This weekend brings a chance to honor Baltimore history, with celebrations of Lexington Market and Edgar Allan Poe. Plus, there’s plenty of dancing at a b-boy/b-girl battle and the 10th Anniversary of 4 Hours of Funk. On Monday, honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a parade, museum events and service.
Friday, Jan. 17
Tasting: Lyon Distillery & Peabody Heights Brewery: 3-6 p.m. at Quarry Wine and Spirits. The North Baltimore shop features two Maryland brands.
B|_ank with Dutch , Pomelo , Brett Berman & Buddy Cop: 4-7 p.m. at True Vine Record Shop. The Station North record store hosts live experimental music from Pennsylvania, Richmond and right here in Baltimore.
Lexington Market Celebration: 6 p.m. at Lexington Market. Ahead of a rebuild, The Night Brunch hosts a celebration in the ground floor arcade of the market with food from vendors, music from DJ Impulse and more.
Charm City Bluegrass Battle of the Bands: 6 p.m. at UNION Craft Brewing. Four bands compete for prizes, including a show at The 8×10.
Gaming Party: 7 p.m. at North Ave. Market. HiScore hosts a party at the recently opened restaurant and arcade in Station North, featuring EDM DJs and virtual reality.
“Friends” Trivia Night: 7-10 p.m. at Metro Gallery. Greg’s Shitty Trivia Night hosts a quiz night on the classic ’90s sitcom.
Donald Harrison Quartet: Jan. 17-18 at Keystone Korner. The saxophonist is joined on the stage by DJ Logic, pianist Dan Kauman, drummer Joe Dyson and bassist Nori Naraoka.
BIG Time: 8 p.m. at BIG Theater. The Baltimore Improv Group’s event immortalizes the life of a local luminary with improv. Tonight: Baltimore Business Journal dining reporter Amanda Yeager.
Karaoke ‘n’ Bowl: 8-11:30 p.m. at Patterson Lanes. Gigi Karaoke hosts an evening of singing and duckpin.
4 Hours of Funk 10-Year Anniversary: 10 p.m. at Rituals. DJ Spinna makes the trip from Brooklyn for a special guest spot to celebrate a decade of the dance party featuring funk, soul and disco.
Thot Goth: 10 p.m. at The Crown. The “queer pseudo-dystopian rave hellscape” is in Station North with DJ Sylent Hill and DJ Vontov.
Saturday, Jan. 18
Moms as Entrepreneurs Expo: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Morgan State University. The local program helping moms launch businesses features a chance to meet the business owners and shop.
Zay Day: noon-5 p.m. at UNION Craft Brewing. The brewery celebrates the 100th birthday of worker Henry “Zadie” Benesch with cigars, music, mask-making and a box-folding competition.
Can Release: Negative Space Octopus & Blacksmith: noon-10 p.m. at Mobtown Brewing Company. The Highlandtown brewery releases a new Black Milkshake Double IPA and returning American porter.
An Afternoon of Artistic Excellence: 1-4 p.m. at The Walters Art Museum. The Baker Artist Awards performing artists are showcased in Mount Vernon.
Ice Skating and Whiskey Warming: 2-4 p.m. at Inner Harbor Ice Rink. For the ice rink’s final weekend, Explore Bmore hosts a gathering for skating and prizes. Head to an after-party at Barfly’s in Federal Hill.
Whiskey & Boots Bar Crawl: 2-8 p.m. at POWER PLANT LIVE! The crawl stops at five bars, with live music, flights and more.
Edgar Allan Poe Birthday Celebration: 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. at Westminster Hall and Burying Ground. The celebration of the macabre master includes a staged adaptation of three Poe poems, music and an appearance from the Poe Toaster.
King of What III: 6 p.m. at Motor House. The two vs. two break dancing battle features b-boys and b-girls competing for a $1,000 prize. Plus, workshops, vendors, food from Ekiben and more.
“Pan-African Social Ecology“: 7-9 p.m. at Red Emma’s. Modibo Kadalie reflects on six decades as a radical organizer.
Frank & The Hurricanes: 8 p.m. at Normal’s Book & Records. The practitioners of spiritual mountain psychedelic shrymp blues and folk arrive in Baltimore.
Cookie Tongue: 8-11 p.m. at Black Cherry Puppet Theater. The “theatrical freak folk musical menagerie” combines puppetry, animation, dance and more.
Dosser: 8 p.m. at The Crown. The local indie band releases new EP “Brainscan.” The Holy Circle, VO/ID and Leisure Sport open.
KRS-One: 8 p.m. at Baltimore Soundstage. The legendary rapper performs downtown, with openers illConscious Da God, Eva Rhymes and WishGranted.
Bowl-A-Rama: 9 p.m. at Stoneleigh Lanes. Thee Lexington Arrows headline a show during duckpin bowling in North Baltimore.
The Legwarmers: 9 p.m. at Rams Head Live. The ’80s tribute band takes the stage downtown.
Skin Tight Soul Party: 10 p.m.-2 a.m. at The Crown. Chris Brooks DJs at the dance party in Station North.
A Night of Broken Resolutions: 10 p.m. at Holy Frijoles. Baltimore groups Ceromantics and Painted Mirror and D.C. group Social Station perform.
Sunday, Jan. 19
MLK Day 2020: An Unequal Education: 11 a.m. at Creative Alliance. Dr. King’s legacy is honored with a screening of “Teach Us All,” and a panel discussion on education inequality.
The Edgar Allan Poe House Literary Landmark Dedication: 1 p.m. at Edgar Allan Poe House. The ceremony celebrates the house’s inclusion on the United for Libraries national registry of Literary Landmarks.
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration: 2 p.m. at Enoch Pratt Free Library. Tenor Charles Sullivan performs at the Central Library’s Wheeler Auditorium to celebrate the civil rights icon.
Perfume is Fly, The Sea Caucus, Hair & Teeth, Shy Lust: 8 p.m. at The Crown. The bill of local music is heavy on the psychedelic sounds.
J Roddy Walston Presents: A Single Dose Of Strangeness: 9 p.m. at Ottobar. The rocker returns with a solo act, Palm Palm, boasting “a moving truck full of synths, pianos, tape machines and sequencers.”
Most Dope Listening Party: 9 p.m. at Ottobar. The event celebrates rapper Mac Miller, who died in 2018.
Monday, Jan. 20
East Baltimore’s MLK Day of Service: 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at 1911 E. Oliver St. The 6th Branch hosts a volunteer event with light demolition, overgrowth removal and large scale trash clean-up.
MLK Dare to Dream Day: 10 a.m. at American Visionary Art Museum. The Federal Hill museum features free admission and programming for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plus, an artist talk with Kyle Yearwood.
MLK Day Celebration: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. The day of educational activities honoring Dr. King includes a story hour and mural art project, a discussion on department stores and civil rights from Dr. Traci Parker and performance by the Baltimore City College Choir.
Itty-Bitty Baltimore and the Fierce Urgency of Now: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at The Children’s Bookstore. Karsonya (Kaye) Wise Whitehead is the special guest at a day celebrating Dr. King’s legacy.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade: noon-2 p.m. The city’s 20th annual parade honoring Dr. King’s life and legacy begins at MLK Blvd. and Eutaw, marching to Baltimore St.
Upcoming:
- Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Black & White Party brings “The Wizard of Oz” to Baltimore on Jan. 25.
- Small Foods Party packs big fun at the American Visionary Art Museum on Feb. 8.
- Charm City Django Jazz Fest strums to Creative Alliance on Feb. 21-22.
