Returning to the arts festival’s roots, the upcoming iteration of Brite Winter will take place on the west bank of the Flats on Feb. 20, 2016. 

The festival was based in Ohio City for the past four years, where its visual arts offerings and music lineups expanded each year. Brite organizers say that, simply put, they need more space. West 25th Street worked really well for the festival, they say — blending indoor and outdoor venues in a blossoming neighborhood — and the Flats location will allow them to stretch their creative legs that much more.

The event will be located beneath the Main Avenue Bridge. “It’s going to be a gritty, fun, weird place, and that’s what Brite thrives on,” Executive Director Brian Horsburgh tells Scene. Indoor venues will include McCarthy’s Downtown, the Harbor Inn and Music Box Supper Club. 

Horsburgh adds that the new venue will act as a blank canvas of sorts for the artists and musicians and attendees who make the festival what it is. Each year, engaging visual art installations create a unique atmosphere for one day.

“We’ve always focused on typically ‘winter’ things, and this place provides a lot of space for those. The bridge is a great canvas for a lot of lighting installations that we do. We’ll definitely continue to do the bonfires,” co-founder Emily Hornack says. “The backdrop of the city, as well as the bridges, is interesting already without us even doing anything, so I can’t wait to see what our art team comes up with too.”

“We’re pretty excited,” Horsburgh says. “We’ll get to put up more tents, more art, and more fire than we’ve ever had before outside.”

A preview party is set for 7 p.m. tonight at McCarthy’s Downtown (1231 Main Ave.). NONAPHOENIX will perform. Tonight’s event is free and open to all.

This article appears in Sep 16-22, 2015.

Eric Sandy is an award-winning Cleveland-based journalist. For a while, he was the managing editor of Scene. He now contributes jam band features every now and then.

One reply on “Brite Winter Announces Return to the Flats”

  1. Lame. McCarthy’s Downtown, the Harbor Inn and Music Box Supper Club are nowhere near big enough to accommodate and you’re not going to have the crowds stay outside all night. With the size of the crowd at the end of the night you’ll want to go back to Ohio City. At least do the east bank of the flats where there is more business. I can’t even imagine the food and drink lines this Feb.

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