This weekend brings an equal mix of festive celebrations to welcome the season, and markets that let you acquire local goods without a visit to the mall. Plus, check out parades on the water at the Inner Harbor and land in Hampden.
Friday, Dec. 6
MICA Art Market: through Dec. 8 at Maryland College Institute of Art. The holiday market has creative goods from 275 students, faculty and community members on four floors.
Station North Art Crawl: 6-9 p.m. at Station North Arts District. Peruse 15 different spaces in central Baltimore hosting holiday parties, happy hours, sales, screenings and more.
Highlandtown Holiday Celebration and Tree Lighting: 5-9 p.m. at 3601 Eastern Ave. Head out for a tree lighting, model train garden and visit with Santa. Then, peruse galleries and shops as part of a festive First Friday.
Made in Baltimore Holiday Party: 5-9 p.m. at Made in Baltimore store. Celebrate local makers, and check out a demo of Vellone Guitars.
“Lost Restaurants of Baltimore” Book Signing: 6-8 p.m. at Trohv. Suzanne Loudermilk and Kit Waskom Pollard (a Baltimore Fishbowl contributor) sign their book on celebrated local restaurants of years gone by.
Holiday Tree Lighting: 6-9 p.m. at Sagamore Spirit. The Port Covington distillery celebrates the holiday season with music, hot cider and more.
R. House’s 3rd Birthday: 6 p.m.-midnight at R. House. The Remington food hall celebrates three years with family friendly activities, a scavenger hunt and $3 drink specials.
Midnight Madness: 6 p.m.-midnight at Baltimore & Ohio Ellicott City Station Museum. Festivities include a tree lighting ceremony, visit from Santa and holiday market.
Short Kuts: 7 p.m. at Reginald F. Lewis Museum. Hear stories of entrepreneurship from black business owners.
“Connections”: 7 p.m. at CA Gallery. It’s the opening night for a new exhibition of work by Baltimore-based sculptor GM Webb.
Silversun Pickups: 8 p.m. at Rams Head Live. The L.A. alternative rock band plays with openers The Griswolds.
Lightning Bolt: 8 p.m. at Ottobar. The noise rock duo headline a bill with Baby Baby, Wume and Patterson Mountain Park Rangers.
Save Your Soul: 8-11 p.m. at Lithuanian Hall. DJs Rob Macy and Baby Alcatraz spin at the monthly dance party.
Gingerwitch: 8 p.m. at Rituals. The Baltimore band plays Station North with Woodfir, Golden Repair and Perhaps Hand.
Mannequin Pussy: 8 p.m. at Metro Gallery. The Philly punk band comes down 95 in support of the 2019 album “Patience.” Kississippi and Sweet Peach also perform.
Saturday, Dec. 7
Dollar (Or Less) Days: Dec. 7 and 8 at various Baltimore attractions. Nearly a dozen local museums and attractions like the National Aquarium, Great Blacks in Wax Museum and Port Discovery will have dollar admission.
Old Tyme Christmas: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. at Broadway Square. Check out a full day of festivities in Fells Point, including a tree lighting, caroling, various contests and a visit from Saint Nick.
Holiday Bazaar: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Baltimore War Memorial. Check out more than 30 craft and food vendors.
Holiday Heap: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Space 2640. The Charm City Craft Mafia is gathering more than 50 artists and makers in Charles Village.
Old Goucher Holiday Crawl: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Old Goucher. The central Baltimore neighborhood hosts a full day of festive shopping, plus food and drink, at more than a dozen businesses.
Catalyst Contemporary Winter Fine Art Print Fair: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Catalyst Contemporary. Check out one-of-a-kind prints from six artists.
Santa’s Streetcar: noon-5 p.m. at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum. Ride a streetcar with Saint Nick and enjoy holiday refreshments.
SantaCon: noon-10 p.m. in Canton Square. Dress up as Santa and drink at the pubs in Southeast Baltimore.
Holiday Pop-up Market: 1-6 p.m. at Charm City Meadworks. More than a dozen local makers and artisans offer a chance to grab a Baltimore-made gift.
Covering Baltimore for National Audiences: 1-3 p.m. at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University of Baltimore. Local chapters of Online News Association and Society of Professional Journalists host a panel on media coverage of the city by national outlets. Panelists include Alec MacGillis of ProPublica, Baltimore Beat Editor Lisa Snowden-McCray, Baltimore Sun editorial writer Peter Jensen and New York Times reporter Scott Shane.
Baltimore Krampuslauf: 3-9 p.m. in Hampden. Celebrate the German Christmas demon with a crawl down the Avenue.
Night of 100 Elvises: 4-11 p.m. at Lord Baltimore Hotel. Celebrate the King with three rooms of live Elvis music, classic cars and, of course, fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
2019 Marching Band Show: 4-6:30 p.m. at Morgan State University. Fresh off a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade appearance, the Magnificent Marching Machine plays a home show.
Baltimore Parade of Lights Boats: 6 p.m. at Baltimore harbor. Check out how the boats are getting decked out for the season, with views at Fells Point, Inner Harbor and Canton.
Holiday Spirits on the Rocks: A Drinks Party: 7-10 p.m. at the Walters Art Museum. The Baltimore Bartender’s Guild will be on hand with cocktail tastings of holiday drinks.
Dru Hill: Home for the Holidays Concert: 8 p.m. at Horseshoe Casino Baltimore. The R&B group from Baltimore known for hits like “Never Make a Promise” and “In My Bed” plays a hometown show.
Sunday, Dec. 8
Merry Mart: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at Creative Alliance. Check out what local artists and artisans have on offer for the holiday season.
“‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”: 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Baltimore Center Stage. See a meta adaptation of Clement Clarke Moore’s poem, showing Moore on Christmas Eve as he struggles to write his classic holiday tale.
Union Square Cookie Tour: noon-4 p.m. at Union Square. Now in its 34th year, the Union Square Association’s home tour features plenty of holiday treats.
Holiday Bizaar: noon-5 p.m. at UNION Craft Brewing. Head to the Medfield brewery for a gift from a dozen local makers.
The Mayor’s Christmas Parade: 1-4 p.m. at The Avenue in Hampden. The annual parade trucks 2.5 miles through Hampden–Harleys, a steam calliope and Santa in tow.
Miracle on 36th Street Winter Holiday Market: 3-8 p.m. at Co-Balt Workspace. During the Mayor’s Christmas Parade, check out treats and goods from 30 local outfits.
Holiday Pagoda Lighting: 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Patterson Park. The community holiday celebration features music, food trucks, gifts and a visit from Santa.
Writers in Baltimore Schools 10th Birthday Party: 6:30-9:30 p.m. at 2640 Space. The group marks a decade with food, drinks, a silent auction, a 10th anniversary film and student performances.
The Thurston Moore Group: 8 p.m. at The Ottobar. The Sonic Youth guitarist and singer fronts a band featuring Deb Googe of My Bloody Valentine, Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth, Jon “Wobbly” Leidecker of Negativland and James Sedwards. Devin Brahja Waldman opens.
Upcoming:
- Winter Warmup blows into Camden Yards on Dec. 14 with holiday festivities and a visit from Orioles execs.
- 92Q Winter Fest is at Royal Farms Arena on Dec. 14, headlined by Meek Mill.
- TUBAChristmas arrives at the Harbor on Dec. 21.
