4/19-20: THE BALTIMORE OLD TIME MUSIC FESTIVAL
Over the past few years, in the back corners of neighborhood bars and living rooms, a small-but-mighty style of music has been not so quietly flourishing in Baltimore. Rooted in the string-instrument traditions of the Mid-Atlantic, Old Time music has garnered a growing community of musicians on the local arts scene, thanks in part to father-son duo Ken and Brad Kolodner, who not only perform together locally but also organize the Baltimore Old Time Music Festival, which returns for its fifth year this month.

After four years at the Creative Alliance, this fast-paced form of American folk music—not quite traditional Irish, not quite bluegrass or Americana—will now take over the Baltimore Museum of Industry on April 19 and 20, featuring a full weekend of fiddles, banjos, ballad singing, and country square dancing for regional performers and local music lovers alike. The celebrations kick off with an outdoor concert along the Inner Harbor waterfront on Friday night, followed by an all-day affair on Saturday, also featuring concerts, music lessons, kids programming, a craft fair, and more, with museum admission included.

4/2: NICKI MINAJ
Grammy Award-winning rapper Nicki Minaj brings her latest hits and world tour to the Baltimore stage. CFG Bank Arena, 201 W. Baltimore. 7 p.m. $74-2,500. 

4/2-5/31: PRINTED MATTERS
Alongside the NOW: Collaborations exhibit with glass and video sculptor Tim Tate, this retrospective exhibit takes a historic look at the prints of local artist Joyce J. Scott. Goya Contemporary, 3000 Chestnut Ave. Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. 12-4 p.m. 

4/3: BEYOND REDLINING: HOW RACISM SHAPED THE MIDCENTURY AMERICAN CITY
History of Art, Design & Visual Culture professor Jessica Hock leads a lunchtime discussion on how urban development and housing policies have shaped the face of cities like Baltimore. Maryland Institute College of Art, Bunting Center, 1401 W. Mt. Royal. Ave. 12 p.m.

4/4: BUDDY GUY
This Louisiana-born blues legend brings his Chicago sound to the Lyric stage for one night on his final farewell tour. The Lyric, 110 W. Mt. Royal Ave. 7:30 p.m. $35-550. 

4/4: COCKTAILS & QUILTS
In this Free First Thursday event, participants of all skill levels can learn the basics of quilting from local craftspeople. Maryland Center for History and Culture, 610 Park Ave. 6:30 p.m.

4/4-28: MORGAN DEPEÑA
This self-taught, Baltimore-based artist showcases tablescape-inspired paintings with a focus on florals and organic composition. The Alchemy of Art, 1637 Eastern Ave. By appointment.

4/5-7: BALTIMORE TATTOO ARTS FESTIVAL
This 16th annual celebration of skin and ink returns to the Baltimore Convention Center with hundreds of tattoo artists showcasing their talents. Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St. Fri. 2-11 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. vary. Free-$50. 

4/5-13: TOWSON UNDERGRADUATE JURIED EXHIBITION
TU’s annual undergraduate juried exhibition features student works across a variety of disciplines, such as painting, sculpture, graphic design, illustration, ceramics, and more. Towson University, Center for the Arts, Holtzman MFA Gallery, 7700 Osler Dr., Towson. Tues.-Sat. 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. 

4/5-28: GEM OF THE OCEAN
The Arena Players present this August Wilson classic, set in 1904 and part of his 10-part The Pittsburgh Cycle series. The drama follows family matriarch Aunt Ester and two Union Army scouts on a path toward healing and redemption. Arena Players, 801 McCulloh St. Times and prices vary.

4/5-28: DOUBT
In this Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning 21st century American classic set in the 1960s, a strict Catholic middle school principal takes matters into her own hands when she discovers improper relations in her school. Vagabond Players, 806 S. Broadway. Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m. Sun. 2 p.m. $17-24. 

4/6: BIG BALTIMORE KITE FEST
The Creative Alliance’s beloved kite festival returns to Patterson Park as an annual rite of spring, featuring on-site craft workshops, pop-up performances, kites for sale, and of course kite flying throughout the afternoon, with a rain date the following day. Patterson Park, Observatory Hill, S. Patterson Park Ave. near E. Pratt St. 12 p.m.

