Lighthouse and the Whaler, The Modern Electric, AJ and the Woods, Automatic Weapons, The Baker’s Basement, Bummed Out, Candi Fresca, Connections, Dark Water Rebellion, DJ ESO, Falling Stars, Hello Luna, Herzog, Holden Laurence, Jack Fords, Jason Patrick Meyers, The Scuzzballs, Seafair, Shawn Brewster, Smoke Screen, Tom Adams & The Last Resort, The Whiskey Hollow, Archie Green with Uptowne Buddha, Signals Midwest, Runaway Brother, By Light We Loom, Tim Moon, Midnight Passenger, Ex-Astronaut, The Village Bicycle, School of Rock, Holden Laurence, Austin Stambaugh, Bro Dylan, Front Porch Lights, and These Violent Young Lovers.

Festival History

The founders of the Brite Winter Music & Arts Festival were Emily Hornack and Jimmy Harris. They ran a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for the festival in 2014. The non-profit event gathers people of all ages, incomes, and backgrounds. Since its start, the festival was held during temperatures as low as 8°F (-13 °C) and as high as 69 °F (20 °C). No matter the weather, Brite Winter is a festival where the community comes together to celebrate and have fun.