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400K People Expected To Attend Light City, Baltimore Book Festival

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Baltimore Book Festival and Light City are taking over the Inner Harbor.

The hope is that both festivals will draw thousands of people downtown.

This is the first year the Baltimore Book Festival and Light City have been combined.

There are more than 200 authors on dozens of stages including celebrities like Karyn Parsons, also known as Hillary from the Fresh Prince, and Hill Harper.

With books for sale and even giveaways, the three-day book festival is a literature lovers delight.

"I'm a librarian, my mom was a librarian, so I was like let's go look at books," Mallory Potter said. "This is what we do."

There is also Light City. It moved from the spring to the fall because it's getting darker earlier.

The 19 installations will literally have more time to shine for all visitors.

"We've just been walking up and down looking at the different booths and meeting people, it's been good," an attendee told WJZ.

Organizers expect 400,000 people will check out the festival that ends next week Sunday.

"Light City is so well known for its spectacular light art installations, high energy and really the reach into the neighborhood. Under the theme Brilliant Baltimore, with both festivals coming together, it's really an opportunity to showcase and highlight Baltimore's vibrancy," Festivals Manager Susan Fortkiewicz said.

There are also 45 concerts and performances at the event.

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