4/6: SOLE OF THE CITY 10K
Under Armour’s annual 10-kilometer race returns this spring, beginning and ending at Harbor Point and followed by a post-race party with beer and live music. Harbor Point, 1310 Point St. 8:30 a.m. $50-240. 

4/6: TACO & MARGARITA FESTIVAL
This one-day festivals features tons of tacos, margaritas, music, shopping, and even live pro wrestling at UMBC’s arena. Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, 1000 Hilltop Cl. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. $14-19.

4/6-7: STAR WARS IN CONCERT
For two days, the sounds of five-time Academy Award-winning composer John Williams will take over the Meyerhoff during the symphony’s soundtrack concert of 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St. Sat. 7:30 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m. $18-75. 

TO 4/7: MEXODUS
This genre-defying musical production blends hip-hop and history to tell a tale of the Underground Railroad and the untold story of escaped enslaved people who found freedom in Mexico. Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St. Times vary. $20-49.

4/7: THE WALTERS FORD LECTURE
In this annual lecture at The Walters, scholar Melissa McCormick explores the poem pottery of tea ceremonies by Japanese Buddhist nun-artist Otagaki Rengetsu. The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. 2 p.m.

4/7: ÉBÈNE QUARTET
In their Baltimore debut, this French string ensemble presents riffs on Mozart, Schnittke, and Grieg. Shriver Hall, 3400 N. Charles St. 5:30 p.m.
$46. 

4/7: CANDLELIGHT CONCERT SOCIETY
World-class chamber music takes over the Peale with this afternoon concert featuring New Zealand-born violinist Geneva Lewis and award-winning cellist Gabriel Martins. The Peale Museum, 225 Holliday Street. 3 p.m. $25. 

4/10-14: THE IMPRESARIO
Opera Baltimore presents a semi-staged concert opera in which two “dueling divas” entertain over the piano in this Mozart-fueled comedy. The Engineers Club, 11 W. Mt. Vernon Pl. Wed. and Fri. 7:30 p.m. Sun. 3 p.m. $32-82.

4/11: DUFY & DUTCH COURAGE
In a toast to the reinstallation of works by French artist Raoul Dufy, this art-history presentation will be accompanied by French-inspired cocktails by mixologists from the nearby cocktail bar, Dutch Courage. Evergreen Museum, 4545 N. Charles St. 6 p.m. $20-35.

4/11-28: HOT WING KING
In this award-winning dramatic comedy, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall brings to life the story of family tragedy and fate amidst an annual food festival in Memphis, Tennessee. Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St. Times & prices.

4/11-28: MOBY DICK REHEARSED
In this Industrial-Strength Theater Production of Orson Welles’ theatrical adaption of the classic Herman Melville novel, a mid-century theater troupe reimagines the famous tale in London amidst their own obsession and madness. Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St. Thurs.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 4 p.m. $20-25. 

4/12: MARGARET ATWOOD
The award-winning author of The Handmaid’s Tale discusses her career and the pressing issues of modern times. Goucher College, 1021 Dulaney Valley Rd., Towson. 7 p.m. $30.

4/12: BSO FUSION: IGOR DAMN STRAVINSKY
This unlikely concert combines two masterpieces—Stravinsky’s “Petrouchka” and Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning album DAMN. Joseph
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St. 8 p.m. $35-75. 

4/12: BALTIMORE CHORAL ARTS GALA
Celebrate Baltimore’s premiere choral arts group with live music from Handel to Hammerstein, dinner, and auctions along the Inner Harbor. The Baltimore Museum of Industry, 1415 Key Hwy. 6 p.m. $300. 

4/12-13: IRISH TRAD FEST
The city’s traditional Irish music festival returns to Highlandtown with some of the world’s finest musicians gathering to perform, lead sessions, and teach workshops. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. Fri. 7 p.m., Sat. 8 p.m. $17-35. 

4/12-20: CITYLIT FESTIVAL
The city’s beloved literary festival returns with a medley of events—from readings and panels to workshops—at various locations across the city.
Locations & times vary. 

4/12-28: FAG GODS
In this world-premiere work from the Baltimore Playwrights Festival, an unlikely friendship unfolds between a modern-day Zeus and the burntout proprietress of a Greek mythology-obsessed drag club. 817 St. Paul St. Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. $10-24.

