Baltimore Events

Welcome to our annual Baltimore event guide! Baltimore, with its rich historical tradition, is host to numerous exciting events year-round.

Remember that new events may be added every year and that occasionally special events are cancelled or rescheduled. So, to avoid disappointment, be sure to telephone in advance to the event's organizers, or the Greater Baltimore Convention & Visitors Bureau to verify locations, dates and times.

JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC

January

Children’s Fireworks
A special fireworks show is provided for children at Inner Harbor on the evening of January 1.
Call (410) 837-4636 for more information.

Babe Ruth’s Birthday
Enjoy the festivities while celebrating the Bambino’s birth, on January 6 at the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum.
Call (410) 727-1539 for more information.

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Parade
Floats, live bands, and church choirs highlight this annual celebration of Dr. King’s birthday, commencing on Martin Luther King Boulevard, a little after noon.
Call (410) 837-4636 for more information.

February

Wedding On Ice
Renew your wedding vows on Valentine’s Day at the Inner Harbor Ice Rink, at an official ceremony around noon.
Call (410) 385-0675 for more information.

International Auto Show
Have a look at the domestic and foreign cars on display for the new year, and the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, during the first week of February.
Call (410) 561-7323 for more information.

East Coast Jazz Festival
Enjoy this annual scholarship competition between younger jazz artists, mid-February, sponsored by the Fish Middleton Jazz Scholarship Fund, in a variety of venues throughout the city.
Call (310) 933-1822 for more information.

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March

St. Patrick Parade
Join the city of Baltimore, as it celebrates St. Patrick’s Day, on the Sunday afternoon nearest the official day, North Charles Street to East on Pratt Street.
Call (410) 750-8617 for more information.

Lunch With The Elephants
Ringling Brothers elephants enjoy a vegetarian buffet lunch alongside the residents of Baltimore in one of the city’s most popular events, mid-March.
Call (410) 685-6169 for more information.

Antique Bottle Show and Sale
Enjoy the largest annual bottle and antique glass show and trading fair on the Atlantic coast, usually during the first week in March, at the Community College of Baltimore County’s Essex Campus in Towson.
Call (410) 531-9459 for more information.

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April

Baltimore Jewish Film Festival
The Gordon Center for the Performing Arts hosts a series of eight new films from around the world depicting Jewish themes.
Call (410) 542-4900 for more information.

Baltimore Waterfront Festival and Volvo Ocean Race
Watch the races, see the insides of boats and presentations on how sailors live, and watch seafood cooking demonstrations by the area’s top chefs, at the Inner Harbor in mid-April.
Call (410) 752-8632 for more information.

Inner Harbor Easter Celebration
Celebrate Easter with the mayor, the Easter Bunny, live bands and street performers, at and around the Inner Harbor, usually the weekend of Easter Sunday.
Call (410) 752-8632 for more information.

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May

The Preakness
One of the Triple Crown sporting events, the Pimlico track has been hosting this annual horse race for 130 years, in mid-May, sponsored by the Maryland Jockey Club of Baltimore.
Call (410) 243-5307 for more information.

Baltimore Blues Festival
Usually held during the second long weekend of May, Patterson Park is host to a trading fair featuring musical instruments, old recordings and other collectibles, as well as live music and authentic regional food.
Call (410) 276-3676 for more information.

Preakness Crab Derby
Watch local celebrities jockey crabs in a competitive race, with all proceeds benefiting charity, in one of the better annual excuses to visit the amazing Lexington Market, around mid-May to coincide with the famous horse race.
Call (410) 685-6169 for more information.

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June

Showcase of Nation’s Ethnic Festivals
Every June and July, Baltimore celebrates its rich ethnic diversity in food, music, crafts and traditional dance at a variety of venues throughout the city.
Call (410) 752-8632 for more information.

Summer Concert Series
From June through August, the Harborplace Amphitheatre hosts a different live band every Friday night, catered by Planet Hollywood.
Call (410) 332-4191 for more information.

Capital Jazz Fest
Every year, around the first week in June, enjoy the best in big name live jazz at a venue within the Washington-Baltimore area, to be announced. A variety of pre-festival concerts, a jazz cruise and after-hours party at the hotel hosting this 2 or 3-day event usually are included.
Call (301) 322-8100 for more information.

