Artscape to kick off Friday, WJZ to serve as media sponsor
BALTIMORE -- We are counting down to the return of the East Coast's largest free arts festival!
Artscape officially kicks off Friday evening.
WJZ spoke with event organizers to find out what you need to know before you go to Artscape this weekend.
"We're just really setting up the final details right now," BOPA Interim CEO Todd Yuhanick said. "Vendors are arriving. "(We're) getting excited. You can feel the momentum in the air."
WJZ is proud to be the media sponsor for Artscape -- an extremely popular festival celebrating Baltimore's arts community.
It's making a comeback after a four-year pandemic hiatus.
The festival is expanding into new neighborhoods this year and is being held during September, not August.
The new date for the event drew criticism from some in the community as it falls on the same weekend as Yom Kippur and other events in the same neighborhoods.
However, event organizers are confident the festival will go off without a hitch.
"Baltimore is made up of creative people," Yuhanick said. "This is what makes us a little funky and out there and this is their opportunity to celebrate it"
Event organizers are also keeping an eye on the weather.
Our First Alert Meteorologists said rain is in the forecast this weekend, but Artscape will go on rain or shine and features indoor art shows.
"There's more activities inside," Yuhanick said. "There's Gamescape. There's Teenscape. We have a pop-up artist market inside the old Barnes and Noble in the Fitzgerald."
If you're coming out to the festival, keep an eye out for road closures and detours.
"Most notably, Mount Royal will be closed between St. Paul and McMechen, as well as the intersections in between," Baltimore City Chief of Traffic William Haynes said.
Artscape falls on the same weekend as "World Car Free Day." MDOT is offering free rides on public transit.
"We are definitely encouraging people to have a car free weekend," Haynes said. "So, utilize all forms of transit, including bus and rail transportation, as well as e-bikes, e-scooters."
For a list of road closures, click here.
For more information about the event, you can visit the Artscape website.