The Inner Harbor Ice Rink opens this weekend, believe it or not, and it’s now the season for chili cook-offs, large and small. If you’d rather hole up inside, there is a ton of great music afoot. You might go see Mirah or the Poltergeist II festival, catch a six-part suite based on a Robert Burns poem, dance to live Balkan music or celebrate selkies, Scottish fiddling and Samhain with Louise Bichan. You could toast Mobtown Ballroom’s 15th anniversary or take in singer/songwriters Marc Douglas Berardo and Craig Bickhardt. Read on for more music possibilities and more.
Thursday
Globe poster exhibition opening reception
You know a Globe poster when you see one: Day-Glo fluorescent colors, knock-your-socks-off typography and minimal white space. The legendary Baltimore company once created posters promoting everything from church rummage sales to political campaigns to concerts by James Brown, Mavis Staples and the Beach Boys. Maryland Institute College of Art now caretakes the vast archives, and Thursday is the opening reception of a retrospective tracing Globe’s history. (Come back on Wednesday for a documentary about Globe and a chance to buy a poster.)
Time: 5-7 p.m.
Price: Free
Location: MICA’s Pinkard Gallery (The Bunting Center, 1401 W. Mount Royal Ave., Baltimore)
Family friendly? Yes
‘The Great Experiment’
What George Washington called “the last great experiment” may or may not be spiraling out of control. Filmmaker Stephen Maing spent 2017 to 2021 filming scenes across the country: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests and Gays for Trump; antifa activists and Civil War reenactors. The result is “The Great Experiment,” a documentary that captures our divided, complicated country in all its plurality, without prejudice. A conversation with the filmmaker follows the screening.
Ponder politics some more on Sunday at Guilford Hall Brewery’s Profs and Pints event. Sip a beer and hear from a historian how ancient Athens restored democracy in a deeply divided time ($15; 4-6:30 p.m.; 1611 Guilford Ave., Baltimore).
Time: 7 p.m.
Price: $15
Location: The Parkway Theatre (5 W. North Ave., Baltimore)
Family friendly? Doubtful.
Slaughter to Prevail
Slaughter to Prevail — known for its guttural vocals, growls and shiny devil skull masks — is the most popular deathcore band in the world. It claims to have organized the largest “wall of death” mosh pit, in which a massive crowd is split down the middle, creating a large empty space so the two groups can sprint back together and collide at full speed. To each their own.
For more mask action but a milder scene, catch WesGhost on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Metro Baltimore ($20; 1700 N. Charles St., Baltimore).
Time: 8:30 p.m.
Price: $54
Location: Nevermore Hall (20 Market Place, Baltimore)
Family friendly? Hahahaha.
Friday
Howard County Crafts Spectacular
Maybe you’re delighted the holidays loom, maybe not. Either way, this show seems like a good place to get gifts. Over 375 crafters will sell their wares, ranging from beef jerky to birdhouses, hand-knit scarves to “13 flavors of real spreadable cheese.” Magic shows take place at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. every day.
Time: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday
Price: $5 for adults; children under 10 free
Location: Howard County Fairgrounds (2210 Fairground Road, West Friendship)
Family friendly? Yes
Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival
Sweaty Eyeballs has been giving experimental animators their moment in the sun (well, darkened theater) for years. It’s international, it’s juried and there’s a local showcase. It’s impossible to capture the dazzling array of films on the program, but here’s a sample: Mahmoud Khalil reflects on being separated from his family in immigration detention; a fungal spore sets out on a journey of self-discovery; and an introductory math lesson becomes a bloody vivisection of a sentient triangle.
Time: 6-11:30 p.m. Friday; 1-10:30 p.m. Saturday
Price: $10 per screening; free for students with valid ID
Location: MICA’s Falvey Hall (Brown Center, 1301 W. Mount Royal Ave., Baltimore)
Family friendly? Check individual screenings.
The Secret Lives of Stars
We could all use some perspective after this election season, and you can’t zoom out farther than this. Spend a soothing evening under the (digital) stars at Towson University’s planetarium as the recently departed Patrick Stewart narrates the birth, death and disparate lives of all sorts of stars.
