In three decades, the annual event has grown to become America’s largest, free arts festival with great opera, theater, dance and street theater performances, classical and experimental music, in addition to an assortment of music from local and national recording artists on multiple outdoor stages, artwork from artisans from across the nation, art cars, children’s activities, cultural exhibitions both on and off-site, film, Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize, videogames, and food and beverages, located throughout the site.
On Friday, July 15, performers include R&B singers Miguel at 6:30pm and Fantasia at 8:30pm. Highlights on Saturday, July 16 are rock band, Southern Culture on the Skids at 6:30pm and G Love & Special Sauce singing blues and roots at 8pm. Ska group, the Pietasters take the stage on Sunday, July 17 at 4:30pm followed by reggae performer Matisyahu at 6:30pm. Throughout the weekend, the Urbanite Stage hosts regional jazz and blues musicians, including Matt Wigler, Lee Pearson, Love Craft, Kevin Driscoll and the Tom Williams Quintet. On the Festival Stage, vocal artists perform everything from funk and hip-hop to rock and classical music. Weekend performers are The Superland Stage Band, Telesma, Andy Poxon, The Crawdaddies, the Larry Brown Quartet and Big Daddy Stallings.
New this year, the festival adds interactive, fun exhibitions including Rabbit Hole, located in Pearlstone Park, where nature, whimsy and art installations coexist in a surprising outdoor sculpture garden and fantasy environment. Included in this space is a Wonderland Estates exhibition of miniature playhouses and the Mini Prix, where kids can race pedal-powered art cars. The festival celebrates the year of its inception with 1982 on the Charles Street Bridge, which is home to art, installations, live music and fashion inspired by “the eighties.”
Visitors can partake in break dancing, sing their favorite 80s songs with karaoke on the 1982 Stage or dress in their most outrageous outfits to compete in “Famous in the 80s,” a 1980s Costume Contest at Artscape. Plus, an amazing street art style presentation of vintage band flyers from the 80s will be exhibited.
The LightBox structure, by students from Morgan State University's Bachelors of Science in Architecture and Environmental Design program (BSAED), showcases an artistic exploration of an adaptive reuse design build project while shedding light on the use of local materials for local construction, recycled materials, passive solar design, cooperative design strategies, energy consumption, and solar energy.
Returning is Gamescape, which showcases videogames and the local artists/companies behind them. Visitors can see the technology and even play games at the arcade, located inside the Maryland Institute College of Arts (MICA) Bunting Center at Mount Royal Avenue and Lafayette Avenue.
Target Make It At Artscape offers fun activities for younger festival-goers. Now located in the Cohen Plaza in front of the Brown Center, the tent has a storytelling corner and mini workshops for children to create windsocks, jewelry, musical instruments, puppets, hats and more.
Nana Projects returns with NANADU!, a magnificent display of parades and spectacle. Stilt walkers, ribbon trees, music and costumed performers entertain during the weekend, as well as at the dazzling special finale, every day before the close of the festival in Pearlstone Park.
The Artists' market features crafts and fine arts from more that 100 professonal visual artists. Visitors may purchase original artworks such as 2-D and 3-D media, clay, fiber, class, metal and wood pieces, jewelry, paintings, photography/digital art, mixed media and sculptures.
Dance fans can take in creative and athletic performances by Brian Sander’s Junk, acrobatic dance, on Sunday July 17 at 12pm, 3pm and 5pm at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, located at 1212 Cathedral Street.
Theater and opera performances are held in the Theatre Project, located at 45 West Preston Street and The Brown Center, Falvey Hall at 1301 Mount Royal Avenue.
