Artscape is moving downtown, an area that needs “uplifting,” Mayor Brandon Scott announced Friday morning at a press conference at City Hall. The annual free arts festival, scheduled for May 24-25, is relocating from its usual location spread across Mount Vernon, Station North and Bolton Hill.

“We have to think about rising the downtown core,” said Scott, who added that Mount Vernon’s busy schedule with college graduations and concert performances played a role in the decision to move.

This year’s music artists were also announced, with singer and Golden Globe nominee Fantasia headlining on Saturday and “Masked Singer” judge Robin Thicke headlining on Sunday. “Oops (Oh My)” R&B singer Tweet, North Carolina rap duo Little Brother and country singer Tanner Adell will also perform. The main stage will be located at the War Memorial Plaza.

Artscape, which draws thousands to Baltimore, was already going to be different from years past, taking place on Memorial Day weekend rather than its traditional July dates, and over two days instead of three.

In most recent years, organizers have tried to appease attendees’ complaints over scorching temperatures by staging the event in August last year and late September in 2023. Those events still saw programming canceled — including headlining performances from Chaka Khan and Nile Rodgers and CHIC, respectively — due to inclement weather.

With the new date, Artscape will coincide with the 20th edition of Maryland Deathfest, the four-day celebration of extreme music that also draws thousands of fans, including many from around the country and world, to downtown.

This will also be the first Artscape since the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts saw major upheaval, both financially and structurally, amid clashes with Scott’s administration over the quasi-governmental nonprofit’s spending. Largely funded by the city, BOPA said in September it had run out of money, which led to an undisclosed number of job cuts at the organization.

In the following months, Scott’s office canceled the city’s contract with BOPA before the latter’s slimmed-down board of directors ousted CEO Rachel Graham after less than seven months at the helm.

On Friday, Scott said the city’s relationship with BOPA is “in a much better position” than before.

“We’re having discussions about what BOPA and the city’s relationship looks like moving forward,” he said, “but we’re confident that we will have a contractual agreement with them. What that means, we’ll get back to you in the future.”

BOPA interim CEO Robyn Murphy said last month that the organization would take on a lesser role in producing marquee events, including Artscape, which debuted in 1982. This year, the city is taking the lead for planning Artscape while BOPA is responsible for curating the event’s vendor list and exhibits, she said in January.

On Friday morning, Scott, Murphy and Tonya Miller Hall, the mayor’s senior adviser for arts and culture, presented the new layout for Artscape, which plans to use other familiar public spaces for the event. That includes the War Memorial Building for an art fair curated by Baltimore artist Derrick Adams and the area under the Jones Falls Expressway, which will receive reimagined murals and a light installation that will stay up after the event to create a “more inviting experience for farmers market attendees,” Hall said.

Programming will also include the family-friendly Kidscape, the late-night dance party Artscape After Dark and the Sondheim semifinalists exhibition, which will be hosted by the Peale museum. A new feature, Beyond the Reel, will focus on Baltimore’s TV and film industries with screenings and panel discussions.

Scott said Artscape’s new location will provide some cover against rain and will create a better flow for pedestrians.

“Quite frankly, it’s more walkable than the previous location,” he said.

This article has been updated to correct the dates for Artscape 2025.