What started as a 16-year-old's $700 concert at Baltimore Motor House has grown into a decade-long celebration of the city's music scene, and on August 29 the Love Groove Festival marks its 10th anniversary with a headlining set from five-time Grammy winner Robert Glasper. The all-day event runs from noon to 8 p.m. at Point Park in Baltimore's Harbor East, and it also features rapper Saba, R&B riser Alex Vaughn, and dozens of local performers and vendors.
Festival founder John Tyler launched the event in 2017 as a junior at Baltimore Design School, using money he had saved from gigging to stage the first concert the following year, according to BmoreArt. Tyler, a Baltimore native, started the festival to bridge disconnected local music scenes across punk, jazz, and hip-hop, and he still performs as part of the lineup today. Now 24, he has since become an Emmy Award-winning film composer whose commercial scoring credits include work for the Baltimore Orioles, Under Armour, Visit Baltimore, and Maryland Public Television, per John Tyler Sounds.
This year's milestone edition, first detailed by Eye On Annapolis, will be hosted by Amber August and Rich Rocket and features a packed bill that includes DK The Punisher, Styles Bond, the Kenyatta Band, the Love Groove Band, Cadeem Lamarr, Tonni Re, Jerry Homes, Bari Lutalo, Queen HD The DJ, DJ Sole, Akilah Divine, Precious Jewel, and Hadiya Ayodele. Saba, the headlining rapper, has built a national following through his independent career and introspective songwriting, while Glasper is known for blending jazz, hip-hop, soul, and R&B in collaborations with figures like Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu, and Q-Tip, according to Love Groove Festival.
A First-of-Its-Kind Show at a Reclaimed Waterfront
This will be the first festival ever held at Point Park, the 4.5-acre waterfront venue that opened in May 2025 on the site of the former Allied Signal Baltimore Chrome Works facility. The plant processed chromium for 140 years before the property underwent extensive soil and groundwater remediation as part of a multi-phase harbor cleanup, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The park's landscape design was created in partnership with the Baltimore American Indian Center and Native American consultants, incorporating educational signage that honors the land's historic Indigenous stewards, including the Piscataway, Susquehannock, and Lumbee tribes, the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore has said.
Point Park also serves as the public green space for the 27-acre Harbor Point development between Harbor East and Fells Point, a 3-million-square-foot mixed-use project that houses T. Rowe Price's global headquarters, according to Live Baltimore. Harbor Point was planned over roughly two decades as part of a broader effort to reconnect the city to its waterfront, placing a grassroots music festival founded by a teenager squarely inside one of Baltimore's most significant redevelopment projects.
Vendors, Art, Wellness and a Petting Zoo Round Out the Day
Beyond the music, the festival will include more than 30 local food and artisan vendors, a visual art gallery, wellness activities, interactive games, family entertainment, and a citywide bike ride tied to the day's events. A family petting zoo is set to include ponies, alpacas, turtles, donkeys, and llamas. The visual art gallery, curated by TWZ, will showcase work from DJ Da Artist, Khala M., Lette's Art, Donnart, and Blisarmyknife.
Ticket packages for the anniversary event range from $29 for general admission up to $209 for VIP passes, according to Love Groove Festival's website. VIP access includes an exclusive section, a private bar with two complimentary drinks, private restrooms, and a commemorative gift, while general admission includes access to the vendor market and the visual art gallery.
A Decade of Platforming Local Talent
Over its ten years, the Love Groove Festival platform has supported more than 500 emerging artists, collaborated with 100 small businesses, and partnered with 14 local schools, according to John Tyler Sounds. The event has grown from a youth showcase into one sponsored by major backers including T. Rowe Price and PNC Bank. Alex Vaughn, a Prince George's County native signed to Love Renaissance (LVRN)/Interscope Records, is among the artists who have used regional festival stages as a launchpad, having previously opened for R&B stars Summer Walker and Ari Lennox following her breakthrough release Voice Notes.
The festival's organizers describe the event as one that welcomes audiences from across the region while centering Black and Brown creatives, a framing that places small vendors and local youth performers alongside Grammy-winning national headliners on the same bill. That contrast, between hyper-local roots and big-name star power, has defined the festival's growth since its earliest days at Baltimore Motor House.
Yacht After Party Caps Off the Night
For those looking to extend the celebration, an official Yacht After Party is scheduled from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on August 29, accessible via the Baltimore Water Taxi and featuring local house and R&B acts including DJ Meesh, per BmoreArt. The water taxi is set to connect Point Park to the evening event on the harbor, though how organizers will manage crowd flow and water taxi logistics for the after-party has not been detailed.
