A community festival this weekend will bring the arts back to the grassy field where a Baltimore theater once stood.

The 9th annual Love Groove Festival will return to Baltimore’s Robert C. Marshall Park on Sept. 13. The free event brings crowds together to enjoy live music, savor sizzling dishes from local small businesses, and explore artwork from the city’s own artists.

The festival location sits on the site of the historic Royal Theatre, which opened in 1922 as the Black-owned Douglass Theatre. From the 1920s to the 1960s, Pennsylvania Avenue thrived as a hub of Black culture , giving the community space to celebrate music, food, dance, and more.

Musician beats drums at festival Credit: Micah E. Wood

“This space holds the spirit of Black Liberation,” said festival founder John

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