Born out of a teenage dream and a whole lot of guts, the Love Groove Festival was founded in 2017 by Emmy-winning composer John Tyler, back when he was just a bold, brazen junior at Baltimore Design School. Fueled by the thunder of punk shows at Carroll Skatepark, the elegance of jazz drifting from stoops on the West Side, the pulse of hip-hop basement battles, and the electric chaos of raves in crumbling warehouses, John saw Baltimore’s underground not as fragmented scenes but as one unstoppable symphony.
With only $700 saved from gigging, John threw the first-ever Love Groove Concert at the Baltimore Motor House in 2018, a leap of faith that sparked a movement. By 2019, the event had outgrown its name, morphing into the Love Groove Music Festival, with big, audacious dreams of Coachella-level greatness. That year, it sold out the legendary 8×10 in Fells Point, packing the room with 300 screaming fans and leaving the city buzzing.
Then came 2020. The world shut down. Stages went dark. But Love Groove? We turned up. Refusing to let the music die, John teamed up with cinematic mastermind Brandon Armstrong and production powerhouse Zoney Sound to create a two-day virtual festival, keeping artists paid and spirits high. That digital brilliance caught the eye of Johns Hopkins University, leading to Love Groove’s very first sponsorship.
In 2021, Love Groove turned the spotlight toward the women shaping the scene, curating the Love Groove Women’s Festival, hosted by NoMuNoMu and filled with immersive stage design and soul-stirring performances. That creative firestorm sparked a partnership with PNC Bank and launched a two-year residency at Baltimore Center Stage, delivering back-to-back festivals that redefined hybrid artistry in the city.
By 2022, the vision had expanded far beyond music, now incorporating film screenings, visual art showcases, and deep cultural programming. The name evolved with it. We dropped “Music” and became simply the Love Groove Festival, a reflection of our growing universe. That year, we partnered with the Hot Sauce Artist Collective, lighting up Baltimore with multidimensional creativity.
After the Center Stage residency wrapped, Love Groove wasn’t done. John joined forces with the Black Arts District to produce our first outdoor mega-festival in the heart of West Baltimore, a powerful, full-circle homecoming. Since 2023, we’ve built a four year partnership delivering high-production, community-centered festivals that are accessible, electric, and deeply rooted in place.
In 2025, Love Groove reached a new peak. With over 3,000 RSVPs, 2,000+ attendees, and support from the City of Baltimore, it became our most successful festival to date, a defining moment that proved Love Groove is not just surviving, but thriving.
Now, as we move into our 10th festival, Love Groove stands as more than an event, it’s a movement. A pulsating platform for underrepresented voices, local legends, and the boldest artists of tomorrow. On Saturday, August 29, 2026, we celebrate a decade of love, risk, resilience, and sound reimagining what Baltimore looks and feels like through creativity, community, and equity in the arts.
Backed by game-changing partners including The Mellon Foundation, T. Rowe Price Foundation, National Aquarium, Five Star Festival, and our ride-or-dies at the Black Arts District, Love Groove is stepping into its next era bigger, louder, and more unapologetically Baltimore than ever before.
