(Photos by Jason Chamberlain)

Hundreds of music lovers flocked to Kenmore Boulevard December 17-18 for some of the region’s finest musicians during the Rialto Theatre’s first-ever Kenmore Winter Break Music Festival.

The event hosted to a variety of well-known bands like Big Pop, JD Eicher, A Band Named Ashes, Cincinnati’s The Heavy Hours, Detention and Youngstown up-and-comer Candace Campana. Acoustic acts Brian Lisik, Jeff Klemm, Chrissy Strong, Madison Cummins, Jim Ballard and Barry Carroll graced the brand new Rialto Living Room stage, and Vince “DJ Vinnie G” Giles kept concertgoers dancing until closing time.

“We wanted to do something special: bring a lot of our favorite artists together for a new kind of music festival,” Rialto Theatre co-owner Seth Vaill explained. “By December, people are really starting to miss summer festivals, and many are home for the holidays, looking for something fun and different to do.”

The event was organized and presented by The Rialto Theatre and The Summit FM along with sponsors EarthQuaker Devices, SIT Strings, The Guitar Department and Lay’s Guitar Shop. It was such a success, the Rialto and The Summit are planning other festivals throughout 2022, including Kenmore Spring Break Music Festival to be held April 1-2.

“The ice and snow will be melting, and people will have a good case of cabin fever,” Vaill said. “They’ll be ready to get out and see some shows, and we’re going to give them two great nights of music.”

The Kenmore Spring Break lineup is currently in the works. For updates and ticket information, stay tuned to therialtotheatre.com and follow @therialtotheatre on Instagram and Facebook.