Musical headliners for Light City 2017 include rapper Biz Markie (“Just a Friend”), psychedelic electronic band Papadosio, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band from New Orleans and Los Angeles latin-funk-hip-hop band Ozomatli. A wide range of artists from Baltimore (reggae/rock group Edjacated Phools, metal band Blood Mist, indie rock group Lenore Lenoire, to name a random few) will also be taking the stage. Here’s the full list.
For the the main attraction — the lights — Tim Scofield and Kyle Miller’s “The Peacock” and Jen Lewin’s “The Pool [Reflect]” will be returning, while 21 other new creations will come to life. Artists picked to create light installations range from Baltimore’s own (Ada Pinkston and Hoesy Corona of Labbodies, Formstone Castle Collective, Joe McArdle, Alfred Yu and Margaret Duff of sono:lumo, again to name a few) to creators from the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Lebanon and Israel. All will be featured along the 1.5-mile BGE Light Art Walk in the Inner Harbor. Click here for the full roster.
New programming this year includes themed “moments” each night, such as a bike party and fireworks, showcases of locally produced food and beverages and off-site “YouthLabs” happening in Baltimore City schools. The Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts previously announced it had picked eight artists-in-residence to install works in their neighborhoods around the city, and that it had expanded the “Labs” portion of the festival by including new sections devoted to education and food.
Also new this year is “Brilliant Baltimore,” through which the city is asking local businesses, organizations and others to spruce up their facades with colored lights. “The goal is to have our city shine and generate civic pride by participating and creating an even more spectacular annual event for Baltimore,” BOPA said in a release.
BOPA has an exotic range of performers set for each night starting at 5 p.m. The schedule shows belly dancers, puppeteers, circus performers and fire dancers on the roster.
The City of Baltimore is currently in a legal battle over the festival’s trademark rights with Brooke Hall Allen and Justin Allen, who founded Light City and worked with BOPA to bring the inaugural festival to life last year. After the city sued them for sole ownership of the rights to the name, the Allens countersued the city in an attempt to keep them from using the branding and trademarks for the festival.
Amid that litigation, BOPA has moved forward with its plans for the festival. Light City 2017 is set to take place from March 30-April 8, 2017.
