Artscape returning as in-person in 2023, moving to September
BALTIMORE -- Artscape is returning as an in-person event in 2023, and the festival will be moved from its traditional spot on the calendar in the sweltering heat of July to September, according to an announcement on the event's site.
Artscape will be held over five days, from Sept. 13-17.
It's not yet clear if the festival will have in-town competition from the Baltimore Ravens. The NFL typically releases its schedule for the upcoming season in April.
The Orioles will be at home against the St. Louis Cardinals on the 13th, and against the Tampa Bay Rays from Sept. 14-17.
Artscape was last held in 2019.
In 2020, the event was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2021 edition was canceled altogether.
After signaling a return of the festival in 2022, the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts said residents would instead get a preview of the following year's event, promising a "bold new vision," in the fall.
"COVID-19 made it necessary for us to take a hiatus, and BOPA is eager to bring Artscape back better than ever," organizers say on the event's website. "The hiatus gave us time to re-envision Artscape while respecting and accommodating how the pandemic has changed us all, especially how we engage during large public events. We envision a bold, ambitious festival with a singular focus on the Arts."
BOPA will present its new plan on Oct. 20 at the Parkway Theatre, according to a report in the Baltimore Fishbowl.
As Fishbowl reporter Ed Gunts noted in June, Baltimore City Council members grilled BOPA CEO Donna Drew Sawyer over her agency's request for $2.2 million, which came after dozens of staffers were laid off during the pandemic and festivals such as Artscape were nixed.
The final Fiscal Year 2023 budget includes the $2.2 million appropriation to BOPA for events and festivals.