Time: 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Price: $5 for the 6 p.m. show with a prepurchased ticket; the later shows are free but first-come, first-served
Location: Towson University’s Science Complex, Room 2206 (7801 York Road, Towson)
Family friendly? Yes
Arbouretum, Stinking Lizaveta, Deathbird Earth, Darsombra Sol
Doom folk, heavy psych, whatever you call it, Baltimore’s own Arbouretum is beloved. It shares a quality lineup with long-running instrumental trio Stinking Lizaveta and an experimental two-piece from Philadelphia called Deathbird Earth. Also on the roster: Darsombra Sol, Brian Daniloski’s tribute project in the wake of the death of his wife and bandmate, Ann Everton.
Time: 8 p.m.
Price: $28
Location: Ottobar (2549 N. Howard St., Baltimore)
Family friendly? No
Annapolis Jazz and Roots Festival
In its fifth year, this first weekend of the jazz and roots fest includes an Afro-Peruvian jazz group, a group reprising music written for General Lafayette and the Muneer Nasser Band, performing the music of John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Randy Weston. Of special note: Drummer, composer and producer Makaya McCraven plays Sunday at Maryland Hall. The full festival lineup includes lectures and dance performances.
Time: Various
Price: Various
Locations: Various
Family friendly? Check individual listings.
‘Forces of Nature’
The Annapolis Symphony takes on four pieces that are in some way nature inspired, including Tchaikovsky’s “The Tempest” and Reinaldo Moya’s violin and wind concerto “Vestida de Mar.”
Same time, similar theme, different place: An organ concert at St. David’s Episcopal Church celebrates the life and work of Jane Goodall, inspired in part by her observations of chimpanzees swaying and playing in waterfalls ($10-$20; 7:30 p.m.; 4700 Roland Ave., Baltimore).
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Price: Starts at $25
Location: Maryland Hall (801 Chase St., Annapolis)
Family friendly? You know your kids best. Mine would squirm.
Saturday
Oyfest
If you love oysters, come and get ’em, raw or grilled, sourced from five regional farms, along with shrimp and crab cakes. Also: live yacht rock. If you really love them, sign up for the oyster-eating contest and see if you can be the first to eat 24 oysters and chug a can of Skipjack Pilsner to take home the Oyfest Belt. Before you gorge, take part in the Sprint for Spat 5Kish Fun Run, in which participants dress in nautical costumes and take on oyster-related challenges.
If you’re one of those unfortunate souls who thinks oysters taste like snot, check out the Patterson Park Brewfest instead, with 40-plus local beers, food trucks and live music ($23-$53; 12-4:30 p.m.; Patterson Park Bull Circle, near 27 S. Patterson Park Ave., Baltimore).
Time: Noon-5 p.m.
Price: $11; $55 to take part in the oyster-eating contest
Location: Union Craft Brewing (1700 W. 41st St., No. 420, Baltimore)
Family friendly? Yes
Drone show
The show lasts just 15 minutes, but it ought to be worth it. Sky Elements, a finalist on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” will use 800 drones to create images in the sky. Food trucks will be on-site, and there will be live music.
Time: Event begins at 4:30 p.m.; drones at 7 p.m.
Price: Free
Location: Columbia Lakefront (10275 Wincopin Circle, Columbia)
Family friendly? Yes
Sunday
Hubert Laws
Not many jazz musicians choose the flute, but Hubert Laws became the most renowned jazz flutist of his generation. In a career spanning over 50 years, he has collaborated with artists including Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon and Aretha Franklin, and the list goes on. Oh, and he is adept at pop, R&B and classical. Catch him while you can.
Time: 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Price: $65-$75
Location: Keystone Korner (1350 Lancaster St., Baltimore)
Family friendly? Kids are allowed, but there is a strict quiet policy during performances.
The big names
Here are a few of the national acts in local venues this week:
Paula Poundstone at the Senator on Thursday; Ron White at the Lyric on Friday; Babyface at THE HALL at Live! on Sunday and Afghan Whigs at Soundstage on Sunday.
Andrea Appleton is a Baltimore-based writer and journalist.
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