Food Concessions

Fruit Concessions by Baltimore’s Arabbers

The term “Arabbers,” likely derived from a particular nineteenth-century English usage, has been associated for more than one hundred years with horsecart food vendors in cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. The distinctive musical calls they use to advertise their wares are now only sung in Baltimore by a handful of people, all African American. Every year since 1972, Baltimore’s Arabbers have participated in the Folklife Festival. This year, the Diggs family continues this tradition.