BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) is proud to announce that the company is the lead founding sponsor of Light City Baltimore for a second consecutive year. Last year, BGE was recognized by the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore for the leadership role it took in helping to produce and serve as the lead founding sponsor of Light City Baltimore – the first large-scale, international light, music and innovation festival held in the U.S. This year’s festival is expanding from one week to nine days beginning on Friday, March 31.

“BGE truly is honored to return as the lead founding sponsor of Light City Baltimore as part of our commitment to the communities that we serve. The collaboration with the City of Baltimore, its neighborhoods and the arts, environmental and educational communities is what makes this event so unique and exciting," said BGE CEO and Light City Baltimore Festival Chair, Calvin G. Butler Jr. "The inaugural festival was a memorable week on many levels, but the brightest moment for me was looking at the smiling faces of adults and children enjoying our great city. I hope to see more of the same this year.”

Last year’s festival drew more than 400,000 people from across the city and country.

As part of this year’s events, BGE will light the murals on the company's three storage tanks in South Baltimore. Located near the I-95 and I-395 interchange at one of the major gateways to Baltimore, the murals depict images synonymous with Maryland: blue crabs, thoroughbred racing and the Star Spangled Banner. The LED lights around the tanks will change colors every few seconds during Light City Baltimore and are scheduled to display colors to support various events and causes throughout the year.

The heart of Light City Baltimore is the 1.5-mile long BGE Light Art Walk at the Inner Harbor featuring 23 large scale light installations, 35 concerts, and more than 200 performances during the nine-day festival.

Light City Baltimore extends beyond the BGE Light Art Walk. Light City’s daytime innovation conferences, Labs@LightCity, bring together national and local thought leaders to explore cutting edge concepts for sparking social change. One of the six innovation conferences, GreenLab@LightCity presented by BGE, encourages people to join the conversation about how they think about energy, ecology and economics while providing a glimpse into innovations that provide a more sustainable path to the future.

And while the Inner Harbor will shine brightly, Baltimore is a city of great neighborhoods that will also be on display. This year, eight neighborhoods are featured as part of the illuminated public art display–Neighborhood Lights. BGE is proud to sponsor the Greater Mondawmin Neighborhood Lights project “Safe & Sound,” featuring a multifaceted performance installation that explores the themes of safety and protection.

Light City Baltimore was produced by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts.

BGE plays an integral role in working with Maryland communities to address economic development, public safety, civic issues and other initiatives that help enhance the neighborhoods it serves. Through the use of shareholder dollars, BGE supports programs that deliver measurable and sustainable impact in areas of education, environment, community development and arts and culture.

BGE, founded in 1816 as the nation’s first gas utility, is Maryland’s largest natural gas and electric utility. Headquartered in Baltimore, BGE delivers power to more than 1.25 million electric customers and more than 650,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. The company’s approximately 3,200 employees are committed to the safe and reliable delivery of natural gas and electricity, as well as enhanced energy management, conservation, environmental stewardship and community assistance. The company also has an estimated annual economic impact of $5 billion of output in its service area, supporting more than 9,500 local jobs and producing $923 million in labor income. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy provider. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

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