Kaiser Permanente and Baltimore Set to Shine During Light City

Last year, more than 400,000 residents and visitors filled the streets of Baltimore for the second annual Light City, a free festival that transforms the city of Baltimore into a glowing festival of large-scale light installations, performances, music and innovation. For the third year in a row, Kaiser Permanente will be a lead partner for Light City, which will take place April 14 – 21.

This year, Kim Horn, president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, will serve as this year’s Light City co-chair.

The events will kick off with an Opening Night Parade on Saturday, April 14, at 8 p.m., and conclude with a Closing Night fireworks finale at 11:45 p.m. on Saturday, April 21.

Spanning a 1.5-mile stretch of the Inner Harbor, the festival features more than 50 attractions including illuminated sculptures, projections, interactive technologies, performances and concerts.

Kaiser Permanente will be the exclusive sponsor of two art exhibits: On the Wings of Freedom and Prismatica. These exhibits will be featured in the Kaiser Permanente Thrive Garden – located in West Shore Park.

Beginning Friday, April 6, Baltimore residents and visitors can see Neighborhood Lights throughout the city. The Kaiser Permanente Baltimore Harbor Medical Center will once again light up during the festival to demonstrate our commitment to the Baltimore community. Kaiser Permanente is also sponsoring lights throughout Little Italy.

Check out some highlights from the event below:

Parade

The Opening Night Parade will take place on Saturday, April 14, at 8 p.m. Employees are welcome to join our Kaiser Permanente group to march in the parade. This is a great opportunity to bring family and friends to represent Kaiser Permanente as we kick off this great event.

Kaiser Permanente Thrive Garden

Kaiser Permanente exclusively sponsors of two art exhibits at our Thrive Garden in West Shore Park: On the Wings of Freedom and Prismatica. Read more about these crowd favorites below.

On the Wings of Freedom: Hundreds of color-changing butterflies provide an extraordinary and immersive experience for the audience in this interactive installation. As festival-goers walk past, the colors of the butterflies change, symbolizing the transformational powers and creativity of butterflies across all cultures. On the Wings of Freedom is about the transformation of the city. The city of Baltimore is a place where people can continuously be inspired, not only culturally but also socially; and a place for ongoing change, innovation, and progress.

Prismatica: A modern ice palace, Prismatica turns heads with the countless colorful reflections made by its 25 giant prisms. Visitors can walk among them to see city life in every color of the spectrum, and turn the prisms to make the colors dance. The enormous interactive kaleidoscope’s illusory effects reach a crescendo after sunset.

Health Lab @LightCity

Kaiser Permanente has been active in Baltimore for more than 35 years, and we are doing everything we can to help build a healthier city.

Kaiser Permanente will sponsor and host the Health Lab @LightCity on Thursday, April 19. The event will bring together local and national thought leaders to discuss emerging technologies and innovative practices in the health industry. More than 150 people are expected to attend the interactive event focused on Baltimore’s potential to lead the nation in quality of life and outcomes for all people.

Panelists and attendees will discuss many important topics, including the opioid crisis, community health activism, and youth violence prevention.

Rise and Shine Fitness Walk

Kaiser Permanente is proud to be the the exclusive sponsor of the Rise and Shine Fitness Walk on Saturday, April 21. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the walk begins at 8:30 a.m.

During the walk, Kaiser Permanente employees and their families can join local Baltimore community groups to walk around the 1.5-mile tour of art installations. The walk begins at Rash Field and ends at Pier 5 Hotel.

We will lead participants in pre-walk exercises and stretches. There will also be Zumba and other wellness activities, like a children’s obstacle course presented by FX Well. The Mobile Health Vehicle will also be onsite to offer free blood pressure and body mass index screenings.

Call for Volunteers

We need your help to make this year’s event a success! Kaiser Permanente employees and physicians -and their family and friends – are invited to join us to help make Light City shine. As a lead partner, we are involved in many aspects of the festival for employees to join. Volunteers are especially needed for the Rise and Shine Fitness Walk. Find the details on KP Cares and volunteer today!

Check out the list of events below:

• Light City Baltimore Opening Parade
• Kaiser Permanente Thrive Garden
• HealthLab@LightCity
• Rise and Shine Fitness Walk