Artscape is back this weekend with fun and activities September 22-24. While the festival's traditional heart remains in the Bolton Hill and Mount Royal neighborhoods, BOPA announced expansion into the Station North Arts & Entertainment District. Festivalgoers will be able to explore the vibrant areas along North Avenue between Charles Street and Maryland Avenue, as well as Charles Street up to W. 20th Street. Click here for the full interactive Artscape map.
Transit makes getting to Artscape a breeze. Light Rail, Metro Subway, and MARC Train Penn Line service all bring you close to the action:
- Light Rail: ride to the Mt. Royal stop for direct access to the festival! The North Avenue stop is a short walk from the weekend festivities.
- Metro Subway: ride to State Center station to be steps away from the Mt. Royal Avenue festival corridor.
- MARC Train: all weekend Penn Line trains serve Penn Station. Artscape along Charles Street is right outside.
And the best part? Transit is FREE as MTA is turning World Car Free Day into Car Free Weekend! All local bus, Light Rail, Metro Subway, MARC Train, Commuter Bus, and Mobility service will be free to riders September 22 through September 24. Ditch the car and let transit get you where you need to go. Don't forget to use the Transit app to plan your trip. The Transit app, a free download for smartphones, will offer guidance, including which bus routes are diverted and which stops are closed due to festival road closures.
Baltimore City Department of Transportation (BCDOT) will implement street closures along the corridors during the festival. MTA local bus service will detour around these closures. Riders should plan for extra travel time and take note of where detours begin and end on their route as many stops will be inaccessible due to the road closures.
Detours on the CityLink Lime, CityLink Yellow, and LocalLink 53 begin Monday, September 18 at 10:00am. Detours on the CityLink Green, CityLink Silver, LocalLink 51 northbound, LocalLink 95, and Express BusLink 103 begin Tuesday, September 19 at 10:00am. Detours on the LocalLink 51 southbound begin September 21 at 10:00am. Detours are expected to be in place through 11:59pm on September 25.
Use the filter below to find the detours on your route. Please note detours are based on the information provided by BCDOT as of September 21 and are subject to change.
Affected routes include:
- CityLink - Green, Lime, Silver, and Yellow
- LocalLink - 51, 53, 95
- Express BusLink - 103
Use the filter below to find the detours on your route.
CityLink Green
The CityLink Green heading northbound will detour off of Charles St. prior to the festival corridor. Trips will go down Biddle St. and then up Calvert St. until they reach North Ave. where they will resume their normal route. Stops along Charles St. between Biddle St. and North Ave. will be closed.
There will be no changes to southbound trips.
CityLink Lime, CityLink Yellow, and LocalLink 53
The CityLink Lime heading west, CityLink Yellow heading north, and LocalLink 53 heading south will all follow the same detour pattern. Trips utilizing Preston St. will detour around the festival closures by turning down Saint Paul St. and taking Chase St. over the MLK Blvd. and ultimately Preston St. Multiple stops along Preston St. will be closed.
CityLink Lime trips heading east, CityLink Yellow trips heading south, and LocalLink 53 trips heading north will have no changes. All stops will continue being served during Artscape.
CityLink Silver and LocalLink 95
The CityLink Silver and LocalLink 95 will all follow the same detour pattern on their northbound trips. Both routes will head north on Charles St. per usual until Biddle St. where they will turn right and then take Calvert St. north to 25th St. They will use 25th St. to return to Charles St. where they will resume their regular route. Multiple stops along Charles St. north of Biddle St. will be closed.
CityLink Silver and LocalLink 95 trips heading south will have no changes. All stops will continue being served during Artscape.
Northbound Detour
LocalLink 51
The LocalLink 51 heading northbound will follow the same detour path as the CityLink Silver and LocalLink 95. Trips will detour off of Charles St. prior to the festival corridor. Trips will go down Biddle St. and then up Calvert St. until they reach North Ave. where they will resume their normal route. Stops along Charles St. between Biddle St. and North Ave. will be closed.
LocalLink 51 trips heading southbound will be on detour beginning September 21 at 10:00am as Maryland Ave. between North Ave. and Oliver St. will be one-way traffic in the northbound direction. As such, southbound trips will turn off Maryland Ave. onto North Ave. where they will go down Saint Paul St. and cut across Chase St. back to Maryland Ave. Stops along Maryland Ave. between North Ave. and Biddle St. will be closed.
Northbound Detour
Southbound Detour
Express BusLink 103
Express BusLink 103 trips heading north will detour off Charles St. prior to the festival closures. Trips will turn right on Biddle St. and go north on Calvert St. to 25th St where they will resume their normal route along 25th St. Multiple stops along Charles St. north of Biddle St. will be closed.
There will be no detour in place for southbound service. All stops will continue being served when heading south.
