Memorial Day weekend means barbecues and beach getaways, sure. But in Baltimore, it also means Artscape, the largest free outdoor arts festival in the country. This Saturday and Sunday, it takes over part of downtown.
Hip-hop legends The Roots and R&B icon Stephanie Mills headline the main stage. If that’s not reason enough to head to the festival, there’s a lot more there. Drop by the Scout Art Fair to buy works by artists from the region. Bring the kids through Kidscape to make canvas bags and puppets. And stop at Flavor Lab for eats from around the city. What’s more, there’s a new Artscape party at M&T Bank Stadium to kick-start Pride season early. Take a look at the full lineup.
Here’s what else is happening this weekend, including other local festivals.
Thursday, May 21
Maryland Deathfest
Baltimore’s extreme metal music festival returns with 100 bands across five stages, stretching from the Power Plant complex down to Pratt Street. Highlights of the four-day lineup include all-female death metal group Emasculator and black metal act Pan-Amerikan Native Front. The festival map shows just how big this thing is.
Time: 4-11:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday
Price: $42-$373
Location: Power Plant Live (34 Market Place, Baltimore)
Family friendly? All ages, but those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian
In the Stacks: Queer Archives
Queer history isn’t new, and this event at the George Peabody Library aims to prove it. Flutist Willie Santiago, pianist Ben Shaver, and four drag artists — Lula Lioness, DIVOID, Bratz LaVey and Oberon the Demon — will each put their unique twist on library materials, animating queer histories in real time.
Time: 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Price: $10 suggested
Location: George Peabody Library (17 E. Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore)
Family friendly? Geared toward adults, but all are welcome
Ruut
Named Finlandia Foundation’s 2026 National Performer of the Year, Baltimore-based artist Ruut draws from Finnish oral traditions, mythology and gospel. Join her at Manor Mill for songs spanning her nine albums and an upcoming release. Stay after for a conversation with the artist herself.
Time: 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Price: $27.50
Location: Manor Mill (2029 Monkton Road, Monkton)
Family friendly? Geared toward adults
Patterson Park Wine at Sunset
What better reason to raise a glass than to support a park so many Baltimoreans adore? The Friends of Patterson Park host their annual wine tasting with bites from local restaurants. Feeling fancy? Buy a VIP ticket to access oysters, charcuterie and high-end wines to wash them down.
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Price: $65-$100
Location: Patterson Park Observatory (27 S. Patterson Park Ave., Baltimore)
Family friendly? No
Friday, May 22
Balticon 60
The first Balticon was a two-day party back in the 1960s. Now, it’s a whole four days of sci-fi and fantasy programming with a whopping 450 activities, from miniature painting and cosplay to gaming and a film festival. Can’t make it in person? You can go virtually.
Time: Panels run all day Friday-Monday; other program times vary
Price: $30-$89, children 12 and under get in free
Location: Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel (202 E. Pratt St., Baltimore)
Family friendly? Yes
Forum Festival
Original plays created with and for Baltimoreans premiere at this one-night-only Baltimore Center Stage event. The theme? The (challenging) art of keeping a home. Here, the audience is part of the show, responding and reimagining alongside civic leaders — including City Council President Zeke Cohen.
Time: 6 p.m.
Price: Free
Location: Baltimore Center Stage (700 N. Calvert St., Baltimore)
Family friendly? Yes
A Reading and Rum Tasting
Try a variety of rums on the Ivy Bookshop patio as former Johns Hopkins professor Franklin W. Knight reads from his latest book, “The History and Connoisseurship of Rum.” Joining the discussion is Jean McGarry, another former Johns Hopkins professor, whose memoir, “Herself and Others,” dropped in December.
Time: 6-7:30 pm
Price: Free
Location: The Ivy Bookshop (5928 Falls Road, Baltimore)
Family friendly? Geared toward adults
Saturday, May 23
Baltimore Herb Festival
Pick up plants, herbal remedies and other handmade goods from a variety of vendors at the Baltimore Herb Festival, where turmeric is Herb of the Year. It’s BYOCoW — bring your own cart or wagon to pull your haul. Proceeds support preservation of the Celeste Winans Chapel, a Gothic Revival church and historic landmark.
