Get ready to shake off the darkest hours of the year—the period between New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day—and get your tickets to the 17^th annual Brite Winter, art, music, fire, and fun festival in the historic Waterloo Arts District this Saturday, Feb. 21 to see more than 30 bands perform on two outdoor stages and six indoor stages, participate in art-making activities, gather around the fire pits, and enjoy local food and beverages.

Brite Winter organizers are working with Ingenuity Cleveland, Waterloo Arts and Praxis Fiber Workshop on the visual arts program this year, as well as an army of volunteers who joined our workshops to help with the art installations.

Local favorite LoConti will headline Brite Winter’s musical lineup this year on the main stage, with opening act Hooked Like Helen, who is on the “Promise Me You’ll Run” tour.

Other musical attractions include Cellophane Jane at Treelawn Ballroom, School of Rock at the Millard Filmore Presidential Library, and high energy bluegrass folk band Lea Marra & the River Boys closing out the evening on the Cleveland Rocks Stage at the Beachland Ballroom.

Additionally, there will be food trucks, fire pits, family fun, and interactive art throughout the neighborhood.

For instance, head to the Waterloo Arts Gallery to immerse yourself in AfterGlo, a walk-through black light installation created by a cohort of local artists, who turned a 3,000-square-foot exhibition space into a totally psychedelic experience.

Brite Winter on Saturday, Feb. 21 begins at 2 p.m. in the Waterloo Arts District and lasts into the midnight hour. General admission tickets cost $15, children under age 13 are $5.

Those who want to support Brite Winter and local arts, can buy a Tip Your Hat to Brite ticket for $25; while those who are a bit tight on cash can buy a Pay-what-you-can ticket.