The city of Baltimore is shuffling its 2025 schedule for signature events like Artscape and AFRAM.

According to a Monday news release from the office of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Artscape will be slated for two days at the beginning of summer: Memorial Day weekend, May 24 and 25. This year, the festival was in early August and was plagued by thunderstorms. In previous years, the festival was held for three days in July, but excessive heat has long been a concern.

Artscape was previously organized by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, but the city voted to sever ties with the quasi-governmental agency in November citing financial mismanagement. After the vote, the city was expected to take over many of the functions currently fulfilled by the arts council, such as planning Artscape.

Also on the 2025 schedule is AFRAM, which will be the weekend following Juneteenth, June 21 and 22.

The Baltimore Caribbean Festival is scheduled for July 12 and 13. Charm City Live will be Sept. 20. The city plans to release more details on each event in the new year.

The release said the city will begin updating its public special events calendar beginning on New Year’s Day.

When asked how involved the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA) would be in coming slate of events, Jack French of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement told The Baltimore Sun the city will be putting on all the festivals scheduled in Monday’s release.

AFRAM will be produced by the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks, while the mayor’s office plans to put on the other three, according to French.

BOPA’s contract with the city was terminated earlier this year, causing board resignations. However, the agency will still be responsible for distributing grants to artists for the next 18 months.

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