Defying a soggy Saturday and cloud-cloaked Sunday, the 42rd rendition of Artscape attracted large and cheerful crowds to downtown Baltimore over the Memorial Day weekend.

Billed as the nation’s biggest free outdoor arts festival, the two-day event featured musicians performing onstage in front of City Hall and elsewhere.

The Grammy award-winning band The Roots hit the stage on Saturday, and Baltimore-based Black Assets and R&B headliner Stephanie Mills brought down the house last night.

Another major people magnet was the SCOUT Art Fair, curated by photojournalist Devin Allen and art dealer Cierra Britton, that spotlighted the work of 50 emerging and established regional artists inside the War Memorial Building.

Another 100 visual artists, craftspeople and artisans displayed their wares in tents under the Jones Falls Expressway at the Artisan Market. There was street dancing, poetry workshops and Kidscape games and performances.

Artscape is produced by Create Baltimore (formerly BOPA), Visit Baltimore and the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Culture and Entertainment.

It is financed by a mix of public funds and private donations. The 2025 festival was flagged by Baltimore’s Inspector General for using more than $500,000 in federal coronavirus relief funds to pay musical performers without required approvals.

Dozens of small Baltimore-area food vendors, such as Black Baltimore Vegan, Ekiben, Neopol Savory Smokery, Sooyah Bistro and Althea’s Almost Famous Truck, were on hand to nourish the hungry. Chef Catina Smith (“Chef Cat“) oversaw the culinary selections.

Here’s a look at the scene on Sunday: