After a long, hot summer, there’s no better time to get back into the rhythm of life than fall, especially with all that Baltimore offers in terms of arts and cultural events and programming.
Enjoy the cultural offerings of the season around town.
FESTIVALS
Free Fall Baltimore
Oct. 1-31
Various locations
freefallbaltimore.org
Ready, get set and go! You have 31 days to attend 70 free theater productions, concerts, dance performances, visual art installations, history museums and more brought to you by 56 of Baltimore’s arts organizations.
Charm City Blues Festival: The Blues are All Right
Oct. 6
The Lyric Baltimore
140 W. Mount Royal Ave.
lyricbaltimore.com
A night of storytelling set to guitar music, this unforgettable concert experience features blues, R&B and soul artists King George, Calvin Richardson, Lenny Williams, Theodis Ealey and Pokey Bear.
The Great Halloween Lantern Parade
Oct. 21
3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore
creativealliance.org
One of Creative Alliance’s signature events, the annual Halloween Lantern Festival features family-friendly events such as lantern-making, performances, an arts and crafts market, costume contest, food trucks and, of course, the Great Halloween Lantern Parade.
VISUAL ARTS
Making Her Mark: A History of Women Artists in Europe, 1400-1800
Oct. 1 through Jan. 7, 2024
Baltimore Museum of Art
10 Art Museum Dr., Baltimore
artbma.org
The BMA’s new exhibition includes more than 200 works by women artists living from the 15th century to 18th century. On display are portraits, sculptures, textiles, metalwork and ceramics, and more that reflect women’s contributions to European art.
The Neighborhood Corner Bar
Starts Oct. 12
Baltimore Museum of Industry
1415 Key Highway
The exhibition “The Neighborhood Corner Bar: A Baltimore Story, 1870-1920” will open at the Baltimore Museum of Industry on Thursday, Oct. 12. From the 1870s to 1920, corner bars, taverns and saloons became fixtures in working-class neighborhoods throughout Baltimore. Made possible by the direct sponsorship of breweries, corner bars were social centers where patrons could grab a “free lunch” with the purchase of a five-cent drink, discuss politics and labor organizing, send and receive mail, cash paychecks, and even find jobs or financial assistance. As social institutions, these watering holes reflected the segregated and exclusionary practices of their era.
Ethiopia at the Crossroads
Opens Dec. 3
Walters Art Museum
600 N. Charles St., Baltimore
thewalters.org
The Walters’ new exhibition celebrates the artistic traditions and treasures of Ethiopia, past and present. The installation includes coins, painted icons, illuminated manuscripts and metalwork by contemporary Ethiopian artists Wosene Worke Kosrof, Aida Muluneh and Elias Sime.
MUSIC
Queen & Adam Lambert: The Rhapsody Tour
Oct. 5-6
CFG Bank Arena
201 W Baltimore St., Baltimore
cfgbankarena.com
Yes, they will, they will rock you at the first stop on their North American tour! Don’t miss the 2001 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees with the amazing Adam Lambert. Indeed, they are the champions, my friends!
Music of Billy Joel and Elton John
Oct.14-15
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore
bsomusic.org
Grammy and Tony Award-nominated actor and musician Michael Cavanaugh, who recreated the music of Billy Joel in the Broadway musical “Movin’ Out,” joins the BSO for a concert featuring the greatest hits of the “Piano Man” and the “Rocket Man.”
John Mayer Solo
Oct. 20
CFG Bank Arena
201 W Baltimore St., Baltimore
cfgbankarena.com
Don’t know about you but we’re sure hoping that singer/songwriter/guitarist John Mayer’s first-ever solo tour includes performances of greatest hits like “Your Body is a Wonderland,” “Waiting on the Day,” and everyone’s favorite bat mitzvah video song, “Daughters!”
