Baltimore County Arts Guild returns to Guinness Open Gate Brewery this summer to host the Arts and Drafts Festival on June 24 and 25.
The two-day summer art and music event is free to the public and will feature live music, art vendors, hands-on art activities, and specialty beer releases.
More than 60 regional craftspeople will display their wares, including artists specializing in pottery, woodworking, stained glass, acrylic and watercolor painting, mixed media and more. According to the press announcement, the “interactive, visually-engaging exhibition dots the brewery’s lawn, serving as a marketplace for unique, curated pieces.”
Local musicians will also be performing throughout each day of the festival at various locations of the event. The full list of participating artists and musicians can be found at this link.
The festival’s website lists the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Baltimore County Public Library as both sponsoring activities on Saturday, and the BMA also hosting giveaways, with more community partner exhibits, activities and sponsors promised to be announced soon.
Arkia Wade, president of the nonprofit Baltimore County Arts Guild, is looking forward to the variety of artists, vendors, and activities that will be on hand for the Baltimore community to experience.
“We are pleased to present the Arts & Drafts Festival for a third year and are excited to celebrate a broad representation of music, performances, food and beer, and more art than ever with our Baltimore Community,” Wade said in a statement. “We are so grateful for the generosity of Guinness and our other sponsors, without whom this vibrant and exciting event would not be possible.”
Guinness Open Gate Brewery General Manager Michael Donilon agrees.
“The start of summer for us at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery always means the Arts & Drafts Festival, which we are so proud to host,” Donilon said in a statement. “We look forward to bringing the community together as we celebrate local craft here at the brewery where we also create art in the form of experimental beers every day.”
Officials say the brewery and Baltimore County Arts Guild have collaborated to create two special festival beers they’ll release at the Arts and Drafts festival, on draft and in cans.
The first, “Another Hazy IPA,” is described as being “packed to bursting with juicy, fragrant hops,” at 7.2% ABV.
The second is a “Blackberry Mule” with 6.2% ABV. This beer features the lime, mint, and ginger notes of the traditional mule cocktail, but with a blackberry twist.
The brewery will also have its full spring menu available for purchase during the festival, and in the announcement reminds anyone enjoying a pint, regardless of where, to “please do so responsibly.”
The Arts and Drafts festival will be on Saturday, June 24, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Sunday, June 25, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The free event requires no tickets or registration, and takes place at 5001 Washington Blvd., in Halethorpe.
There is also still time to register to volunteer by clicking this link.
