Artscape in Baltimore touts itself as "America's largest free public arts festival." The weekend brings nationally-known bands, the best food vendors from throughout the city, and a collection of artists and art that is second to none.
Mount Royal, the city's cultural district, is the setting for Artscape, which is free and attracts 350,000 visitors from all over the country each year. If you've been, you'll be back, and if you've never gone, put Artscape in Baltimore on your calendar. It's not to be missed.
Artscape 2009
When: July 17-19, 2009
Hours: Noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Noon to 8 p.m. Sunday
Where: Mount Royal Ave. and Cathedral and Charles streets
Cost: Free
Getting There
With hundreds of thousands of visitors, getting to Artscape can be daunting. Your best bet is to take MTA, a taxi, or that most old-fashioned of transportation modes: walking. Parking on streets in the area usually is brutal, so leave the car at home.
The Light Rail stop at University of Baltimore/Mt. Royal Avenue is nearest to the festival center, and the Cultural Center stop on Howard Street is near Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The Light Rail operates until 11p.m. on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday service will be extended until 9 p.m. The State Center Metro Subway Station is the closest stop. It is open until midnight during all three nights. MTA Bus lines servicing the Artscape area are the numbers 3, 11, 14 (Sunday only), 19, 21 and 27.
Free Shuttle
New for 2009 is Artscape’s free shuttle. Hosted by the new downtown connector - and air conditioned! - the operates 30 minutes before the festival opens and one hour after it closes each day. It runs on a continuous loop and makes the following stops/pick-ups approximately every 15 minutes:
- Stop 1 - North Ave. and Charles St. (Landmark: NY Fried Chicken)
- Stop 2 - St. Paul St. and Penn Station Dr. (Landmark: Penn Station)
- Stop 3 - Cathedral and Preston streets. (Landmark: BSO/Meyerhoff Hall)
- Stop 4 - Preston and Eutaw streets. (Landmark: State Center metro stop/Free Artscape parking in the state office parking lots)
- Stop 5 - Mt. Royal Ave. and McMechen St. (Landmark: MICA/Gateway Building)
Art at Artscape
Artscape features the following types of entertainment:
- Visual Arts
- Janet & Walter Sondheim Prize semifinalists
- Janet & Walter Sondheim Prize finalists
- Film Shorts
- Artists' Market
- BSO concerts
- Painted Screen Society
- Street Theater
- The Play's the Thing
Music
Three days of wall-to-wall music is the highlight of Artscape. There's a full schedule of different types of music on several stages. This map will help you get around. The headliners are:
- Dionne Warwick
- Robert Randolph and the Family Band
- Robin Thicke
