Jmore’s Top Event Picks for July

July 2, 2018 Amanda Krotki

Art cars at Artscape 2017 (Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts)

This month, we can mark our calendars for fun on ice, flicks outside and the country’s largest free arts festival.

Cirque du Soleil’s Crystal — In the hazy, hot and humid days of July, we tend to camp out at the local megaplex all day just to stay cool, but this new Cirque du Soleil show offers even more frigid fun. It’s not “Frozen” on ice — it’s better. The company’s first ever ice show includes world-class skating, acrobats and gravity-defying stunts. Sounds like the ideal way to chill out.
Royal Farms Arena, July 5-8

Flicks from the Hill — July in Baltimore means watching movies in the great outdoors and one of our favorite backdrops for cinema al fresco is Federal Hill. AVAM’s annual tradition returns with a whole new lineup of classics and crowd-pleasers. We’ll save you a spot on our blanket for “Casablanca” (July 19) and “Sherlock Holmes” (Aug. 16), among others.
American Visionary Art Museum, July 12-Aug. 30

Artscape — This year, America’s largest free arts festival says it’s getting back to basics — meaning it’s all about the ART. Though, we have a feeling you can still expect thousands of Baltimoreans to descend on the Mount Royal, Bolton Hill and Station North areas during what always feels like the hottest weekend of the summer to get their culture fix. There’s so much to see and do, including art installations, gallery shows, an artist-run art fair, live comedy and, most likely, some delicious local fare and brews. This year’s headliners include: TLC, Toots & The Maytals and ZZ Ward.
Mount Royal, Bolton Hill, Station North, July 20-22

Smashing Pumpkins — Despite all the rage, Billy Corgan is still just a rat in a cage. For this tour, Corgan is joined by fellow rats, uh, Pumpkins Jimmy Chamberlin and James Iha for the first time in 20 years. Gear up for some top-notch ’90s-era alt-rock.
Royal Farms Arena, July 27

Thomas Dolby — Just when you think you know the coolest thing there is to know about musical pioneer Thomas Dolby, there’s more. Yeah, sure, he had that whole hit with “She Blinded Me with Science.” But, then he served as musical director for the TED Conference. And now he leads the Music for New Media program at Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Listen to this true renaissance man perform an evening of music and storytelling.
Rams Head On Stage, July 31

To find more upcoming events, go to JmoreLiving.com/events.

Go to facebook.com/JMORELiving every Friday at 12:30 p.m. to watch Your Weekend Agenda with Simone Ellin and Amanda Krotki. Join the discussion on the weekend’s top event picks.