The dogwoods are blooming and the dirt bikes are buzzing; it’s spring in Baltimore! May we suggest you go outside? There are lots of opportunities to do so this weekend. (And if the pollen is killing you, we have some great indoor options).
Thursday, April 23
Baltimore Youth Poet Laureate Showcase
Who will become Baltimore City’s next Youth Poet Laureate? Watch the competition at the Youth Poetry Festival, where hundreds of young writers gather for workshops, open mics and poetry slams. For a less competitive vibe, some of the same poets appear at Red Emma’s open mic on Saturday, 5-7 p.m. (3128 Greenmount Ave.).
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Price: Free
Location: Baltimore City Hall (100 Holliday St.)
Family friendly? No guarantees.
Talib Kweli
The legendary rapper known for his stint as one-half of the hip-hop duo Black Star (along with fellow Brooklynite Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def) comes to Soundstage. Baltimore-based rap artists MC Bravado — a former city high school teacher — Wish Granted and John Wells join him.
Time: Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.
Price: $39
Location: Baltimore Soundstage (124 Market Place)
Family friendly? Nope.
Friday, April 24
The Charm City Fringe Festival
An arts festival unlike any other — well, except maybe the international fringe phenomenon it was modeled after — the Charm City Fringe Fest has lent the stage to assorted visionaries in the theater and performing arts for more than a decade. Come for the talking Bengal tiger, stay for the comedian whose entire set revolves around his mother changing his name from Greg to Max.
Time: 7-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon-3 p.m. Sunday (and continues May 1-3)
Price: $18-$28
Location: The Peale Museum (225 Holliday St.)
Family friendly? Sure, if your kids are into the avant-garde.
Stavros Halkias
Stand-up comedian and actor Stavros Halkias grew up on Ponca Street to Greek immigrant parents. He’s hit the big time in later life, appearing in numerous movies and Comedy Central shows, hosting a Netflix special with another on the way, and co-hosting a hit podcast. Baltimoreans will also know him as Ronnie, the Ravens superfan who delivers crass postgame analyses on Instagram. He performs at the Lyric this weekend as part of his national “Dreamboat Tour.” (Halkias is known for his crowd work; you’ve been warned.)
Time: 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Price: $44.15-$257.05
Location: The Lyric (140 W. Mount Royal Ave.)
Family friendly? Nope.
‘Michael’ and ‘Ray’ double feature at the drive-in
The new Michael Jackson biopic will be showing approximately everywhere, but if you’ve never been to Bengies, that’s where you should see it. You can sing along in the privacy of your car, and “Ray,” the 2004 Ray Charles biopic, screens right after. Just be sure to scroll (and scroll and scroll) through the house rules before you arrive and prepare to be berated for improper headlight use.
Time: 8:15 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday (but get there early); “Ray” starts at 10:45 p.m.
Price: $12.50 for adults; $7.50 for kids 4-10 years old; free under 4 years old
Location: Bengies Drive-In Theatre (3417 Eastern Blvd., Middle River)
Family friendly? Both films are PG-13, and “Michael” ends in 1988, before child abuse allegations surfaced.
Pawject Runway
Pet puppies and kitties for a cause. A biannual fundraiser for the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS), Pawject Runway regularly attracts over 1,000 attendees. The event includes “cuddle corners,” raffles and merch, but the main event is a catwalk by actual cats (and dogs). Pro athletes, local media personalities and musicians will walk the runway with adoptable pets and try to get you to take one home.
Time: 6-10 p.m.
Price: $35 for general admission or $150 for “the VIP Softie Lounge”
Location: CFG Bank Arena (201 W. Baltimore St.)
Family friendly? Most definitely.
Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show
Annapolis held America’s first “in-water” sailboat show in 1970, and half a century later it still floats. Boat owners will find camaraderie along with vendors selling winches, anchors and other niche items. But the real draw for boaters and aspiring sailors alike is the array of sailboats you can board, including catamarans, monohulls, racing boats and inflatables. Wear slip-on shoes. You’ll be asked to remove them before boarding.
Time: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday
Price: $20, children under 15 free
Location: City Dock (1 Dock St., Annapolis)
Family friendly? Yes.
Saturday, April 25
Maryland Hunt Cup
Watch a select group of amateur jockeys as they traverse one of the most difficult steeplechases in the world. Over the 4-mile course, participants must jump 22 timber fences, some of which are nearly 5 feet tall. At stake? A $100,000 purse. The race began in 1894, when the Elkridge Fox Hunting Club challenged the Green Spring Valley Hunt Club to a race.
