EAT

June 8: Feastival

Sandlot, 1000 Wills St. 12-4 p.m. $100-1,000.

This annual foodie fundraiser takes the saying “put your money where your mouth is” to a whole new level. On Saturday, head to Sandlot in Harbor Point to sample all-you-can-taste bites and drinks from local purveyors to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Dig your toes into the sand at this waterfront oasis and spend the afternoon enjoying snacks from top-notch eateries like Duck Duck Goose, Minnow, and Blue Pit BBQ and sip on area craft beers and cocktails made by the Baltimore Bartenders’ Guild.

DRINK

June 7: Beers for Queers

Union Craft Brewing, 1700 W. 41st St. 7-10 p.m. Free.

From Pride Night at Camden Yards to the last Pride Fest at Grand Central, there are countless events and parties being thrown during Pride month in celebration of the city’s vibrant LGBTQ+ community, and we couldn’t be more excited by the outpouring of support from local businesses and beyond. Start the weekend festivities at Union Craft Brewing with beats by DJ Kim Brannan, a glitter station, high-energy drag performances by local queens including Bambi Galore, and, of course, free-flowing pours of the brewery’s signature brews. Snag a limited-edition Union Pride hat and drink up because a portion of the proceeds benefit Baltimore Pride.

SEE

June 8-9: HonFest

The Avenue in Hampden, 36th St. Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 12-6 p.m. Free.

Although it’s been a few decades since the workingwomen of Baltimore strutted through the streets wearing beehive hairdos and brightly colored house dresses, the legacy of those proud women comes alive every June during this neighborhood-wide celebration. For two days, the streets of Hampden will transform into a colorful block party complete with the Lil’ Hons parade, an oyster-shucking contest, tons of local craft vendors, and ongoing entertainment from local dance and musical acts. Cheer on your favorite gussied-up contestant in the “Best Hon” competition or, if you’re confident in your Bawlmerese, enter to be the next winner of this Charm City tradition.

HEAR

June 9: Concert in the Park: Cara Kelly & the Tell Tale

27 S. Patterson Park Ave. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free.

There’s no shortage of outdoor summer concerts in the city, but there’s something about stretching out under the Pagoda at Patterson Park and listening to local jams that always pulls us in. Round out your weekend with the first concert in this free summertime series, featuring Baltimore-based Americana band Cara Kelly & the Tell Tale and its soulful and soaring harmonies. Hear this five-person band serenade the crowd as the sun sets and mark your calendars for Charm City Junction’s performance at the Pagoda on June 25.

DO

June 9: Tour Dem Parks, Hon

Druid Hill Park. 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. $20-55.

It doesn’t matter if you’re new to Charm City or a tried-and-true Baltimorean, this two-wheeled tour is the best way to get to know the city’s parks in one fell swoop. Dust off your helmet and hop on for this 17th annual recreational bike ride on one of four routes that give riders an up-close view of our parks and neighborhoods. Be it via the breezy five-mile ride or the 35-mile adventure, this cycle around the city is the perfect way to cruise into summer.

EAT

June 9: Feastival

Sandlot, 1000 Wills St. 12-4 p.m. $65-5,000. 410-628-0795.

All you need to make a difference this weekend is an appetite. On Saturday, head to Sandlot, Harbor Point’s buzzy waterfront oasis, for an all-you-can-taste foodie fundraiser to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Maryland. With your toes in the sand, sample eats from the event’s stellar lineup of local vendors, including Blue Pit BBQ, The Charmery, and Wit & Wisdom, and sip on free-flowing cocktails made by the Baltimore Bartenders Guild.

DRINK

June 9: The Ready Room Grand Opening

Old Line Spirits, 4201 E. Pratt St. 5 p.m.-12 a.m. Free. 443-218-9984.

Since opening its doors last February, Old Line Spirits has become a popular destination for local whiskey and rum connoisseurs. This Friday, founders Mark McLaughlin and Arch Watkins will celebrate the grand opening of the Highlandtown hoochery’s full-service cocktail bar with libations made from their award-winning spirits. Soak up the specialty cocktails, sample bites from chef Nancy Longo of Pierpoint Restaurant, and revel in the city’s first-ever distillery bar.

SEE

June 9: Baltimore Floatilla

Canton Waterfront Park, 3001 Boston St. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. $40. 443-743-3308.

The Waterfront Partnership’s Healthy Harbor Initiative is making a big impact on our local waterways—we might be able to swim in the Inner Harbor by 2020—but there’s still plenty of work to be done. This Saturday, do your part by paddling as part of a kayak and canoe fleet dressed in Baltimore-inspired costumes as it glides from Canton Waterfront Park to the Inner Harbor to benefit local restoration efforts. Don’t have your own vessel? Show your support from the shoreline with banners and cheer during its annual rally and after party to continue the fight for clean waters.