Jonathan Richman, Featuring Tommy Larkins On Drums
Oct. 24
Creative Alliance
3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore
creativealliance.org
One of America’s most unique, quirky and prolific singer-songwriters, Jonathan Richman, formerly of the proto-punk band the Modern Lovers, will perform with New Zealand native drummer Tommy Larkins.
Maryland Opera: L’Amour, Toujours l’Amour
Nov. 11
Church of the Redeemer
5603 North Charles St., Baltimore
marylandopera.org
Maryland Opera’s sixth season opens with fully staged and costumed acts and scenes from “Faust,” “Werther” and “Roméo et Juliette.”
Brad & Ken Kolodner
Nov. 25
Gordon Center for Performing Arts
3506 Gwynnbrook Ave., Owings Mills
gordoncenter.com
Father-and-son bluegrass duo Brad and Ken Kolodner and Charm City Junction take the Gordon Stage for their 10th annual Post-Thanksgiving Concert. You won’t want to miss this holiday celebration!
Beatles vs. Stones
Nov. 30
Gordon Center for Performing Arts
3506 Gwynnbrook Ave., Owings Mills
gordoncenter.com
Back by popular demand, this battle of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands of all time will have you dancing in the aisles and begging either for “Satisfaction” or a “Ticket to Ride.”
THEATER
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill
Sept. 14 – Oct. 8
Baltimore Center Stage
700 North Calvert St., Baltimore
centerstage.org
A dive bar in Philly is the setting for this jukebox musical about one of Billie Holiday’s last performances. Featuring some of Holiday’s greatest hits, “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill” tells the heart-wrenching story of a remarkable performer.
Funny Girl
Oct. 24-29
The Hippodrome Theatre
12 N. Eutaw St., Baltimore
france-merrickpac.com
The revival of one of Broadway’s best-loved musicals tells the story of Fanny Brice, a Jewish girl from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, whose far-fetched dreams of becoming a star come true.
Cinderella
Nov. 25 –Dec. 23
Baltimore Center Stage
700 North Calvert St., Baltimore
centerstage.org
Based on the 1997 film starring Whitney Houston, Whoopi Goldberg and Brandy, Baltimore Center Stage’s new musical production of Cinderella is loads of fun for audiences of all ages.
Moulin Rogue
Dec. 3-Dec.17
The Hippodrome Theatre
12 N Eutaw St., Baltimore
france-merrickpac.com
In 1899, a poor young writer comes to Paris to experience the Bohemian movement. When he falls in love with the star nightclub performer at the club Moulin Rouge, things get dangerous.
Dial M for Murder
Dec. 3- 31
Everyman Theatre
315 West Fayette St., Baltimore
everymantheatre.org
Directed by Everyman founder Vincent M. Lancisi, this dramatization of Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic film tells the story of a retired tennis player who plots to murder his rich wife.
COMEDY
Steve Martin and Martin Short: You Won’t Believe What They Look Like Today
Oct. 28
The Lyric Baltimore
140 W. Mount Royal Ave., Baltimore
lyricbaltimore.com
What could be funnier than an evening with Martin and Short, the stars of TV’s “Only Murders in the Building” and two of the greatest comics of all time? Nothing. So be there!
A John Waters Christmas
Dec. 21
Baltimore Sound Stage
124 Market Pl.
baltimoresoundstage.com
Have you been naughty enough to get on the guest list for this coveted event? If not, you’ll need to buy tickets for this wacky and wonderful holiday production from Charm City’s quirkiest celebrity.
Filmmaker Justin Schein looks at wealth and inequality through the very real story of his late father.
For 35 years, the late Deborah Brodie, aka Bubbie Cookie, amassed a collection of over 200 Jewish ritual objects, which she used to teach her Hebrew school students with special needs.
Conceived by Columbia resident Benjamin Kintisch, "Life Review: The Hospice Musical" offers a thought-provoking and occasionally amusing perspective on mortality.
Steve Hofstetter, who will perform at Soundstage next week, recently made headlines for his social media post ridiculing some fans' warnings about Charm City's safety.