Percussionist Sheila E. will return to Baltimore in a familiar role as a headliner for the 40th anniversary of Artscape, seven years after her first Artscape appearance in 2017.
Rachel D. Graham, chief executive officer of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, announced Friday during a news conference at City Hall that the prolific singer-songwriter will be the marquee attraction at Artscape on Saturday, Aug. 3, while The Original Wailers, a popular reggae group styled after Bob Marley, will headline the festival’s closing night on Sunday, Aug. 4.
The top-billed opening night performer has not yet been announced; officials wrote in a news release that this group will be “a very special act to be announced in the days to come.”
“Artscape is Baltimore,” Mayor Brandon M. Scott said in the news release.
“Our vibrant artistic community is at the heart of our identity of Charm City. I am proud to welcome Baltimore’s premier arts and culture festival back for its 40th year.”
Sheila E., the daughter of Latin jazz percussionist Peter Escovedo, was the headliner for the main stage at Artscape in July 2017. She first came to prominence playing alongside Prince, who wrote the chart-topping title track for her debut album “The Glamorous Life,” released in 1984.
Additional musical acts who will perform Saturday on Artscape’s main stage include Joi Carter’s neo-soul and rhythm and blues stylings and the hip-hop groups Live From The Paradox and WhoCamille.
Sunday’s performers will include the jazz and funk singer Navasha Daya and Caribbean music from the Trinidad & Tobago Steel Drum Band.
Artscape has been described as the largest free outdoor arts festival in the U.S. Though the 39th festival — the first one after four years of pandemic-induced closures — was marred by controversy and a storm that forced officials to cancel the festival on Saturday, its busiest day, officials estimated that 44,000 visitors braved the weather, generating $12.1 million in economic activity.
At its peak, the festival welcomed 350,000 guests and brought revenues of $28.5 million into the city.
