THURSDAY 24
Dance: Cirque du Soleil
Spending a few hours staring at bugs isn’t most people’s idea of a good time, but when Cirque du Soleil is involved, there’s not much we can’t get behind. In this quirky, visually fascinating production, a colony of insects of all kinds “work, play, fight and look for love in a nonstop riot of energy in motion.” Creepy-crawlers never looked so cool.
Aug. 23-27 at Royal Farms Arena. Tickets: $36-$161.
Fair: Maryland State Fair
What’s more summery than the Maryland State Fair? Get your quintessential quaintness on with animal exhibitions, petting zoos, music, great food (well, if you consider fried Oreos great—and we do), carnival rides, arts and crafts vendors, horse racing and so much more.
Aug. 24-Sept. 4 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds.
Music: Twilight Thursdays on the Row
Bring a lawn chair or blanket and kick back at this weekly concert series. Buy a beer or glass of wine at the Beer & Wine Garden Station, and be prepared to abandon your seat to move to the music.
Free. 6:30-8 p.m. Foundry Row
Music: Thursday Night Concert Series
Head to Ellicott City’s Turf Valley Towne Square for a free weekly concert series. This week: Misspent Youth.
Free. 6:30 p.m. at Turf Valley Towne Square.
Film: E.T.
AVAM’s beloved Flicks from the Hill returns with E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial. Food trucks will also be on hand for the final flick of the season. Bonus: Catch the “Fit Before Flicks” bike ride before the movie, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Race Pace.
Free. 9 p.m. on Federal Hill.
FRIDAY 25
Film: Cinema Paradiso
Head to Little Italy for their famous Open Air Film Festival, featuring live music, popcorn and the quintessential film about film.
Free. Movie starts at 8:30 p.m. on the corner of Stiles and High Street.
Music: Music on Main Street
Reistertown’s annual outdoor concert series continues with Different Sisters.
Free. 7-10 p.m. at 33 Cockeys Mill Rd.
Party: Feet on the Street
Towson’s weekly summer celebration returns with live music, food, drinks, a moonbounce, facepainting and more. This week’s band: That’s What She Said.
6:30-9:30 p.m. on Alleghany Avenue.
Fest: Summer Sounds at the Square
This fun, family-friendly weekly concert series has become a Baltimore classic. Enjoy food, drinks, a Kids’ Zone, vendors and more while listening to the sounds of a fantastic performer.
Fridays at Belvedere Square. 6-9 p.m. Free.
SATURDAY 26
Food: Vegan SoulFest
While the words “soul food” usually elicit visions of fried foods and Memphis-style ribs, Vegan SoulFest proves that healthy living can be just as delicious. The celebration of vegan living, created by Brenda N. Sanders and Naijha Wright, merges great food, cooking demos, music, vendors, speakers and more for a day that’s as happy as it is healthy.
Free. 12-7 p.m. Aug. 26 at Baltimore City Community College.
Festival: Maryland Renaissance Festival
Hear ye, hear ye! Travel back
to the 1500s to the Maryland Renaissance Festival and into the stunning village of Revel Grove, where adventures aplenty await. Wander among the shops of glassblowers, swordsmen and more, catch a jousting match, grab a turkey leg and some hot apple dumplings or listen to a minstrel play a spellbinding tune. Costumes are encouraged!
Tickets: $19-$25. Weekends Aug. 26-Oct. 22 in Crownsville.
Art: Closing Celebration for Queer Interiors
While we’re sad to see Rahne Alexander and Jaimes Mayhew’s “Queer Interiors” go, we can’t wait for the exhibit’s closing celebration featuring music, art performances, a panel discussion and more.
Free. 2-5 p.m. at The Baltimore Museum of Art.
Party: Bubbles in the Ballroom
Enjoy a blast from the past with a 1930s-1940s themed drinking and dancing event at Lord Baltimore Hotel. Enjoy a big band, cocktails, and foxtrot and waltzing lessons, as well as complementary white gloves for men and nosegay bouquets for women.
6:30-10:30 p.m. at Lord Baltimore Hotel
SUNDAY 27
Music: Symphony Number One
Baltimore’s Symphony Number One kicks off their new season with “Summer With Stravinsky,” a classical-contemporary meld featuring compositions from Stravinsky, Baltimore rocker Dan Deacon and others.
Tickets: $18. 3 p.m. at Light Street Presbyterian.