TO 4/13: JASON AUSTIN: BALTIMORE IN REPOSE
In the Creative Alliance’s main gallery, this former resident artist showcases paintings that depicts the vibrant and colorful people and places of Baltimore City. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. Fri.-Sat. 12 -6 p.m. 

4/13: FEASTIVAL
This annual all-you-can-eat food festival returns to the Inner Harbor with an all-star lineup of local restaurants, benefitting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. West Shore Park, 501 Light St. 1-4 p.m. $125. 

TO 4/14: THE BOOK CLUB PLAY
Don’t miss this Baltimore premiere of this award-winning story from D.C. playwright Karen Zacarías that explores female friendship and the power of literature. Everyman Theatre, 315 W. Fayette St. Times vary. $3-75. 

4/16-21: MAMMA MIA!
For six nights, this Broadway and big-screen blockbuster makes its way to the Hippodrome stage for a family-fueled romance set to the hit songs of ABBA. Hippodrome Theatre, 12 N. Eutaw St. Tues.-Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2 & 8 p.m., Sun. 1 & 6:30 p.m. $48.50- 179.50. 

4/17: WORK MATTERS
This evening talk explores the perspectives of steelworkers and service industry workers about the role that unions have played in their lives and the collective fight for labor rights. The Baltimore Museum of Industry, 1415 Key Hwy. 6:30 p.m. Free-$14.

4/19-5/12: ROMEO & JULIET
Award-winning thespian Gerrad Alex Taylor retells this William Shakespeare classic of two star-crossed lovers and their heart-wrenching fate. Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, 7 S. Calvert St. Times vary. $24-69.

4/20: CHELSEA HANDLER
For one night, this beloved standup comedian and late-night talk show brings her dark sense of humor to the Lyric stage. The Lyric, 110 W. Mt. Royal Ave. 7 p.m. $25-255. 

4/21: MANUEL BARRUECO
For one night, internationally renowned guitarist (and local resident) Manuel Barrueco performs his music at Howard J. Kaplan Concert Hall. Towson University, Center for the Arts, 7700 Osler Dr., Towson. 3 p.m. $45-50. towson.edu.

4/21-12/1: DYANI WHITE HAWK
As part of Preoccupied: Indigenizing the Museum, the BMA’s initiative to center native artists, this exhibit features three new sculptures by this Minneapolis-based Lakota artist. The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr. Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thurs. 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

4/25: AN EVENING WITH HOESY CORONA
In honor of the Enoch Pratt’s 2024 Artist in Residence exhibit opening, Crossroads, the Baltimore-based artist unveils his latest work and discusses his creative practice. Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathedral St. 6 p.m.

4/25: GHOST RIVERS WALKING TOUR
In partnership with Johns Hopkins University, artist Bruce Willen leads participants across his multi-site public art installation that visualizes the buried waterways that flow beneath Remington. Wyman Park Dell, near 10 Art Museum Dr. 12 p.m. $7-10.

4/27: CREATIVE ALLIANCE MARQUEE BALL
For one night only, the Patterson Theater transforms into a massive party for the art center’s free youth education and community arts programs. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. 8 p.m. $65-350. 

TO 5/12: STITCHED MEMORIES
As part of the citywide No Stone Left Unturned: The Elizabeth Talford Scott Initiative, this new exhibition invites visitors to immerse themselves in the quilted artworks by the late Baltimore artist. The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. Wed. & Fri.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thurs. 1-8 p.m.

TO 7/14: WALK A MILE IN MY DREAMS
In this landmark retrospective, more than 120 works will showcase the 50-year career of local artist Joyce J. Scott. The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr. Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thurs. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. 

TO 9/30: BLACK WOMAN GENIUS
This landmark retrospective features mixed-media fiber works and narrative tapestries of the late Elizabeth Talford Scott. Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St. Thurs.-Sat. 10-5 p.m., Sun. 12-5 p.m. Free-$12. 

TO 12/28: MATERIALS & MEMORIES
This new exhibition centers works by the late Elizabeth Talford Scott, alongside others by the African-American Quilters of Baltimore and antique quilts in MCHC’s collection. Maryland Center for History & Culture, 610 Park Ave. Wed.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free-$12.