Baltimore has canceled all special events through the end of August as the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the city continues to rise. Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young made the announcement Wednesday morning, saying canceled events would include the city's Fourth of July fireworks celebration and the extremely popular AFRAM and Artscape festivals.
The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, which organizes events across the city, confirmed the cancelations in a release shortly after Young's announcement, noting that it will continue to look for ways to adapt its programming to a digital format for the foreseeable future. This summer would have marked Artscape's 39th year in Baltimore. The free arts festival typically runs for three days in July and is the 15th-largest tourist attraction in Greater Baltimore, based on a ranking by 2019 attendance.