When it comes to arts festivals, Charm City has really been upping its game—hosting public celebrations of art in all its forms. Of course, we have established events like the CityLit Festival for bibliophiles and the Maryland Film Festival (which is returning in 2024) for cinephiles. But in the past year, we’ve also seen innovative new events like WYPR’s inaugural New/Next film festival and the debut of Honey Chile Fest, celebrating Black women and femmes in film.

Now, Baltimore Center Stage (BCS) is adding to the city’s arts happenings with the very first Locally Grown Festival, taking place Oct 21-22.

While BCS is no stranger to hosting gatherings like its Young Playwrights Festival and John Tyler’s Love Groove Festival at the venue, Locally Grown will add something new to the mix, featuring a diverse range of more than 150 performers, artists, and makers from the Baltimore area’s arts ecosystem. The two-day lineup (single-day passes start at $25) includes maker fairs, visual art galleries, slam poetry, improv comedy, live readings, a dance showcase, and more, all under one roof. 

To grow the new effort, BCS evoked the collective powers of a local intentionality committee, which includes storyteller, facilitator, and consultant Bakari Jones; musician, artist manager, and arts advocate Tinku Bhattacharya; community-focused visual artist and folklorist Ashley Minner Jones; and visual artist and social changemaker Jess Solomon-DaCosta.

Solomon-DaCosta hopes that this new festival—which is slated to follow a one-year-on, one-year-off model—will be “soil for seeds.”

“Not everybody is from Baltimore, but these are artists who have been practicing, who have been refining, developing, honing their skills in the city,” she says. “So to be able to bring all of that to Center Stage, and be on a platform that is actively supporting and amplifying these voices, feels really special.”

She hopes that attendees will be inspired by the artists that they “maybe have never had a chance to go see and now you become patrons of their work,” but Solomon-DaCosta also wants the event to serve as a space for local artists to connect with one another. 

“I see Locally Grown as a model for other members of the ecosystem who are interested in fostering more collaboration that can be in the arts community and the social justice or philanthropic space,” she says. “I’ve already gotten emails and inquiries from other groups saying, ‘How does an intentionality committee come to be?’”

The committee was also supported by BCS’ full-time staff members, including artistic producing associate Bridgette C. Burton and Director of Artistic Partnerships & Innovation Annalisa Dias, who Solomon-DaCosta praises for their involvement amid shifts at Center Stage. “The staff at Center Stage has been really responsive to the suggestions that we bring to the conversation.”

The inaugural festival is sure to have something for everyone, with a jam-packed lineup including pop-ups by the BLK Ass Flea Market and Inky Cap Co-Op Maker Fair; a special concert presented by BCS’s new arts entrepreneur in residence Maya Camille; poetry performed by the Baltimore’s Slam Team; a Hype Ball as part of Baltimore’s Blaq Pride (free tickets must be reserved in advance); and even an after-dark cabaret hosted by local comedian Big Fred. You can browse the full lineup of happenings, here. 

“I feel like this is going to be kind of a touchstone,” Solomon-DaCosta says. “Folks are gonna come back to ‘Oh, we met at Locally Grown,’ or ‘I saw so-and-so at Locally Grown.’ Just from the way it’s been designed, we’re going to continue to work with each other and learn from each other.”