Grab the lawn chairs: WTMD’s First Thursday Festival resumes this week

TU radio station’s free, monthly “mini-festival” kicks off May 2 in Canton

By Rebecca Kirkman on May 1, 2019

WTMD First Thursday stage
Photo by Shantel Mitchell Breen.

WTMD begins its First Thursday Festival season on May 2 at 5:30 p.m. with six bands on two stages at Canton Waterfront Park. It is the first of five free, monthly concerts presented by Brewers Hill.

Thursday’s concert features indie rock band Mt. Joy, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and guitarist Raul Midón and Brooklyn-based R&B artist Cautious Clay on the West Stage. Baltimore reggae acts Jah Works, Strykers’ Posse and Shangoband perform on the Maryland’s Best Seafood and Agriculture Stage.

“We are kicking off the season with our first ever all-reggae stage,” says Scott Mullins, WTMD general manager and program director.

In addition to live music and a waterfront view, the event brings together local vendors, food trucks and craft beers. “The combination makes for a wonderful evening in Baltimore,” Mullins says.

Since moving the concert series from Mt. Vernon to Canton Waterfront Park in 2014, attendance has “skyrocketed each year” to encompass two stages and the entirety of Canton Waterfront Park in 2017. “It really is a mini-festival every month,” Mullins says.

Visual art joins the music this season. “Our Artists’ Alley area will showcase eight to 12 Baltimore-area visual artists,” Mullins says. “Attendees can browse the displays and hopefully take home a new piece of art.”

The concert series is a direct reflection of WTMD’s “music discovery” format, Mullins says. “We present an eclectic mix of dynamic, progressive new artists and established favorites from many different genres.”

Full 2019 First Thursday Festival Lineup:

  • May 2: Mt. Joy, Raul Midón, Cautious Clay, Jah Works, Strykers’ Posse, Shangoband
  • June 6: The War & Treaty, Sunflower Bean, Eli Paperboy Reed, Tyler Ramsey and more TBA
  • July 11: Van Hunt, Soccer Mommy, Black Pumas and more TBA
  • Aug. 1: Strand of Oaks, Bailen, Steve Gunn, Dylan LeBlanc, The Seratones and more TBA
  • Sept. 5: Devon Gillfillan and more TBA