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July

Artscape
In July, after the Independence Day celebrations, three outdoor stages on Mount Royal Avenue present over 150 performing arts, literary and live musical events spanning the entire range of popular modern and contemporary genres, every day rain or shine.
Call (410) 396-4575 for more information.

Kids’ Stuff
Bring your children to Federal Hill Park, Battery Avenue and Warren Street, to enjoy different performances offered each day, designed for kids 10 years and under. Recreation centers and nannies are welcome to attend with their children, all during the month of July.
Call (410) 752-8632 for more information.

Harborplace’s Birthday Celebration
Celebrate the birthday of Baltimore’s main attraction on July 2, with live music, a cake cutting and other events to be announced, at the Inner Harbor around noon.
Call (800) HARBOR-1 for more information.

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August

German Festival
Enjoy a weekend picnic with authentic and traditional food, music and entertainment at Carroll Park, mid-August.
Call (410) 752-8632 for more information.

USS Constellation Museum Anniversary Celebration
Take a tour of this magnificent ship, and watch an artillery demonstration, with plenty of activities for the kids, at the Inner Harbor around the 3rd week of August.
Call (410) 539-1797 for more information.

Free Day at the Antietam National Battlefield
Bring the children, and take a short side trip to Sharpsburg, and learn about the National Park System as well as Civil War battlefields on this special day.
Call (301) 432-5124 for more information.

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September

Irish Festival
During the third weekend in September, Baltimore enjoys traditional dancing, food, crafts and performances in celebration of its Irish heritage, at the Fifth Regiment Armory, 29th Division Street at Howard and Preston Streets.
Call (410) 747-6868 for more information.

Baltimore Book Festival
Late September, enjoy poetry readings, cookbook demonstrations and an assortment of literary presentations by authors and other exhibitors, accompanied by food, beer and local Maryland wines, at Mount Vernon Place, in the 600 block of North Charles Street.
Call (410) 452-8632 for more information.

Atlantic Stampede
Take a side trip down to Gaithersburg, just north of Washington, D.C., for the annual gay rodeo, which in addition to the traditional rodeo events, includes some special events like steer decorating, at the Montgomery Fairgrounds, around the first weekend in September.
Call (202) 547-9590 for more information.

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October

Baltimore International Rhythm and Drumming Society (B.I.R.D.S.) Festival
Enjoy a variety of programs in and around St. John’s Church to promote world peace through percussion, during the first week of October.
Call (410) 893-4439 for more information.

Maryland Oktoberfest
Polka dancing, brass bands, authentic food and the best beer around are what this annual festival is all about, during the first or second weekend of October, at the Fifth Regiment Armory.
Call (410) 752-8632 for more information.

Taste of D.C.
Held on Columbus Day weekend, the largest outdoor food festival in the Atlantic states is well worth the short drive from Baltimore, featuring ethnic and local cuisine, along Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and the U.S. Capitol.
Call (202 724-5436 for more information.

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November

MicroCineFest
During the first week of November, Skizz Cyzyk presents the most offbeat but promising films he can find, produced by the most talented directors with the least financial backing, at the G Spot in Hampden.
Call (410) 243-5307 for more information.

Festival of Trees
During the last week of November, the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium displays an “enchanted forest” of over 100 trees decorated by local artists, to benefit thousands of children with brain disorders at the Krieger Kennedy Institute.
Call (443) 923-7300 for more information.

Evergreen’s Carriage House Holiday Sale
Every year, mid-November, Evergreen’s Carriage House will sell items from 21 area museums, with proceeds benefiting the educational programs of the contributors.
Call (410) 516-0341 for more information.

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December

Washington Monument Lighting Ceremony
Baltimore begins the holiday season with free refreshments, concerts by local school choirs and a fireworks display, at Charles Street and Mount Vernon Place, around the first weekend in December.
Call (410) 244-1030 for more information.

Lighted Boat Parade
Decorated boats light up the Inner Harbor on the first Saturday of December, from 6PM-7PM.
Call (800) HARBOR-1 for more information.

New Year’s Eve at Inner Harbor
Ice skating, the annual MasqueParade of gigantic papier-mache puppets, and an outdoor street party all over the downtown area are an annual tradition, beginning at 10 PM.

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