The Brightside Music & Event Venue hosting concerts and shows all season long
Winter has arrived, but you can still enjoy live music and performances here in the Miami Valley. The Brightside Music & Event Venue at 905 E. Third St. in Dayton is hosting concerts and dinner shows throughout the coming months.
“The Brightside is our love letter to our hometown, Dayton,” says venue owner Carli Dixon. “It took a great deal of work to bring this abandoned warehouse back to life. We’re so glad we did because it’s been a dream space to bring people together to celebrate love, enjoy art and build stronger community bonds.”
The women-led and locally owned venue has two performing spaces. One, a smaller, Vaudeville-style bar, can accommodate about 75 to 100 people. “That’s our jazz room, so-to-speak,” says Libby Ballengee, who handles the music bookings for the venue. “We do our more intimate shows in there.”
The ballroom, on the other hand, can fit a larger crowd. “Many of the really exciting, up-and-coming national acts touring are looking for around a 500-person capacity room, which is a perfect fit for our ballroom stage,” adds Ballengee.
This winter and spring, almost every weekend at Brightside is packed with concerts and other shows. Those looking for an easy date night of dinner and a movie can attend one of the venue’s Dayton Dinner Theater nights. Upcoming movies include The Wizard of Oz on Jan. 16; The Princess Bride on Jan. 30; Caddyshack, Feb. 6; Airplane!, Feb. 27; Monty Python and the Holy Grail, March 13; Napoleon Dynamite, March 27; and The Big Lebowski, April 10. In addition to the movies, attendees can look forward to live jazz music and dinner provided by Brock Masterson’s Catering.
Brightside will also be hosting a weekly Battle of the Bands show each Thursday night starting Jan. 13 through Feb. 26. Each week, concert lovers can see local bands competing to be named the best in the Miami Valley.
Other upcoming concerts include hip-hip show Pass the Aux 3 on Jan. 23; the Abnormal Formal with Nightbeast, Safe Money and Knavery on Feb. 4; Valentine’s with Blue Heron Trio, Feb. 14; hard rock/metal group ENMY, Feb. 25; funk/soul band Joslyn and the Sweet Compression, March 3; Mardi Gras Celebration with Solistic, March 5; country act The Roads Below, March 31; and a night of folk music featuring Dead Horses with The Nautical Theme, April 16.
There are also a variety of other events, including wellness workshops on Jan. 16 and March 13, the Katrina Reelfish Drag Brunch on Jan. 23, the Femme Fatale Burlesque Revue on Feb. 18 and the Taste of Jamaica Reggae Brunch on May 15.
To purchase tickets and to learn more about upcoming events, visit thebrightsidedayton.com.
More Than Concerts
The Brightside Music & Event Venue often hosts concerts featuring new and exciting music artists, but it’s more than a place to hear music. It’s also a venue for weddings and other special events.
“Our wedding couples love the flexibility of the space itself, the industrial-chic design and the affordability it provides,” says venue owner Carli Dixon. “They seem to especially enjoy the spacious bridal and groom suites we recently added.”
