This is the first weekend of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, featuring Baltimore Trans Pride events as well as a Pride parade and festival down in Annapolis for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer residents and other members of the community to express and celebrate their identities. Also, enjoy other fun Baltimore events with dragons and dinos, circus and comedy performances, and more.
Check out what’s on deck for this weekend:
WTMD First Thursday, Thursday, June 2, 5:30 p.m. Canton Waterfront Park. WTMD’s First Thursday concert series returned in person in May after it was held online only for the past two years due to the pandemic. The May concert, which kicked off the 15th year of the series, attracted about 10,000 music lovers, and June is likely to see a strong turnout as well as Baltimoreans flock to the events they have been craving for so long. This first Thursday of June, the concert will feature beabadoobee, Momma, and the Michael McHenry Tribe. Admission is free. Attendees are not permitted to bring outside alcohol, coolers or glass containers.
Byron Stripling, Thursday, June 2 through Sunday, June 5, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Conductor and trumpeter Byron Stripling will lead the “Ragtime, Blues, and All That Jazz” concert, showcasing the music of Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, B.B. King, and Muddy Waters.
Peach Face Album Release Show, Friday, June 3, doors open at 7 p.m., music at 8 p.m., Ottobar. Peach Face, a project by musician Alison Ramírez, has released her debut full-length album “Grocery Store Flowers.” The record release show will feature Peach Face, as well as special guests Moon Tide Gallery, John Tyler and Nae.
Glitterus: Dragon Rising, Friday, June 3 and Saturday, June 4, Zion Church of the City of Baltimore. The Baltimore Rock Opera Society presents “Glitterus: Dragon Rising,” about the last remaining dragon in the world, who summons five Mystics to find her lost eggs and help her continue her species. This is the last weekend to see the show, so watch it while you can!
Baltimore Trans Pride, Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5, North Charles and 23rd streets. This year’s events will kick off with the Baltimore Trans Pride Grand March on North Charles Street (between 23rd and 33rd streets) at 1 p.m. Saturday. The rest of the day will feature parties and performances, headlined by rapper and singer Tink. Then, on Sunday at 6 p.m., the Pride Takeback Ball will feature Legendary Father Mook Ebony and other special guests.
Annapolis Pride, Saturday, June 4, noon to 5 p.m., West and Calvert streets in Annapolis. Annapolis will also help kick off Maryland’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month festivities with a parade and festival. The event is free and open to the public, with more than 140 vendors, food, music and other activities.
Baltimore by Baltimore Festival, Saturday, June 4, Inner Harbor Amphitheater. Enjoy live music, makers, food and more at this free event. Performances by Eat the Cake Band, Abdu Ali, WombWork Productions, and others.
Charles Street Promenade, Saturday, June 4, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., along Charles Street between Lafayette Avenue and Saratoga Street. Charles Street Promenade is back! Pedestrians will be able to walk along Charles Street as they shop at stores, dine at restaurants, or just enjoy a stroll. There will also be fashion shows, free fitness classes, guided walking tours, pop-up demos, giveaways, face painting and other kid-friendly fun.
Dino & Dragon Stroll, Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5, Baltimore Convention Center. Get up close with life-like animatronic dinosaurs and dragons. From the carnivorous king Tyrannosaurus Rex to the long-necked herbivore Brachiosaurus, learn about the different dinosaurs that once roamed the Earth. Children can participate in story time, a craft station, themed rides to experience what it would be like to ride on or around a dinosaur. There is also a sensory friendly session for attendees who are sensitive to sound and light.
Circus Student Showcase, Saturday, June 4, 2-10 p.m., Mobtown Ballroom. Watch students from In the Dark Circus Arts perform routines on aerial fabrics, trapeze, lyra, sling, German Wheel and more.
Aromatic Workshop, Sunday, June 5, various times, Baltimore Museum of Art. Take a hands-on scent-making workshop and tour the BMA’s “Once the Smoke Clears” exhibition, led by multi-sensory and multidisciplinary artist Beatrice Glow. Participants will create and take home their own scent.
Home Cookin’ Jazz Quartet, Sunday, June 5, 3 p.m., An Die Musik. The Home Cookin’ Jazz Quartet unites four Baltimore jazz veterans for a musical “buffet.” They’ll be serving blues, ballads, calypso, samba, swing and jazz waltz.
Neptune Frost, Sunday, June 5, 4 p.m., SNF Parkway Theatre. Watch a screening of filmmakers Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman’s debut feature film, “Neptune Frost,” a queer, Afrofuturist music set in Rwanda. The film has been shown at Sundance, Toronto International Film Festival, and New York Film Festival. Williams and Uzeyman will also stay after the screening for a conversation with audience members.
Rocky Horror 60s Show, Sunday, June 5, 7 p.m., Baltimore Soundstage. Chocolate Covered Rocky Horror takes the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” that fans already adore and adds an African American Shadow-Cast ensemble. Chocolate Covered Rocky Horror, formed in 2015, has partnered with The Sonic Transducers and the Creative Alliance to infuse the show with 1960s fashion, dance and social climate. There will be a pre-show with comedic host Rayceen Pendarvis, live performers and a costume contest.
Nikki Glaser, Sunday, June 5, 7 p.m., The Lyric. Comedian Nikki Glaser’s most recent Netlifx comedy special, “Bangin’” was the streaming platform’s most-watched special of the month after it was released in October 2019. Glaser has hosted multiple Comedy Central shows and is also the host of three podcasts, including her new daily show, “The Nikki Glaser Podcast,” which launched in March 2021.
Thank you for including the Home Cookin’ Jazz Quartet in the weekend picks.