A new festival. A dance night. Comedy shows. A home tour. Baltimore Restaurant Week. With each week, the events calendar is starting to look a bit more like it used to. This weekend is probably the most “normal” yet. It’s almost enough to help you forget about Artscape being cancelled. (Almost) Check out the return of some old favorites, and a couple chances to close out multi-week exhibitions with new insights. Here’s a look:
Baltimore Restaurant Week: July 23-August 1, various restaurants. The coordinated dining extravaganza offers deals on meals. That means plenty of chances to sample something new.
Dance & Bmore: Voices of Carmen: 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 22, virtual. Enoch Pratt Free Library presents a virtual event featuring excerpts from a modern adaptation of the musical “Carmen,” featuring Baltimore youth.
Bill Bellamy: July 22-25 at Baltimore Comedy Factory. The comedian, actor and longtime MTV host heads to the Power Plant Live! stage for four nights of stand-up.
Bear Legacy Bluegrass Festival: July 23-24 at The Maryland Center of the Arts. Head to the future home of a visual and performing arts hub in Bel Air for the inaugural edition of a music festival. The two-day lineup features local favorites like Caleb Stine, the Dirty Grass Players and more.
“Take Me Out” — 2000s Indie Dance Party: 9 p.m. on Friday, July 23, at Ottobar. The long-running dance night has taken its show on the road recently. But now it’s back home for the first time since the pandemic arrived. Make the most of it by dancing to (underground) hits from Franz Ferdinand, LCD Soundsystem, Bloc Party, The Strokes, The 1975 and more.
Ashburton Home & Garden Tour: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sat., July 24, in Ashburton. Here’s a chance to see the beautfiul homes of West Baltimore’s Ashburton neighborhood. Join a reception starting at 1 p.m. for jazz, light fare and a “Best in Bloom” contest.
Make Good Trouble Protest Panel Artists Retrospective: 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 24 at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. A discussion on art and activisim features photojournalist Kyle Pompey and mural artists Reggie Lewis, Jacob Patton Ado and Philip West. Their work is featured in “Make Good Trouble: Marching for Change,” an exhibition that looks at the Black Lives Matter protests that followed George Floyd’s death in 2020.
Good and Nice: A Comedy Variety Show: 7:30 p.m. on Sat., July 24, at The Crown. The Station North spot plays host to a night of stand-up, improv and sketches. Comedians include Beth Haydon, Eric Dadourian, Jessica Murphy Garrett, Ti Coleman and Rasheed Green.
The BIG Show on Stage: 6-8 p.m. on Sat., July 24, at Creative Alliance. Close out the Southeast Baltimore art center’s annual exhibition of member work with a variety show-style performance, and a final chance to view more than 150 pieces of art.
Perros, Paletas, Tequila & Tacos: 2-9 p.m. on Sat., July 24, at Sandlot. Need a beach day and some dog time? Here it is, all in one place. Dogs of Charm City will be onhand with some very good friends, along with tacos from Cochina Luchadores and canine-insipred drink specials.
“Do The Right Thing“: 10 a.m. on Sun., July 25 and 1 p.m. on Monday, July 26, at the Senator Theatre. The Belvedere movie theatre offers a revival of Spike Lee’s landmark 1989 film exploring racial tensions in Brooklyn that boil over on a hot day.
