The best light.
For photographers and film producers, the last hour of the day before sunset has long been known as Golden Hour. The golden hue of sunset is a contributing factor to this popularly known daily occurrence, but its name means more than that.
The angle of the sun lower on the horizon casts more direct light on film subjects, offering dramatic shadows that make everything in the frame appear its most visually appealing.
The Golden Hour Concert Series takes place in tandem with the sunset, and headlines full-production live music performances from stunning vistas, often atop the private rooftops of urban towers. The series attracts a community of artists, entrepreneurs, and creatively endeavoring people who come together for meaningful conversation, cocktails, curated live music performances, dancing, and to meet others in the community working toward big life goals.
The sunset serves as a daily reminder of how beautiful change can be. Golden Hour puts everything, and everyone, in the best light.
The next Golden Hour
All eventsThe next Golden Hour is being planned.
Dates follow the sunset, and locations are announced once the rooftop is confirmed. Leave your email and you'll hear first — members get early access to tickets.
Members get early access
Origin and Evolution
The event series was developed by Greyt Culture in 2019 and planned for launch in 2020, but delayed until the summer of 2021. The open-air environment proved to be an ideal setting for artists seeking community in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Greyt Culture's collective of artists has gathered for monthly peer-learning sessions since 2015, and the Golden Hour presentations are a reflection of that community. Early events were donation-based and invitation-only, with modest production.
Today Golden Hour boasts full-production audio and lighting, filmed by a team of video producers with studio-quality audio recording. After more than a dozen sold-out rooftop concerts, the series moved from the rooftop to the harbor — still exploring breathtaking vistas around the Cuyahoga, now with room for larger audiences and waterfront settings.
Sunset Vistas
Meet me in that place where our souls ache to wander and a million stars will unfold around us and I'll look at you and wonder how we ever lived in anything less breathtaking than this
Golden Hour takes place in some of Cleveland's most stunning locations—rooftops, waterfronts, and hidden gems where the skyline meets the sky. Each location is a character in the story that unfolds for a thousand chance encounters.
As the city grows, new towers are erected, offering new vistas and locations to see the city at its best. We work with property managers to bring the unique experience of Golden Hour, and the community of artists and entrepreneurs, to rooftops from University Circle to Downtown to Brook Park. If you're interested in learning more about being a property partner, get in touch with our team.
Become a property partnerThe Music
There's a lot you can do with a wah-wah pedal and a bullet mic
The flow of events during Golden Hour provides a space for a lot of variation, and space for experimentation with music features. Greyt Culture invites small groups and solo performers to play first, followed by large headline acts, and then finally electronic music performances once the sun dips below the horizon.
The span of music genres could be described as world, folk, pop, disco, punk, hip-hop, jazz, rock, r&b, dance—but ultimately it's a vibe. Artists featured are frequently connected to a global diaspora of individuals who have gathered for Greyt Culture's peer learning sessions on creativity and the creative process. Golden Hour is a time of celebration for artists in the community.
Past performers playlist
How the evening moves
Times shift with the sunset and the edition. The progression stays the same.
01 · 5:00
Dinner + Cocktail Service
Doors open, the bar opens, the room fills.
02 · 6:30
Opening Music Feature
Solo performers and small groups, acoustic and close.
03 · 7:30
Sunset Feature
The headline set, timed to the light.
04 · 9:00
Twilight DJ
Electronic music and dancing once the sun is down.
The Scene
Greyt Culture may host the most diverse community you'll come across, which makes it difficult to describe. Many people who feel they belong here don't like being put in boxes. That's a bit of a paradox, so we like to refer to our community instead as a “club for people who make things up.” Demographically, you'll find slightly more women than men, and a younger professional audience mixed in with mentors and senior explorers with a zeal for life. Many attendees to Golden Hour are new to Cleveland, or just back, trying to get a lay of the land and invest their time into building relationships in the city. It's not irregular to meet people who are working on music, creating art, raising kids, investing in real estate, or many other noble pursuits, each in their own vision for a great life.
What unites the Greyt Culture community is the pursuit of moving ideas into action. We're each writing a story, finding fellow main characters, learning from others, and enjoying a great cocktail from an incredible view.