Events
The List: December 2023
From the Monument Lighting at Mount Vernon Place to Charm City Craft Mafia's annual Holiday Heap, here are the local events to pencil in this month.
12/8-16: THE NUTCRACKER: A MAGICAL TALE IN MT. VERNON
A treasure trove in terms of its rich history, architecture, and many cutting-edge attractions (see the swank Ulysses hotel and its Ash—Bar lounge on East Read Street, for instance), Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood is always worth a visit. And perhaps no one knows this better than visitors to the neighborhood’s iconic Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA), where, this month, dancers from its student body and after-school TWIGS (To Work In Gaining Skills) program will bring audiences a localized rendition of The Nutcracker.
The show, directed by internationally renowned choreographer Amy Hall Garner, will run from Dec. 8 through Dec. 16. In addition to the unforgettable Tchaikovsky score, the program will feature tributes to such Mount Vernon establishments as Restaurante Tio Pepe and The Walters Art Museum, with nods to its annual wintertime crown jewel: the Washington Monument Lighting. Times vary. Tickets start at $25.
12/1: HIGHLANDTOWN HOLIDAY NIGHT MARKET
Courtesy of Highlandtown Arts District and presented with the help of Made in Baltimore, this evening market celebrates the neighborhood’s extraordinary artisans. Shop small and stick around to catch the Highlandtown tree lighting and ensuing celebrations. Creative Alliance. 4 p.m.
12/1: PORT DISCOVERY COMMUNITY DAY
The sprawling downtown kids museum—complete with its own miniature Royal Farms convenience store and diner stocked with plastic foods—invites parents and little ones to take in its three stories of exhibits, with admission priced at $10. Explore life-like attractions including The Port and The SkyClimber. Port Discovery. $10. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
12/2: GRIEF AND THE HOLIDAYS
It’s ok (and very normal) to be grieving or in pain during the holidays. Visit Enoch Pratt’s central library to listen as local psychiatrist Dr. Drew Pate relays tips on navigating loss and tough emotions in a time of celebration. Enoch Pratt Free Library. 10:30 a.m.
12/3: CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS WITH THE ERIC BYRD TRIO
At Keystone Korner, the beloved Christmas tale of Charlie Brown and pals is brought to life by way of the Eric Byrd Trio. Relive childhood memories while soaking in a new spin on the animated special’s timeless, jazzy Vince Guraraldi score. Keystone Korner. 5 p.m., 7:30 p.m. $10-45.
12/3: WALDORF FAIR
With proceeds set to benefit the Waldorf School of Baltimore, the family-favorite makers market features goodies courtesy of local artisans, live music, petting zoo critters, and a storytime for toddlers. Waldorf School of Baltimore. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $4-50.
12/5: PA MI GENTE: CLOSING RECEPTION AND ARTIST TALK
At Motor House in Station North, this closing reception and talk with curator Christina Delgado (The founder of Tola’s Room, a Puerto Rican home museum in Belair-Edison) explores the exhibit, the first of its kind to include works from nine Puerto Rican creators with ties to Charm City. Motor House. 6-8 p.m.
12/5: PRATT WRITERS LIVE! FEATURING CITY OF ARTISTS
Joining Cara Ober, founding editor and publisher at Bmoreart, contributors Scott Shane, Sheri Booker, Lane Harlan, and Edward Doyle-Gillespie come together to discuss City of Artists, a book blending stories and art in an homage to our city’s influence on creativity. Enoch Pratt Free Library. 7 p.m.
12/7: MOUNT VERNON MONUMENT LIGHTING
It wouldn’t be the holidays in Baltimore without this flashy, neighborhood-wide street party. Ring in the most wonderful time of the year with bold fireworks, music, food vendors, and dazzling light displays all around Washington Monument. Mount Vernon Place. 5-8 p.m.
12/8: MORTIFIED: HOLIDAY EDITION
At Creative Alliance, tune into a festive edition of the popular comedy show, wherein humble adults take the Highlandtown stage to share cringeworthy childhood diary entries. (We wager that there will be mistletoe talk). Creative Alliance. 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. $15-25.
12/9: 12 BARS OF CHRISTMAS CRAWL
Your trusty, thrifted ugly Christmas sweater has been waiting for this moment. Spend eight hours on the town enjoying festive food and drink specials with locals sporting blinking string lights, Santa suits, and elf ears. Power Plant Live! 12-8 p.m. $12-14.
12/9: GREEN SPRING STATION HOLIDAY MAKERS MARKET
Embarking on its ninth year, Green Spring Station’s annual holiday market is the answer to all gift-giving conundrums. Hear live tunes and sip on Cane Collective cocktails as you shop around for everything from dog treats to home items to gourmet candies. Green Spring Station. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
12/9: HOLIDAY HEAP
Per annual tradition, Charm City Craft Mafia’s annual holiday market brings talented Baltimore makers—from Tiny Dog Press to WOW! Vegan Treats to Metamorphosis Metals—to St. Paul St., just in time for stocking stuffing. 2640 Space. 10 a.m.-5 p.m
12/12: CHRISMA HANU KWANZAKAA FESTIVUS
With live music by special guest Jonathan Gilmore and The Experience, this edition of The Stoop Storytelling Series (which will be recorded to be broadcast at a later date on WYPR, 88.1) will feature “true, personal tales about the holidays.” The Stoop Storytelling Series. 7 p.m. $15-25.
