ABOUT THE CEO

I’m Kathy Hornig. A proud member of the Annapolis High School Wall of Fame (Go, Panthers!), I graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland (Go, Seahawks!) and spent a term at Keble College, Oxford University (Go, Brideshead Revisited!). While living on North Calvert Street, I earned my master’s degree in Publications Design at the University of Baltimore (Go, Bees!) and got engaged at the Washington Monument (Go Rick!), kicking-off a longtime love of Baltimore's Mount Vernon neighborhood. 

My achievements include:

• Founded Five Star Festivals LLC in 2022, producing special events for great organizations doing good work including but not limited to: Sail Baltimore, The Society for the Preservation of Federal Hill & Fell's Point, The SEED School of Maryland, University of Baltimore, American Friends of Lafayette, Maryland Free School Museum and Pride of Baltimore II.

• Conceived and executed a community-focused festival for Maryland Fleet Week & Flyover Baltimore, drawing huge crowds to the Inner Harbor to enjoy maritime-themed exhibitors, delicious local food, family-friendly programming, arts & crafts, historic ship tours and more!  PS - Were you at Camden Yards for this epic Fleet Week 2024 moment?!? ✈️ Fleet Week flyovers pause Orioles game (youtube.com)

• Transformed Artscape into America’s largest free arts festival
  (Annual attendees: 350,000+ | Annual economic impact: $25 million)

• Founded the Baltimore Book Festival, a top-tier literary event that connects readers with authors and brings neighbors into dialogue
  (Annual attendees: 100,000 | Annual economic impact: $9 million)

• Led the citywide coalition to launch Light City, America’s first large-scale festival of light, music and innovation
  (Annual attendees: 442,500 | Annual economic impact: $44 million)

• Directed Star-Spangled Sailabration & Spectacular, including the largest fireworks display in Maryland history, an unprecedented feat of air, sea and land logistics recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records
  (Combined audience: 4.5 million | Annual economic impact: $330 million)

I’m a big fan of color-coding, Duran Duran, Formula One, CBS Sunday Morning and weekend getaways with good books in my beach bag. I love cooking big batches of Cream of Crab Soup for family and friends (and it's the one recipe I won't share!). My passion is bringing people together in joy and celebration — whether it's a few besties watching the O's game at Hornig Haus or the tens of thousands who attend the Fell's Point Fun Festival — and everything in between!

My organizational skills, creativity, personal approach and positivity transform the everyday — even on a shoestring budget. Five Star Festivals connects consumers to brands, achieves specific marketing goals and works behind-the-scenes to ensure that my clients shine brightly on event day.