Protect and Restore the Chesapeake Bay

Baygrass was designed from the ground up to fulfill its mission to help protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay.  We fulfill this mission by partnering with leading Bay conservation non-profit organizations (NPOs) who deliver immersive education to our attendees through interactive workshops, exhibit booths, “tweener talks,” educational signage and materials that are dispersed throughout the festival site and within our dedicated environmental zone–Bay Guardian Village.

We also fulfill our mission by donating a portion of the revenue generated on every dollar you spend on admission tickets, beverages and merch to our beneficiary NPOs to support their hands-on restoration and protection initiatives. Baygrass is proud to have donated over $114,000 to these organizations so far!  We encourage you to learn more about the great work of our NPO beneficiary partners by visiting their websites: Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) and the Watershed Stewards Academy (WSA).

This is what we mean when we say: “Every Jam Heals the Bay.”

Mental Health Awareness and Education: Harmonizing Minds

To increase mental health awareness and provide the public with wellness resources and tools, Baygrass has partnered with the VA Way.  Army veteran and Baygrass co-founder, John Way, leads the VA Way, a non-profit championing mental health advocacy.

Baygrass proudly supports this mission of musical healing connection and the aim to dismantle mental health stigma by providing education and resources during the festival through non-profit booths, workshops, announcements, yoga, dancing, music and community.

“Every Jam Helps a Mind”

Green Practices

With a mission to help protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay, and a philosophy to leave places better than you found them, Baygrass has built a team of environmental professionals to design the festival that limits the environmental impact of putting on this event.`

Since our first year, we have implemented multiple Green Initiatives that have rarely been accomplished by other music festivals. We exceeded our expectations, and impressively, there was widespread participation in our green initiatives by attendees, staff and volunteers, resulting in one of the cleanest music festivals in the country.