City solicitor Ebony M. Thompson will serve as the grand marshal of the Martin Luther King Day parade when the event kicks off Jan. 20 — marking the return of what once was a beloved annual Baltimore tradition for just the second time in five years.

The 2024 parade is notable for two reasons: It is an attempt to return to normal during a five-year period when the parade was disrupted by the pandemic, the weather and politics. And following the parade, Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts will end its 23-year history as the city’s event-planning agency.

BOPA said Tuesday that Thompson, the first woman and openly gay person to become Baltimore’s chief attorney, will lead the parade, which has been a fixture in the city for the past quarter-century. The theme of this year’s parade is “Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers.”

According to a statement from BOPA, Thompson, a graduate of Baltimore City College and the University of Baltimore School of Law, “is currently leading the largest case in the city’s history, which has secured over $668 million in damages from opioid manufacturers and distributors.”

The parade will traverse a mile-long route down the boulevard named after the great civil rights leader beginning at noon at Eutaw Street and will disband on Baltimore Street. Baltimore groups and organizations seeking to participate in this year’s event can submit an application online by Friday at promotionandarts.org

In 2025 and beyond, festivals will be run out of the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture. BOPA will instead refocus on its mission of serving as the city’s arts council, responsible for distributing about $500,000 annually to artists and arts groups.

Over the years, as many as 45,000 people have turned out to applaud marching bands, baton twirlers, dignitaries in classic cars and dance troupes.

But the celebration came to an abrupt halt in 2021 and 2022 when the parade and other cultural events nationwide were paused as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2023, though, the show did go on — though not exactly as planned. Ten days before King’s birthday, BOPA announced that it was calling off the parade, and instead urged city residents to participate in a day of service.

A furious Mayor Brandon Scott called for the ouster of BOPA CEO Donna Drew Sawyer, who stepped down three days later. In less than a week, Scott’s office managed to organize a slightly smaller parade that included about 25% fewer units than in previous years.

The event was set to return in triumph in 2024, only to be axed at the last minute because of a fast-approaching winter storm.

But Robyn Murphy, BOPA’s interim CEO and board chair predicted that 2025 will break that streak of bad luck.

“It’s going to be a great parade,” Murphy said. “We’re in the midst of planning it and I’m really excited about it.”

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