12/14: STATE BALLET THEATRE OF UKRAINE PRESENTS: THE NUTCRACKER
The ballet company returns to Baltimore with its rendition of The Nutcracker. Hear Tchaikovsky’s remarkable score and be transported to a world of make believe with melodies including “Waltz of the Snowflakes.” The Lyric. 7:30 p.m. Prices vary.
12/14: NOT SO SILENT NIGHT
The 21-plus bash at Center Plaza features local eats, sweet cocktails, music spun by DJ Keebee and another chance to take that ugly sweater out of hiding. Plus, make memories with pals inside a fun 360 photo booth. Downtown Partnership of Baltimore. Time and pricing TBD.
12/15: A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS LIVE ON STAGE
Join Charlie and friends—Snoopy, Peppermint Patty, and lovable Linus—at The Lyric for an onstage adaptation of the retro TV Special. Afterwards, stick around to sing some festive songs and carols with the Peanuts gang. The Lyric. 7:30 p.m. Prices vary.
12/15: BAROQUE CHRISTMAS
Containing gems from compositions such as Handel’s Messiah and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, this Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concert is practically oozing with holiday merriment, promising an evening of “music sure to stir the soul and lift the spirit.” Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. 7:30 p.m. $15-75.
12/15: TOYMAKER PAJAMA PARTY
Bundle up, kiddos! Holiday PJs are welcome for this cozy, festive slumber party at the Science Center. Little ones can engineer a bouncy ball, craft shrinking ornaments, and sit down to a winter planetarium show. Maryland Science Center. 5:30-8:30 p.m. $35.
12/16: THIRD ANNUAL CORNER CAROL
With its third iteration, this evening of performances at Fells Point Corner Theatre helps us get into the festive spirit, using storytelling, dance, and song to celebrate the holidays and to reflect on local artistry. Fells Point Corner Theatre. Time and pricing TBD.
12/16-17: CIRQUE NUTCRACKER
At Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, this fan-favorite Nutcracker performance by Troupe Vertigo features jugglers, arealists, acrobats, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra musicians, offering a fresh take on Tchaicovsky’s winter masterpiece. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Times and prices vary.
12/18-19: NUTCRACKER! MAGICAL CHRISTMAS BALLET
Get ready for visions of sugarplum fairies when this rendition of The Nutcracker—an homage to classic European ballet with an international cast, including Ukrainian Principal Artists—heads to The Hippodrome Theatre. Hippodrome Theatre. 7-9 p.m. Prices vary.
12/21: A JOHN WATERS CHRISTMAS
Merry Christmas, you grotesque John Waters devotees! The one and only nauseating author and filmmaker—and a quintessential gentleman by all accounts—to take his annual holiday show to fans in his hometown. Baltimore Soundstage. 8 p.m. Prices vary.
12/21-22: A VERY JERRY CHRISTMAS
Homegrown singer-songwriter Cris Jacobs takes his tribute to the great Jerry Garcia (and a touch of Christmas magic) out to Fed Hill for two crazy nights. We wouldn’t be surprised to hear a few tunes that Garcia loved to play, including “Christmas Time’s a Coming.” The 8×10. Time and pricing TBD.
TO 12/23: CINDERELLA
This CenterStage rendition of the timeless fairytale is inspired by the 1997 movie, following a young girl’s moving shift from rags to riches (with assistance from her trusted fairy godmother) with upbeat music. Center Stage. Times and prices vary.
TO 12/24: CHRISTMAS VILLAGE
This year at West Shore Park, the German Christmas market will include a giant ferris wheel and 35-foot pyramid. Of course, the likes of Bratwurst and Raclette cheese will be plentiful, in case foodies were wondering. West Shore Park. Times and prices vary.
TO 12/30: THE JIM HENSON EXHIBITION: IMAGINATION UNLIMITED
Courtesy of the Museum of Moving Image, this multi-media exhibition at the Maryland Center for History and Culture honors Hyattsville-raised puppeteer Jim Henson. Among iconic artifacts of Henson’s career sit such childhood buddies as Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. Maryland Center for History and Culture. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Prices vary.
12/31: MIDNIGHT NOON
Now in its 16th year, this family-friendly Science Center ball drop kicks off 2024 with hands-on fun for tikes. Say hello to a new year and be back at home in time to put the kiddos down for naptime. Maryland Science Center. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free with paid admission.
TO 1/1/2024: MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET
The holiday season in Hampden just wouldn’t be complete without this annual tradition, which sees the rows of houses along the 700 block of 34th Street adorned in decorations, strung lights, and eccentric decorations. West 34th Street.
TO 3/3/2024: ETHIOPIA AT THE CROSSROADS
The first major art exhibition in America to examine Ethiopian art in a global context, it features more than 225 objects from The Walters Art Museum’s extensive collection, one of the largest outside Ethiopia. The Walters Art Museum. Times vary.
TO 4/28: EYEWINKERS, TUMBLETURDS, AND CANDLEBUGS
On view at the Baltimore Museum of Art Nov. 12-April 28, 2024, Eyewinkers, Tumbleturds, and Candlebugs: The Art of Elizabeth Talford Scott, will feature 20 of the artist’s fiber works, adorned with objects like stones, buttons, sequins, and bones, and depicting flowers, sea creatures, dreams, superstitions, and beyond. Baltimore Museum of Art. 10 Art Museum Drive. Times vary. Price TBD.