Time: 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Price: $8
Location: Leakin Park (1920 Eagle Drive, Baltimore)
Family friendly? Yes
Brew at the Zoo
Meet bears, bobcats and exotic birds while throwing back craft brews at the Maryland Zoo. One ticket gets you unlimited access to beer, wine, cider and seltzer. (Yes, unlimited.) Between drinks, join a watermelon-eating contest or a Charm City trivia game or drop by the pop-up tattoo shop.
Time: 1-7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
Price: $42.85-$79.22
Location: Maryland Zoo (1 Safari Place, Baltimore)
Family friendly? Yes
Fantasy Machine: Seventh Heaven
Curated by artist and designer Meg Beck, Fantasy Machine is an experimental fashion show and pop-up shop that’s been running for seven years. This is the show’s final iteration, so don’t miss your chance to see it.
Time: 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Price: $20.36-$33.02
Location: Current Space (421 N. Howard St., Baltimore)
Family friendly? Geared toward adults
Public Star Party
HAL — the Howard Astronomical League — is bringing the stars a little closer. Join them for a night of stargazing at the Alpha Ridge Observatory. No registration required. The weather is looking iffy, so check the website for updates before heading out.
Time: Dusk
Price: Free
Location: Alpha Ridge Park (11685 Old Frederick Road, Marriottsville)
Family friendly? Yes, but pets are not allowed
Sunday, May 24
Summer Movie Nights: ‘Wicked: For Good’
A summer series of outdoor movies kicks off at The Wine Bin with “Wicked: For Good,” a musical about the deep bond between the green-skinned Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and blonde-haired Glinda (Ariana Grande). Don’t worry about packing snacks — you can buy cheeses, charcuterie and sweets there. Arrive early for wine tastings and live music.
Time: 9-11 p.m.
Price: Free
Location: The Wine Bin (8390 Main St., Ellicott City)
Family friendly? The movie is rated PG.
SOWEBO Arts and Music Festival
Experience the energy of Southwest Baltimore at this celebration of local makers and community members. There will be 40 bands across four stages, an alley just for kids to blow bubbles and hula-hoop, and vendors selling everything from barbecue and seafood to chocolate and body butters.
Time: 12-8 p.m.
Price: Free
Location: Hollins Market (26 S. Arlington Ave., Baltimore)
Family friendly? Yes
World Turtle Day
Did you know that 17 types of turtles call Maryland home? You can meet over a dozen of them in person. Visit the Natural History Society of Maryland on World Turtle Day for turtle-inspired games and crafts. You can even feed a giant tortoise!
Time: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Price: $2-$7; free with SNAP/EBT card
Location: Natural History Society of Maryland (6908 Belair Road, Baltimore)
Family friendly? Yes
Memorial Day Weekend Celebration at the Farm
Escape to Honey Harvest Farm for a farm-to-table lunch prepared by chef Rebecca Feldman. Eat outside and sip elderberry lemonade while the kids jump around in Honey’s bouncy house. If you want to be more hands-on with your food, a guided foraging tour lets you harvest your own berries and wild edible plants straight from the land.
Time: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Price: Free
Location: Honey’s Harvest Farm (5801 Brooks Woods Road, Lothian)
Family friendly? Yes
Monday, May 25
Morse Code Celebration
Here’s a fun fact: The first official telegraph message was received at the current site of the B&O Railroad Museum in May 1844. Hands-on workshops at the museum’s Memorial Day Celebration will give you the full story. While you’re there, step inside a historic passenger train to learn how trains were used during the American Civil War. Rumor has it that one train ride comes with free ice cream.
Time: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Price: $12-$20
Location: B&O Railroad Museum (901 W. Pratt St., Baltimore)
Family friendly? Yes
Fallen Soldiers Ceremony
Memorial Day began as a way to honor soldiers who died in service to their country — a tradition that Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens carries forward with this ceremony honoring fallen service members with ties to Maryland, as well as members of the Armed Forces.
Time: 10 a.m.-noon
Price: Free
Location: Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens (200 E. Padonia Road, Timonium)
Family friendly? Yes
Nicole J. Caruth is a Baltimore-based freelance journalist covering the intersections of food, health and environmental justice
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