BALTIMORE — The sights and sounds of Artscape are familiar to Baltimore, but this year, it's going to look and sound a lot different.
Among the entertainers is Gabby Samone, who is returning to her hometown after a very successful run on American Idol, where she made it all the way to the top 7.
WATCH: American Idol's Gabby Samone headlines hometown festival
"Yes, so we're chock-full of entertainment, and I should say we have over 50 local performers on our Echo of the City stage, which is our second stage, and then we have a fantastic lineup on Saturday and Sunday," said Hall.
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The park outside city hall will serve as the main spot for entertainment, and beyond that, the War Memorial Building will host something brand new.
"We're introducing Scout, which is our art fair, which the city, the Artscape has never had a traditional art fair associated with the art festival, and a lot of people ask what's the difference, but this is the opportunity for our emerging and blue-chip artists to show their work to collectors and art buyers, and art lovers in a more exclusive way," said Hall.
This year Artscape is being billed as Mayor Brandon Scott's cornerstone of the Downtown Rise Initiative.
"We also are introducing the Flavor Lab, which is a food hall culinary experience. We are pairing mid-sized restaurants with our mom-and-pop restaurants to really give and elevate our culinary scene in Baltimore," said Hall.
Another feature includes a partnership with Center Stage with digital storytelling, screenings, and filmmaker showcases, to name a few. The goal is to highlight the best and brightest of Baltimore.
"We installed over 30 new murals underneath the JFX. We also installed a new light installation. All of these things will be sustainable and in place once the festival is over for our residents to enjoy, but also for the people to come to the farmers' markets every Sunday. And so this festival is really transforming space and making place a little bit more vibrant," said Hall.
