This Cleveland Winter Festival Will Warm Your Heart
As we head into truly polar vortex weather, it pays to remember that the best way to beat the cold is to truly embrace it!
How cold does it get in The CLE? Cleveland winters are cold, averaging lows around 24°F and highs near 35°F, though temperatures frequently drop below freezing, with occasional dips below 0°F and significant lake-effect snow, especially in eastern suburbs. You can expect winter temperatures (now through February) to generally range from the teens and 20s at night to the 30s and low 40s during the day, with cold snaps and heavy snow events.
Bring it on! Cleveland’s outdoor music festival Brite Winter is one of the country’s most unexpected winter festivals, turning Cleveland’s coldest month into an outdoor celebration of music, art and community.
Held entirely outside in February, the festival draws thousands who embrace the season with more than 30 musical acts across multiple stages, spanning hip-hop, punk, soul, indie pop, DJs and more.
Brite Winter is moving to the Waterloo Arts District in Cleveland’s East Side for 2026, shifting from its previous location in the Flats. This area provides indoor and outdoor venues, including bars, galleries, and street spaces with bonfires, spotlighting local businesses and artists in February.
Attendees can explore large-scale light installations, ice sculptures, and interactive art while warming up around bonfires, cocktail “igloos” and fire-pit s’mores stations. The festival also features local food trucks, hot chocolate stands, and artist activations inside cozy warming tents.
The fresh new location in the vibrant Waterloo Arts District will transform the neighborhood into a high-energy “fire-and-ice” (an annual theme of the festival) winter playground. There are multiple accommodation options in Cleveland here. The festival takes place in the Collinwood neighborhood and you can also browse Vrbo options here.
What else is new in Cleveland?
With the “Midwest moment” in travel predicted to continue next year, Cleveland will welcome visitors with major attraction expansions, vibrant arts programming and a focus on the area’s central role in the nationwide America250 celebrations. Whether arriving by car, airplane or rail, travelers can discover new exhibits, innovative public spaces and events that showcase the city’s cultural depth, creativity and community spirit – without breaking the bank.
Two of Cleveland’s signature attractions will unveil major expansions in 2026. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will open its highly anticipated $175 million expansion next fall, adding 50,000 square feet to its lakefront home.
In the Old Brooklyn neighborhood, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo will debut the first phase of its $120 million Primate Forest in 2026.
And as the nation celebrates America250, The Cleveland History Center will anchor local programming with exhibitions and events that link the nation’s founding to the innovators, artists and everyday Clevelanders who helped shape modern America. Visitors can explore stories of aviation, design, music and immigration that reflect both Cleveland’s identity and the broader American experience.
For more information, visit thisiscleveland.com.
