AFRAM Festival brings more than 300,000 visitors to Druid Hill Park
BALTIMORE -- Bringing more than 300,000 attendees to Druid Hill Park, Baltimore's 2023 AFRAM Festival was a major success.
It's the largest festival celebrating African American culture on the East Coast, and WJZ is the proud media sponsor for the event.
Related: GALLERY: Sights from Baltimore's 2023 AFRAM festival
From visits by city and state leaders, to performances from major musical acts, delicious food vendors and more, the experience served as a showcase of Baltimore City's rich Black culture.
Baltimore's Mayor Brandon Scott was filled with enthusiasm, emceeing much of the event on stage.
"(It) was a beautiful celebration of culture, a beautiful celebration of black excellence, and a beautiful celebration of BALTIMORE," Mayor Scott tweeted.
Saturday's acts kicked off at 3:30 p.m with a performance from the TSU Dance Crew. They took part in the Baltimore club music portion of the festival. Denis Koch spoke with the members of the crew following their performance. They even showed WJZ a few moves!
About an hour later, Zo! & The Tall Black Guy performed, followed by Ambre, a New Orleans-based recording artist.
Next up to perform was Eric Bellinger, a singer and songwriter from Los Angeles. He's credited with writing major R&B hits for artists like Chris Browns "New Flame," and Usher's "Lemme See".
After Bellinger's spirited performance, Mayor Scott along with WJZ anchor Sina Gebre-Ab, and First Alert Meteorologist Tim Williams introduced Governor Wes Moore, and First Lady Dawn Moore who made an appearance.
Then, the crowd filled with excitement as WJZ introduced DJ Spinderella. The rapper and producer, most widely known for being a member of the hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepper, kept the energy lively before the much anticipated Ty Dolla $ign took the stage.
Ty Dolla $ign performed several popular hits, and even gave the audience a listen of one of his new tracks.
Sunday, Afram attendees were treated with performances from Tim Bowman Jr, DJ Tanz, Eric Roberson, Tamar Braxton, Kid Capri, and finally, the Isley Brothers.
