Ohio City’s Warm February Night: Observations on Brite Winter Fest

Northeast Ohio has been granted somewhat of a reprieve from frigid temps and blustery snow showers this season, but that did not stop the organizers of Brite Winter Fest from celebrating the region’s least celebrated season. Residents and visitors of Ohio City collected around bonfires near Market Square, drawing together in the spirit of community but also for warmth, to listen to local bands and down their fair share of hot chocolate or libations from hip plastic mugs.

 The temperatures dipped below the freezing mark, but luckily folks could duck into myriad establishments along W. 25 to thaw. For a place like Johnnyville Slugger, maybe it was their first time or maybe they had been there before, but everything felt new and fresh.

The Winter Fest afforded Ohio City a jovial, crisp atmosphere. Hopes and dreams flecked about like ash blown from the flame, or steam from a hot toddy.  Light and sound danced gracefully in the biting cold. The exposition of aural pleasure reached an orgasmic crescendo near the ten o’clock hour, as an energetic cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” reverberated halfway to Monroe Ave and then back again.

This year’s event signified somewhat of a departure from the relative seclusion of Hart Crane Memorial Park in the flats, the venue for previous Brite Winter events. While Brite Winters I and II felt more spontaneous (and to a certain extent, more subversive), the 2012 iteration was a burlier beast, better equipped for large crowds searching out all the Near West has to offer.

In addition to the outdoor stage on Bridge Ave. and W. 26 St., eight local venues opened their doors for musical acts: Joy Machines Bike Shop, Bon Bon Pastry & Cafe, Garage Bar, Touch Supper Club, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Market Avenue Wine Bar, Dragonfly Lounge, and Franklin Circle Christian Church. 

Interactive art and games augmented the landscape, as patrons took out their aggressions on an Angry Birds/Skee Ball hybrid game, or channeled their inner Moonwalk on a discotech dancefloor made of ice blocks. 

Adding to an already raucous Ohio City Saturday night, Brite Winter Fest collected friends and dispersed them throughout the neighborhood. It was an ongoing waltz from place to place, a “who or what is where” phenomenon condensed within a few short blocks. 

Perhaps it was the volunteer-driven nature of the event, the DIY fundraising from kickstarter, that resulted in so many having a vested interest in Brite Winter. As a totally free event, one could pass through with no strings attached. The reveler enjoyed the luxury of total freedom, being able to choose his or her own path for the evening, tracking bands on the schedule, stopping in ABC the Tavern during the interim. Acquaintances would inevitably collide, hands would be shaken, ideas exchanged, meet-ups planned in the extremely near future. The chase was on. 

In the end, the crowds dissipated and returned to homes near and far. Some walked home, others drove home and still others prepared to board planes the next morning. Fires were snuffed. Stages disassembled and trucked away. Ice dancefloors left to melt into the earth.

Having drifted out high above the waters of Lake Erie, the ghost of Brite Winter III -- the woodsmoke and laughs and cocoa vapor and indie music -- slowly fades away, a warm memory awash in a cold atmosphere.