Artscape returned to Baltimore at a different time of year and in a new location over the 2025 Memorial Day weekend.

Thousands packed the downtown Baltimore area to hear the likes of LeToya Luckett, Tweet, Fantasia, Robin Thicke and more on May 24 and 25. The dates for the country’s largest free arts festival worked in the City’s favor as planned. Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott joked with the crowd at one point about having an Artscape that was not “155 degrees” and “raining.”

Many attendees said they preferred the cooler, dryer temperatures experienced this year over the hot, washed-out weather that often accompanies the festival known for taking place in the heat of July.

Each year festival attendees are accustomed to pouring into the Mount Vernon, Mount Royal and Station North neighborhoods for the massive celebration of art in its many forms. This year, Artscape took place at War Memorial Plaza and in the surrounding areas, stretching to Center Stage in the Mount Vernon neighborhood.

Robyn Murphy, interim chief executive officer of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, said moving the festival to a different area was in line with the mayor’s initiatives to beautify “every part of Baltimore.”

The festival has been a staple of the regional arts and music scene since 1982. According to the City, the festival’s previous location was tied directly to the opening of the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and efforts to drum up attention and support for the surrounding community as an arts hub.

Organizers of Artscape 2025 stated ahead of the festival that plans included “reimagining how a weekend festival can fuel long-term impact through creative placemaking and sustainable community investment.” This year’s event was sponsored in part by Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, The Mayor’s Office of Arts, Culture and Entertainment, Visit Baltimore and many more.

The festival came with many unique offerings. On Friday, May 23, the inaugural Scout Art Fair opened inside of the War Memorial Building. Curated by Derrick Adams and Teri Henderson, the event was billed as “an affordable art fair,” offering works for sale between $150 and $5,000 from 40 different artists. The Scout Art Fair was an effort of BOPA, the City of Baltimore and Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s Downtown RISE Initiative.

Kidscape offered fun for the whole family, while the Flavor Lab offered the best of Baltimore’s culinary offerings. Film lovers were also welcomed with Beyond the Reel, programming aimed at highlighting the work of Baltimore’s television and film community. Artscape after Dark offered something for local music heads and poets.

True to form, the entertainment schedule included a mix of international acts and local artists. This year’s main stage was located in front of Baltimore City Hall. Charm City’s own Gabby Samone made an appearance fresh off of her run to the Top 7 on American Idol.

“It feels amazing,” Samone told the AFRO , when asked how it feels to perform in her hometown after representing the city on the national stage. “I feel the love. It’s been super overwhelming. This is my grounding, when I come here I’m super comfortable. I’m just happy to be home.”

Kera Spencer carefully watched the 23rd season of the show, and was very impressed by Samone’s Artscape appearance.

“She was amazing– I love her,” she said. “I caught a couple of episodes and I feel like she was robbed.”

Spencer responded well to the new Artscape location.

“I like the fact that they moved it,” she said. “The environment is welcoming.”

LaBreya Smith, seated at War Memorial Plaza with her family on May 24, said the draw to this year’s Artscape was “mostly the artists.”

“I’m definitely here to see Fantasia– she was my ‘American Idol.’”

Smith responded positively to the many changes featured as part of this year’s festival.

Though Spencer and Smith were in favor of the festival’s new look, others were not impressed.

One festival attendee complained of longer lines for the food vendors and the “gloominess” of having art vendors located in the underpass of I-83. Others voiced confusion about the new festival map.

Still, the festival was a win for the city in a weekend packed full of events in the downtown Baltimore area. In addition to Artscape, the Maryland Deathfest brought heavy metal enthusiasts to the Market Place and Power Plant Live area on one end of the harbor, while tens of thousands converged at the Baltimore Convention Center for the Islamic Circle of North America’s Convention at One West Pratt Street. On the other side of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the Sowebo Arts and Music Festival attracted hundreds more to the Southwest Baltimore area on May 25, proof that Baltimore’s arts and culture scene is more alive than ever.