Baltimore’s Artscape festival is moving from midtown to downtown for 2025, with Fantasia Barrino and Robin Thicke as the headliners.
After disclosing plans last December to move the annual arts festival from August to May 24 and 25 – Memorial Day Weekend — Mayor Brandon Scott announced on Friday that organizers will be changing its location from the Mount Royal and Station North arts districts in midtown to parts of downtown Baltimore, to help boost that part of the city.
Headliners for the two-day event will be 2004 American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino on Saturday night and Robin Thicke on Sunday. Also performing on Saturday will be the hip-hop duo Little Brother and R&B singer-songwriter Tweet. Opening for Thicke on Sunday will be country music singer-songwriter Tanner Adell.
This will be the first year in decades that Artscape’s footprint hasn’t included the Mount Royal cultural district, Bolton Hill, Charles Street and other parts of midtown. Scott said at a City Hall news conference that in conjunction with his Downtown Rise initiative, which is aimed at boosting Baltimore’s downtown core, he wanted to relocate the arts festival as a way of “leveraging the power of art” to ignite reinvestment, attract new energy and reimagine the city’s urban core.
“Artscape isn’t just a festival – it’s a force,” he said. “This year, we’re taking it to the next level. We’re reimagining what an arts festival can do for a city – transforming public spaces, supporting artists, and putting Baltimore’s creative excellence on full display.”
The new footprint includes War Memorial Plaza east of City Hall; the city-owned War Memorial Building, and the location of the Baltimore Farmers’ Market under the elevated Jones Fall Expressway. Downtown landmarks that will play key roles in programming include Baltimore Center Stage; Zion Church and The Peale, Baltimore’s Community Museum. The Main Stage will be at War Memorial Plaza. The farmers’ market won’t be held on May 25 to make way for Artscape.
The mayor wants to use the Artscape festival to drive economic development and make a lasting impact on the city and its cultural landscape, said Tonya Miller Hall, Scott’s Senior Advisor of Arts & Culture.
“Artists are the heartbeat of Baltimore’s creative economy, and investing in them means investing in the city’s future,” she said. “Artscape 2025 is not just about a weekend of celebration — it’s about sustainability, creating lasting opportunities, and ensuring that artists remain at the center of economic growth and cultural transformation. When we put artists first, we set off a ripple effect that strengthens communities, drives innovation, and fuels Baltimore’s bold creative legacy.”
The decision to relocate Artscape was made in collaboration with key city stakeholders in both midtown and downtown, Scott said.
“By transforming streets, historic sites and covered spaces into dynamic cultural destinations, Artscape will serve as a creative engine for economic renewal, placemaking and long-term revitalization,” Scott said. “We’re using the festival model as a tool to transform and enhance Baltimore through sustainable community investment…Artscape is not just about celebrating art. It’s about shaping Baltimore’s future.”
Old and New
Organizers said Artscape will have many of the popular features it always has plus a few additions.
Returning features include Kidscape, a family-friendly activation designed to engage young audiences through hands-on art experiences, performances, and interactive storytelling; and Artscape After Dark, afterhours programming with performances, DJ sets, and avant-garde installations for a late-night festival experience.
Additions will be located at:
The War Memorial Building: Baltimore’s historic War Memorial Building at 101 N. Gay Street will be the site of a new feature called the SCOUT Art Fair, a “premiere fine arts showcase” curated by Derrick Adams and featuring work by more than 50 emerging and established artists, immersive installations and cutting-edge cultural programming. This is an Art Basel-inspired marketplace and lounge featuring “blue-chip” works that are for sale and can’t be displayed outdoors or in tents. The War Memorial Building provides a secure setting for them. There will be a preview night on Thursday, May 22.
Baltimore Center Stage: Baltimore Center Stage at 700 N. Calvert Street will be the setting for Artscape’s ‘In Conversation’ series, with discussions about the future of the arts, beauty, culture, the creative economy and other subjects.
The Peale: The Peale at 225 Holliday Street will be the location this year for the Sondheim Semifinalists Exhibition, featuring work by 21 semifinalists for the prestigious Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize that will be awarded later in the year. The exhibition has previously been held on the campus of the Maryland Institute College of Art in Bolton Hill. The curator is Lou Joseph, director of the Baltimore City Arts Council.
Under the Jones Falls Expressway (JFX): The area under the lower Jones Falls Expressway, around Holliday and Saratoga streets, will be “reimagined” with new murals and lighting that will remain after the festival is over. One tenet that Miller Hall promotes is that capital investments made for festivals are valuable works of public infrastructure that should remain in place long after the festival is over.
To supplement the local food vendors who are a familiar part of Artscape, a new area called ‘The Flavor Lab’ will celebrate Baltimore’s food culture by highlighting “top chefs, food innovators and immersive dining experiences.”
Another new feature is‘Beyond the Reel,’ a program that will spotlight “the intersection of cinema, television, and digital storytelling” with screenings, panel discussions, and filmmaker showcases that underscore the impact of Baltimore’s film and television industry.
New collaboration
The festival is being planned as a collaboration of the Mayor’s Office and the independent Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA). Although Baltimore’s Board of Estimates terminated a previous contract under which BOPA served as the city’s events producer, film office and arts council, BOPA will be working with the city under a different arrangement for Artscape, Scott said. He added that the working relationship between his office and BOPA has improved since Robyn Murphy became BOPA’s interim CEO in November.
“We’re in a much better position with BOPA under Robyn’s leadership than we were before,” he said. “We’re confident that we will have a contractual agreement with them” for Artscape.
WBAL – including WBAL TV, WBAL Radio and 98 Rock — will be the festival’s media partner. Other key stakeholders include Ikonic Live; the Baltimore Rock Opera Society; Bar Movement and Raunjiba Designs.
Scott said one advantage of moving the festival to downtown is that the area beneath the JFX will provide shelter in case of rain, as will the War Memorial Building.
He said he isn’t concerned about Baltimoreans going to the beach during the Memorial Day weekend and missing Artscape.
“Most Baltimoreans don’t go to Ocean City on Memorial Day weekend,” he said. “I’m not worried about that.”
More information about Artscape, its new location and opportunities for vendors, sponsors and artists is available online at Artscape.org and on Instagram @promoandarts.
What about transportation and parking for ARTSCAPE 2025?
This sucks. The Bolton Hill snobs were so intent on getting Artscape moved. They first had the city build concrete bike lanes so bootgs and tents could go on Mt.Royal Ave. They got their wish. The whole reason the neighborhood was popular was the proximity to MICA. But now snobs have propably destroyed Artscape a city tradition.
Correction: They had bike lanes established with concrete barriers so no artist booths or displays can be put on Mt.Royal. Been going to Artscape since 80’s. Artscape and Mica made Bolton the popular neighborhood. But now that rich white liberals have segregated up the city, creating the this white L bullsh##, they’re too good for Artscape. The traditional Decker stage shows are gone, the artist booths up Mt.Royal, well it was a good run. Progressives politics ruins everything.
Happy
This is so short sighted and stupid. BOPA & Brandon Scott join forces to neglect the artists and the cultural community.
I am so thoroughly disappointed with the move. I can’t imagine how such a large crowd is expected to fit into such a small area. The War Memorial Plaza doesn’t come close to being able to accommodate the amount of people who sit on the hill to watch performances. 1st the date changed, disaster. Then it was changed again, disaster. Now the date, the length, and the footprint. I guess next year it will be a zoom meeting with AI generated “art”.