GOLDEN HOUR
+TechTalk
Sunset Happy Hour Concert Series.
An Arts & Entrepreneurship Social Event
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 occurance, 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 their most visually appealing.
The The Golden Hour Concert series takes place in tandem with the sunset and headline features full-production live music performances from stunning vistas, often atop private rooftops of urban towers. The series attracts a community of artists, entrepreneurs, and creative eandevering 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.
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 boast full-production audio and lighting presentations, filmed by a team of video producers with studio-quality audio recording. The evening progresses from light acoustic sets, to headline acts, to high-energy Dj driven dance parties.
Tech became a notable topic of conversation among many artists and entrepreneurs at Golden Hour since the very first gatherings. In 2022 Greyt Culture introduced tech as a formal part of the programs with a“TechTalk” panel discussion series for early Golden Hour arrivals to hear about projects the community was developing. The program has since featured dozens of organizations, startups, and technologists discussing how, what, and why they’re creating or implementing new technologies. These conversations are filmed and recorded to share online and amplify the voices of the technologists, and entrepreneurs appearing on the series.
In 2023 after more than a dozen sold-out rooftop concerts, Golden Hour made one more big change, moving from the rooftop to the harbor. While it remains a series, exploring breathing taking vistas from rooftops around the Cuyahoga, the festival edition is large in scale featuring national acts and a day long of TechTalk conversations attracting audiences from all over the world.
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Regular Event Timeline:
5:00 Dinner & Cocktail Service
5:30 +TecTalk
6:30 First Music Feature
7:30 Sunset Feature
9:00 Twilight DJ
2025 Golden Hour Dates
Golden Hour +TechTalk | Friday, Sept 26th | West Side |
Golden Hour +TechTalk | Friday, August 22nd | East Side |
Golden Hour +TechTalk (Festival) | Friday, July 25th | Downtown |
Golden Hour +TechTalk | Friday June, 13th | Downtown |
Golden Hour +TechTalk | Friday, May 9th | East Side |
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
– butterflies rising
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, Downtown, or Brook Park. If you're interested to learn more about being a property partner get in touch with our team.
Sample Previous Locations:
THE MUSIC:
There's a lot you can do with a wah-wah pedal and a bullet mic
– Tom Waits
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.
To inquire about being featured as a Golden Hour performer reach out to our team through our music application form.
Golden Hour Music
Golden Hour Music
Wish Queen on The Shoreway - Golden Hour Concert Series
Jared Horgan - on Electric Gardens - Golden Hour Concert Series
The Rosies on Terminal Tower - Golden Hour Concert Series - Cleveland, Ohio
Reagan Gray on Electric Gardens - Golden Hour Concert Series
+TechTalk
Technology n. The systematic treatment of an art craft, or technique | The study of mechanical or industrial arts.
May it improve the human experience.
"TechTalks"are 30-40 minute live-recorded conversations filmed before the Golden Hour audience. Each session features guest moderators from Cleveland’s diverse tech landscape hosting panel discussions and interviews with senior executives, startup founders, and visionaries in the tech world.
These thought-leadership talks serve as conversation starters, raising awareness of significant developments in our community. Greyt Culture curates panels based on community input—apply to lead a Golden Hour TechTalk
The Golden Hour TechTalk has partnered with dozens of organizations to lead conversations such as:
The Future of Healthcare · Equitable Transit
The Future of Energy · Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition ·
The State of Cleveland Venture Capital
Tech Talks
Tech Talks
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition - CWRU - Golden Hour Tech Talk
Golden Hour Tech Talk - October 2023 - Cleveland Venture Capital
Golden Hour Tech Talk - July 2023 - Equitable Transit
Golden Hour Tech Talk - June 2023 - The Future of Energy
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 more 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.