If June is when summer begins to feel like summer, the Cleveland Museum of Art's annual Summer Solstice soiree is the event that kicks it into full gear. The Solstice has become one of the hottest parties in town every summer - and for good reason. The museum turns its remarkable terrace, as well as its atrium and galleries, into an explosion of colors and sounds... and smells ... and tastes ... it's a sensory jungle-gym for just about everything - provided you can get a ticket, of course.
What To Do There:
- Solstice is billed as a music festival, which is technically accurate since it features musicians and acts from all corners of the globe over multiple stages on the museum's sprawling campus in University Circle. But like many of the best music festivals, you might come for the music, but be prepared to stay for everything else.
- Have you ever been to a music festival that offers upscale cuisine prepared by an award-winning chef? The museum offers a menu of elevated, but easy-to-eat dishes, prepared by Chef Doug Katz - known, locally, as "the Alice Waters of Cleveland," because of his focus on local ingredients. He is the creative mind behind the museum's own Provenance Café, as well as the popular east-side restaurant fire food & drink, and any event with his cuisine on the menu is worth the price of admission on its own.
What Else To Do:
- The cool thing about a music festival held at a world-renowned art museum is that, for the entire night, you're at ... a world-renowned art museum. The doors - and galleries - remain open throughout the event, allowing festival-goers to explore the museum's more than 45,000 pieces of art well into the night.
Tips For Attending:
- Unlike the museum's other signature summer event, Parade the Circle, the Solstice is not free. It's a tough-to-get ticket and museum members get first dibs. Find out the date the tickets go on sale to the general public and be prepared to start early.
- Dress to impress. Also, unlike other music fests, you might want to reconsider wearing your fan merch and torn jeans. After all, this is an art museum - turn it up a notch.