Time: Gates open at 11 a.m.; no traffic admitted after 3 p.m.; post time 4 p.m.
Price: $60 (or bicycle in for free; must arrive by 2pm)
Location: 2700 Tufton Ave., Reisterstown
Family friendly? Yes.
Independent Book Store Day
Baltimore is blessed with independent bookstores — the Ivy Bookshop, Bird in Hand, Snug Books, Greedy Reads, Atomic Books, Red Emma’s, Charm City Books, Urban Reads, Normals and the Book Escape, to name a few. Shop at one of them and stick it to Jeff Bezos.
Cap off your purchase with a full day of events at the Ivy, ranging from story time to a book-themed bus tour of the city to a garden party with bookish cocktails.
Time: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Price: Free, except the bus tour, which is $55.20
Location: The Ivy Bookshop (5928 Falls Road)
Family friendly? Yes.
Baltimore PhotoWalk
Slow down and get to know your city with a group of fellow photographers, organized by online photography platform Baltimore Scenes. The group, which explores a particular neighborhood each month, is in Fells Point for April. Dust off the Leica or just bring your cellphone. All levels of experience welcome.
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Meet at Broadway Square (1641 Lancaster St.)
Price: Free
Family friendly? Yes.
BLOOM: A Garden Mart
BLOOM is a much-anticipated annual spring flower show with workshops, plant-related vendors and greenery-related talks. Press your own flowers, blend your own tea or perfume, make a flower crown and sip on botanical cocktails. Tickets to see plant stylist Hilton Carter speak have sold out, but you will be able to hear his talk throughout the event space.
Time: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Price: Free, workshops individually priced
Location: Green Spring Station (10751 Falls Road, Lutherville)
Family friendly? Yes.
The Archaeology of Jug Bay: A Hike Through History
The Jug Bay Wetland Sanctuary is packed with archaeological wonders, ranging from 11,000-year-old Paleoindian sites to War of 1812 shipwrecks. Take a three-mile hike with an archaeologist to learn about the people who lived here and see artifacts they left behind.
Time: 1-3:30 p.m.
Price: $10
Location: Jug Bay Visitor Center (1361 Wrighton Road, Lothian)
Family friendly? 12 years and up
Sunday, April 26
Baltimore Tattoo Convention
If you’ve always wanted a tat, now’s your chance. Hundreds of artists from around the country and the world will show their stuff. Book ahead if you’re ready — though some take walk-ups — or skip the needle and watch others get inked. Enjoy tattoo-adjacent entertainment all weekend long, including performances by the Daredevil from Down Under, the Human Knot, and (appropriately) the Queen of Pain.
Time: 2-11 p.m. Friday, 11-11 p.m. Saturday, 11-8 p.m. Sunday
Price: $25 per day or $50 for a three-day pass
Location: Baltimore Convention Center (1 W. Pratt St.)
Family friendly? Yes; kids under 12 are free.
Steven Isserlis
British cellist Steven Isserlis is a living legend. A soloist as well as chamber musician, he has performed with the world’s greatest orchestras. Most modern cellists use steel strings, but Isserlis prefers the “more human” tone of gut. In this final concert of Shriver Hall’s 60th-anniversary season, Isserlis will perform a program featuring works from Beethoven and Schumann to Kabalevsky and Kaprálová. He is joined by pianist Connie Shih.
Time: 5:30 p.m. (with a pre-concert talk at 4:30 p.m.)
Location: Shriver Hall (3400 N. Charles St., Suite 14)
Price: $48 (and selling fast)
Family friendly? Yes.
‘America 250: Through the Eyes of John Williams’
It has been 250 years since the nation’s founding. Rekindle your passion for our country’s fallen ideals with a rousing concert by professional concert band Maryland Winds. You may know John Williams best for his film scores (“Jaws,” Star Wars, numerous others) but his oeuvre includes patriotic pieces honoring Battle of Midway veterans and the Statue of Liberty’s centennial, as well as “American Journey,” an epic six-part orchestral piece commissioned for millennium celebrations.
Time: 5-6:30 p.m.
Price: Free
Location: The Chrysalis, Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods (10431 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia)
Family friendly? Yes.
Andrea Appleton is a Baltimore-based writer and journalist.
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