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 venue in Fells Point with 300 screaming fans and left 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. The digital brilliance caught the eye of none other than Johns Hopkins University, leading to Love Groove’s very first sponsorship.
In 2021, Love Groove turned the spotlight to the women of the scene curating the Love Groove Women’s Festival hosted by NoMuNoMu, complete with immersive stage designs and soulful performances. That creative firestorm led to a partnership with PNC Bank and a game-changing two-year residency at Baltimore Center Stage, throwing back-to-back festivals that redefined hybrid artistry.
By 2022, the vision had expanded far beyond music, now incorporating film screenings, visual art showcases, and cultural programming that demanded a bigger, bolder name. So we dropped “Music” and became simply: Love Groove Festival; a reflection of our growing universe. That year, we teamed up with the Hot Sauce Artist Collective and lit up the city with multidimensional creativity.
Once the Center Stage residency wrapped, Love Groove wasn’t done. John linked arms with the Black Arts District and threw our first outdoor mega-festival in the heart of West Baltimore. It was a full-circle homecoming. And it was glorious. Since 2023, we’ve built a three-year partnership delivering high-production music and art festivals that are accessible, community-centered, and electric with energy.
Now in our 9th year, the Love Groove Festival is more than just a festival, it’s a movement. A pulsating platform lifting up underrepresented voices, spotlighting local legends, and giving a stage to the boldest artists of tomorrow. We’re reimagining what Baltimore looks and sounds like through creativity, community, and a commitment to equity in the arts.
Backed by game-changing partners like The Mellon Foundation, T. Rowe Price Foundation, the National Aquarium, Five Star Festival, and our ride-or-dies at the Black Arts District, Love Groove is gearing up to go even bigger, even louder, and even more unapologetically Baltimore.
The next Love Groove Festival explodes onto the scene Saturday, September 13, 2025.
Come through. Catch the vibe. Be the movement.
