Collision Bend Brewing Co. is throwing open its riverfront patio in the Flats for Riverfest, a day-long music festival on August 30 that pairs six bands with beer, food specials and a cause: a portion of ticket proceeds will benefit local animal rescue organizations. Doors open at 11 a.m. at 1250 Old River Road, with bands taking the stage starting at noon and tickets priced at $10.
The lineup includes Fatback Mango, Country Honk, The Madison Crawl, Cats On Holiday, The Smug Saints and Apostle Jones, according to Cleveland.com, which first reported the schedule. DJ Christian Dela Vega will spin tunes between sets, and the festival will also feature patio games and food and drink specials throughout the day, per the same report.
Collision Bend launched Riverfest in 2023, the outlet notes, and this year's edition continues the brewery's tradition of turning its taproom into a showcase for Northeast Ohio music acts. The venue itself carries plenty of local history: the Flats location sits inside the Hausheer Building, constructed in 1863 as a marine supply chandlery that outfitted Civil War-era merchant ships headed onto the Great Lakes, according to Collision Bend Brewing Company. The building later spent nearly 15 years as the home of the popular Watermark restaurant before Collision Bend moved in.
A Name Rooted in the River's Sharpest Turn
The brewery's name comes from “Collision Bend,” the notoriously sharp U-shaped curve in the Cuyahoga River where massive iron-ore freighters historically struggled to navigate, often resulting in collisions with vessels and bridges, as Cleveland Magazine has reported. Visitors on the brewery's riverfront patio can still watch large commercial freighters ease through that same narrow passage today.
Collision Bend opened in April 2017 as a partnership between Cleveland restaurateur Zack Bruell and Luke Purcell, who spent 21 years as head brewer at Great Lakes Brewing Co. before launching the venture, according to Cleveland Scene. The company has kept expanding since: in 2024 it opened a production facility and taproom with a 30-barrel brewing system in Euclid to boost statewide distribution, while the Flats location has continued to focus on taproom releases and events like Riverfest, per Collision Bend Brewing Company. Hoodline previously covered the brewery's growth beyond Cleveland when it opened a trackside taproom in Lorain.
Rescue Dogs and Three Beneficiary Organizations
Riverfest will also feature rescue dogs on site, with three organizations participating: the Cleveland Animal Protective League, Friends of CITY DOGS Cleveland, and Golden Retrievers in Need Rescue Service, known as GRIN. The Cleveland APL, incorporated in 1913 and based in Tremont, is an independent nonprofit humane society that receives no government or national funding and relies entirely on donations and fundraising to care for homeless pets across Cuyahoga County, according to the Cleveland Animal Protective League.
Friends of CITY DOGS Cleveland is an all-volunteer nonprofit that raises money for medical care, enrichment supplies and spay/neuter programs for dogs housed at Cleveland Animal Care & Control, the city's open-intake municipal shelter. GRIN, founded in 1992, has rehomed more than 4,500 dogs across Northeast Ohio, Central Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, and operates with no physical kennel facility, relying instead on a network of volunteer foster homes, according to Golden Retrievers in Need Rescue Service.
Swamp Pop, Boogie-Woogie and Local Favorites on the Bill
Musically, the lineup leans into the region's roots-music scene. Cats On Holiday, led by Denis DeVito, plays what's been described as “swamp pop” — a fusion of Louisiana Zydeco, Cajun, blues and rock — and performs more than 100 regional gigs a year, often at Lake Erie waterfront festivals, per Forest City Brewery. The Madison Crawl, formed in 2003 by bassist Chris Stovicek, is known locally as the “Barrelhouse Boogie Kings” for its 1930s-to-1950s-style jump blues, swing and boogie-woogie sound, and has played Northeast Ohio venues and festivals for more than two decades.
Apostle Jones, fronted by Mikey Silas, rounds out the marquee names with a blend of soul, rock, funk and blues. The band was previously named Best Band by Cleveland Scene and Best Music Artist by Cleveland Magazine, and Silas himself was named one of Cleveland Magazine's Most Interesting People, according to Cleveland Music Group.
