Eat
May 2-3: Flower Mart
Mount Vernon Place. 699 Washington Pl. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Free admission
It’s the biggest weekend of the year for one of Baltimore’s most unique food creations. Among the ranks of snowballs, Berger cookies, and peach cake is the sacred, sweet-and-sour lemon peppermint stick. The delicacy—a halved lemon stuck with thick peppermint candy used as a straw—dates back to when the Women’s Civic League began hosting Flower Mart in 1911, and it’s been synonymous with the festival ever since. While you stroll around Mt. Vernon Place in search of rare blooms and local artwork, be sure to grab a lemon stick to really make it an authentic experience. Other food vendors to look out for throughout the two-day festivities include Neopol Savory Smokery, Posi’s Kitchen, and Zeke’s Coffee, among others.
See also: Fiesta de Clavel
DRINK
May 4: The 19th-Annual Highlandtown Wine Festival
Corner of Claremont and Eaton. 3700 Claremont St. 1–6 p.m. $29
Head to Highlandtown for this neighborhood block party—which is inching near its 20th birthday—that celebrates all things vino. The price of admission includes a souvenir glass and five wine tastings, plus food for sale from local restaurants including community anchor DiPasquale’s. While you sip, wander around local craft booths, play a round of bocce, and groove to live rock and soul tunes brought by Timmie Metz featuring Tambo.
SEE
May 3: Kinetic Sculpture Race
American Visionary Art Museum. 800 Key Highway. 9:30 a.m. Free admission
Eight hours, fifteen miles, and a whole lot of ingenuity. That’s the formula for AVAM’s annual, oh-so Baltimore tradition that sends human powered works of art parading around the city through pavement, water, mud, sand, and other obstacles. Want to dress up like your favorite sculpture (any Fifi fans out there?) and watch all of the action? Peep this year’s Spectator’s Guide to find a spot along the race route. And don’t forget to head back to AVAM for the evening awards ceremony, which will hand out titles including Best Bribes, Best Pit Crew, People’s Choice, and the Golden Dinosaur for the most memorable breakdown.
See also: Ladew Garden Fest
HEAR
May 3: MdFF Day: Move Ya Body: The Birth of House
SNF Parkway Theatre. 5 W. North Ave. 8 p.m. $13
Though the Maryland Film Festival has been moved to November (a less hectic time for students and local academic institutions), the Parkway is still honoring the fest’s springtime roots with a special two-day lineup on Friday and Saturday. Among the selects is Elegance Bratton’s Move Ya Body: The Birth of House—a documentary that covers how Black, brown, and queer communities influenced the popularity of house music in underground dance clubs on the South Side of Chicago in the late ’70s. The Saturday-evening screening—the film’s Baltimore premiere will be attended by producer Chester Algernal Gordon—will be fittingly followed by a late-night dance party with electrifying live house music.
DO
May 2: Asia North Opening Event
Various locations in the Station North Arts & Entertainment District including 16 W. North Ave. 5-9 p.m. Free admission
This fifth-annual celebration in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is once again taking over the Station North Arts District—paying tribute to its past as the city’s unofficial Koreatown. The monthlong lineup of festivities—from art exhibitions and live dance to musical performances and authentic eats—kicks off Friday with the debut of Exceeds Expectations, a group exhibit spanning five venues and 25 artists of the APIMEDA diaspora. The special opening event will also feature food prepared by the Baltimore Xiamen Sister City Committee, a free still-life drawing activity, a Bollywood dance workshop, and a special procession led by the Baltimore Chinese Dragon Team. View more details, here.
See also: Irvine Springfest
Additional reporting by Jayden Gonsalves