Megan Thee Stallion, Ms. Lauryn Hill perform at inaugural Preakness Live event

With a heat index above 90 degrees, it took a while for the grounds of the inaugural Preakness Live Culinary, Arts and Music Festival to fill Friday afternoon — that is, until the “hotties” arrived.

In its first iteration, Preakness Live featured an hourslong concert with artists including: DJ Quicksilva, country singer Brittney Spencer, DJ D-Nice, Darin Atwater and The Soulful Symphony, and headliners Megan Thee Stallion and Ms. Lauryn Hill. 

The event was curated by Baltimore native and Morgan State grad Kevin Liles, who is CEO of 300 Entertainment and Elektra Music Group. The music executive said he planned the event to spotlight Baltimore’s talented residents, entrepreneurs and charms.

While the festival had a slow start and crowds filling less than half of the available green space, the audience in the Infield began to grow later in the evening.  It quickly became clear the crowd full of millennials and Gen Z’ers were there for a “Stallion,” outside the races.

”Megan The Stallion with a side of everyone’s amazing outfits,” is why Emily Graef, 24, said she was attending her first Preakness.

Steven Hall, 30, who is originally from Los Angeles but now a Baltimore resident, said he came to Preakness Live for Megan Thee Stallion and Ms. Lauryn Hill, but enjoyed the concert because of its unifying nature.

”It’s bringing a lot of people together — joy time, having fun, just enjoying one another, and everybody’s company at this time,” Hall said.