Events this summer (May — July)

Congratulations on getting through another semester, Blue Jays! I know it’s tough to think about the break with finals on the horizon. But if you’re staying in Baltimore for the summer, I’ve got some great events for you to check out.

May

Baltimore Tattoo Arts Festival (May 13 at 2 – 8 p.m., May 14 at 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. and May 15 at 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.)

Head to the Baltimore Convention Center to get some new ink! The Tattoo Arts Festival brings together some of the nation’s most renowned tattoo artists, including a myriad of contestants from Ink Master. The festival will also feature tattoo contests and performances from various artists. Tickets are $25 per day or $50 for a weekend pass and can be purchased on the festival website.

147th Preakness Stakes (May 21 at 9 a.m.)

Did you know that one of Triple Crown races in horseback riding takes place just moments away from our campus? Even if you did, finals period ends just in time for you to hit the racetrack and see the action! This is the ultimate Maryland bucket list item, and you’ll never know if you are a horse racing fan until you check it out. General admission tickets are $60 and can be found online.

Maryland Mac and Cheese Festival (May 21 at 2 – 8 p.m.)

The best food festival in town is making its return! The Mac and Cheese Festival hosts various local vendors on the Power Plant Live! grounds, bringing some of the cheesiest and most innovative flavor combinations you’ve ever seen like jalapeño mac and cheese, chorizo mac and cheese and jerk chicken mac and cheese. I can personally vouch for the amount of fun you’ll have sampling all the different cuisines at this festival. Tickets are $10 to enter and can be bought on EventBrite, but vendors cost additional money once you enter. 

June

AFRAM (June 18 – 19 at 12 – 8 p.m.)

AFRAM is Baltimore’s annual celebration of African American heritage and culture! The festival features headliners including Ne-Yo along with other local performers and food vendors. The festival is hosted in Druid Hill Park, which almost borders the west side of Homewood campus, so there’s no excuse not to pop over and get some fresh air. The festival is free to attend, and more information can be found on the AFRAM website.

Baltimore Pride (June 20 – 26)

Baltimore is renowned for its extraordinary Pride celebrations, and this year should be no exception. Pride weekend includes a terrace gala at Gertrude’s, a city-wide parade, a block party and a celebration in Druid Hill Park. As you can see, many of the events are very close to the Charles Village area, so you can easily round up some friends and enjoy the festivities. There will be opportunities to support local food, art, clothing and other miscellaneous vendors all throughout the week. You can find more information on the Baltimore Pride website.

July

Washington D.C. Fourth of July Celebration (July 4)

You can imagine that the festivities will be pretty extravagant for Independence Day when you’re in our nation’s capital. D.C. hosts a parade, fireworks show and concert on the holiday, and you can also catch the annual Washington Nationals baseball game while you’re there. There’s no shortage of ways to customize your Fourth of July experience, so I will leave the details up to you by directing you to D.C.’s website!