Would you rather be wet from rain or wet from sweat?

If you chose the latter, you’re in luck: Artscape is scheduled for August in 2024.

The annual free arts festival will take place Aug. 2 through Aug. 4, according to Barbara Hauck, communications manager of Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts.

During a press conference Monday about a bill requiring procurement of electric vehicles in Baltimore, Mayor Brandon Scott spoke about the news.

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“Working with all the partners around Artscape and trying to make sure that we have a successful event — we had that this year, it’s going to be returning back to the original time of year,” Scott told a reporter. “We’re going to have a good time just like we had in the fall, but also want to know that returning it to that certain time of year means it might rain, it might be storms. It’s Baltimore, right? And it’s going to be hot, there’s no doubt about that. So we’re going to have a good fun Baltimore Artscape time and just hope that we can get the best weather possible.”

This year’s Artscape — which took place in late September, returning to the city after a three-year hiatus prompted by the pandemic — faced several problems both leading up to and during the festival. All Saturday events of the three-day weekend were canceled due to concerns about potentially dangerous wind from Tropical Storm Ophelia. Prior to that, the festival struggled with losing out on several musical acts, such as Kelly Rowland and Ja Rule, for some rather unique reasons. Dates changed. And some institutions around the neighborhoods where the festival was normally held voiced concerns about what they saw as a lack of planning.

Despite missing a full day and off-and-on rainy weather, the festival, which traditionally took place in July, was deemed an overall success.

Artscape’s return to summer dates will most likely be welcomed by many as 2023′s dates, Sept. 22 through Sept. 24, caused several Baltimore legacy events including Hampdenfest and Remfest to be canceled because of scheduling conflicts. Plus, we can all agree: Festivals are just more fun to attend when it’s warm outside.

More information about next year’s Artscape and an official announcement about the timing move is set to come within the next couple of weeks, according to Bryan Doherty, director of communications at the mayor’s office.

Taji Burris

taji.burris@thebaltimorebanner.com

Taji Burris

Taji Burris has covered the Baltimore music scene since 2015 for outlets such as The Working Title and The 4th Quarter, and now at the Baltimore Banner.

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