After the lights dim on the art installations around the Inner Harbor, the innovation part of Light City Baltimore will begin.
Light City U, the daytime conferences that compliment the arts portion of the festival that will run from March 28 through April 2, features four seminars and national names such as AOL co-founder Steve Case, Radiolab’s Jad Abumrad, and Alex Laskey, founder of energy software company OPower. All will focus on answering one question, said Brooke Hall, one of Light City’s founders—“How do we become a more responsible and equitable society?”
The conferences will center on four themes—sustainability, social innovation, creativity, and health—and names with local ties such as Baltimore health commissioner Leana Wen, Wes Moore, and street artist Gaia will also be a part of the discussion.
“We know that Light City U would be the piece of the festival that would set us apart,” Hall said today at an announcement hosted by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA).
Tickets start at $170 per conference, or $650 for all four. But to ensure all Baltimoreans get the opportunity to attend, regardless of cost, Light City has set aside 20 percent of the tickets, which are available for free to those who fill at an application, Hall said.
In addition to the conference news, BOPA also announced the headliners, who will appear for free each night of the festival. Thomas Dolby will kick off the opening night, and DJ Jazzy Jeff is also on the list, along with final night headliner Dan Deacon and booming local girl TT The Artist.
It will all kick off on March 28 with the Light City Lantern Parade, coordinated by the Creative Alliance, which will stretch from the Maryland Science Center to the Inner Harbor, walking by 50 light art installations and performance stages.
“Light City is a celebration is going to be brilliant, exciting, and so inspirational,” said Karen Blair, vice president of public relations, communications, and brand at Kaiser Permanente, one of the sponsors of Light City U. It’s “a tribute to everything Baltimore is and everything is has the potential to become.”
Click here for an updated lineup of musical and performing acts.