Downtown Baltimore will shimmer this November when, for ten days at the beginning of the month, two of the city’s most popular events descend upon the Inner Harbor, just as Daylight Savings Time comes to an end.
Brilliant Baltimore is the combination of the arts festival Light City and the Baltimore Book Festival. Dubbed a Festival of Light & Literature, Brilliant Baltimore takes place from Nov. 1 through Nov. 10, 2019, throughout the afternoons and evenings.
What Is Light City?
Light City, a spectacular festival of light, music and innovative thinking, returns to the city for its fourth year this fall.
Light City includes tons of accessible, fascinating light art projects visible along the Inner Harbor promenade. These works of art come together to form the BGE Light Art Walk, which this year will feature works from about 20 artists.
Highlights include exhibitions like Baltimore Fancy by Michael Bowman, which uses light to tell the story of Baltimore’s famous street vendors, the Arabbers, and the interactive work Waterlight Graffiti, by Antonin Fourneau, which uses water to conduct electricity in a wall of LED lights that light up when visitors draw or write on it with a brush or spray.
Light City also features strolling and pop-up performers and concerts on stages around the Inner Harbor. Musical performances span a wide range of styles, from JAH WORKS (Saturday, Nov. 2 at 9 p.m.) to Rufus Roundree & Da B’more Brass Factory (Sunday, Nov. 3 at 4:30 p.m.).
What is the Baltimore Book Festival?
The Baltimore Book Festival makes its 24th annual appearance this November.
Events specifically related to the book festival will take place at stages located around the Inner Harbor, with individual vendors scattered in between. There’s a little something for every type and age of reader: the book part of the festival includes plenty of kids’ activities, engaging panel discussions, cooking demonstrations and book signing opportunities.
Special guests include Carla Hall, the Washington, D.C. native who rose to fame during her stint on Top Chef and who has remained in the spotlight, on The Chew, since then, actor and author Hill Harper, chef and philanthropist Sam Talbot (another Top Chef alum), Baltimore Sun columnist Dan Rodricks, and local activist and author D. Watkins.
What else do I need to know?
Most of the festival is free, though some specific events do require tickets. Ticketed events are clearly marked on the Brilliant Baltimore website and tickets can be purchased through the site. VIP passes for special meet-and-greets are also available for purchase.
As in past years of Light City, the food and drink options will be plentiful, and all options will be provided by local companies.
Where to Park
When Light City and the Book Festival are scheduled separately, downtown Baltimore is buzzing. Now that they’re paired up, the area will be that much busier, so when you’re planning your trip into town, it’s smart to figure out ahead of time where to park.
Located at 55 Market Place, Harbor Park Garage is an ideal starting and ending point for your Light City and Book Festival adventure. Parking rates are competitive all day and you can park for a flat rate of $15 anytime after 5 p.m. – perfect timing to make the most of the festival’s sparkling after-dark activities.
Harbor Park is not just convenient to downtown – it is also easily accessible from I-83 and other major routes in and out of the city. It is well-lit and safe and staffed 24/7 with a crew of friendly and knowledgeable staff who will be happy to point you in the right direction and answer your questions.