Sheila E. will headline this year’s Artscape, the city’s annual free arts festival, the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts said Friday. This will be the 40th anniversary of the event and the first under new leadership.

Celebrating 40 years since the debut of her “The Glamorous Life” album, the Queen of Percussion will hit the Mount Royal Main Stage on Saturday, Aug. 3, at 8:45 p.m., BOPA representatives said. The weekend kicks off Aug. 2 and continues through Aug. 4.

The Original Wailers, with Bob Marley & the Wailers lead guitarist Al Anderson, will also perform during Artscape weekend. Other acts include neo soul and R&B artist Joi Carter and hip-hop groups Live From the Paradox and WhoCamille.

The Original Wailers are scheduled to appear at Artscape. (Courtesy of the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts)

This arts festival will be the first since BOPA CEO Rachel D. Graham took the reins of the organization after a tumultuous 18 months that saw public spats with the city, leadership shakeups and failure staging signature city events.

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

At a public budget hearing late last month, Graham said the nonprofit organization, which serves as the city’s arts council, events center and film office, had made strides but had more work to do to regain the city’s trust and that of the local arts community. City councilmembers praised her for steering the organization, which is partially funded with city dollars, back on track.

This year’s festival will proceed rain or shine; watering stations will be placed at the welcome centers in case of excessive heat. Last year, even with only one full day of programming due to inclement weather, BOPA representatives said they welcomed more than 44,000 attendees and estimated the economic impact of the event at more than $12.1 million.

The festival will be held across five “zones” and will feature a more than 100-vendor artists market; “Kidscape” and “Teenscape” activities spots for children ages 4-18; a literary arts and prints fair for budding authors and visual artists; and a runway show called “Project Artscape” for 12 local designers. Food and drinks will be available for purchase.

This is a developing story.