HEAR

June 9: The Crown Five-Year Anniversary Party

The Crown, 1910 N. Baltimore St. 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Free. 410-625-4848.

It feels like we blinked and five years of killer karaoke and all-night dance parties flew by at this Station North arts staple. To celebrate a half-decade of shows, screenings, events, and the city’s DIY arts scene, The Crown will host a packed lineup including a medley of local musical acts like R&B duo Chiffon, clubby singer-songwriter Hunter Hooligan, electronic pop artist Micah E. Wood, and psychedelic rockers Bubble Wand, plus Detroit’s futuristic noise group The Imaginatron. Just be sure not to miss Brendan Sullivan, the venue’s former manager and Weekends bandmate when he returns from New York for a homecoming set.

DO

June 9-10: Honfest

W. 36th St., Hampden. Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 12-6 p.m. Free.

This weekend, Bawlmer’s pride and joy turns 25 and is only getting better with age, hon! Get gussied up in your wildest feather boas and bejeweled shades for this annual two-day festival that honors the city’s historic working-class women with a can’t-miss block party. On Saturday and Sunday, stroll through the streets of Hampden to hear live music by local acts, like Soul Cannon and J Pope and the HearNow, browse through dozens of eclectic craft vendors, and, of course, cheer on your favorite Hon in the annual “Best Hon” competition.

At just 3 months old, Kaite Rose Broadhurst was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, an inherited disease that affects lung function and the digestive system. But, for the first time in her nearly 30 years on this planet, she’s feeling like there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“I’m super excited about a cure,” Broadhurst says through years. “In the past six months, my doctor has sat me down and said he never thought he’d live to see this day.”

In February, the FDA approved a new drug that treats the underlying causes of cystic fibrosis and is applicable to almost half of the 30,000 people living with the disease in the United States. During clinical trials, the Symdeko drug was able to increase lung function, reduce exacerbations, and—most importantly—increase quality of life.

“I live a fuller life because of the treatments that I have,” Broadhurst says. “My life is mine now and it’s not as bogged down by the disease. Fundraisers have directly funded huge medical milestones in my life and that’s the truth for anyone who is treated for CF.”

One such fundraiser, Feastival, will be taking place in Baltimore on Saturday, June 9, at the Sandlot at Harbor Point where local restaurants, bars, and breweries will be offering fare and proceeds benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) of Maryland.

“Unlike a fancy gala or walk, this event is just you hanging out with your friends on the water,” says Broadhurst, who most recently worked at Mix 106.5 and is an ambassador for CFF of Maryland. “You get to relax on the beach, eat good food, and support people around you.”

Another great advantage of the event being outdoors is that normally, because of the disease, CF patients can’t be in the same room together. But, because it’s open air, they’ll at least be able to attend the same fundraiser (and will wear ribbons to alert each other).

Though Broadhurst is ecstatic for the recent advances in cystic fibrosis, she’s been lucky enough to experience breakthroughs from an early age. She was one of the first patients to get a Monarch vest from the DuPont Hospital for Children, which helps clear her airway.

“There really is no getting over CF—you always have to deal with it,” Broadhurst says. “But the vest was able to give more independence at such a young age. Events like these give me a chance to thank people and show them exactly what their dollars are doing.”

Feastival will be taking place at the Sandlot for the first time this year (instead of the promenade outside of the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore). But the food lineup remains just as stellar with participating vendors like Ampersea, Blue Put BBQ, The Charmery, Chez Hugo, Ekiben, Hersh’s Pizza and Drinks, Full Circle Doughnuts, Gunther & Co., La Food Marketa, Minnow, Stall 11, and Wit & Wisdom.

Additionally, the Baltimore Bartenders Guild will be mixing up drinks with regional spirits from Sagamore, Belle Isle, Lyon, and Sandy Bottom Rum out of Annapolis. Look out for other beverages from Ceremony Coffee and Hunt Valley-based B.C. Brewery.

“You don’t have to know anyone with CF to know you did an amazing job and still got a pretty decent buzz on,” says Broadhurst with a laugh. “Personally, I’ve never been more motivated to fundraise because now a cure actually seems attainable. That’s something I never thought would happen.”

Charity fundraisers conjure up a lot of images: white tablecloths, a big-ticket silent auction, and plenty of fancy gowns and tuxes. But organizers at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Maryland conceived of a different model when launching the inaugural Feastival last year.

“There’s a much younger crowd that the $10,000 table doesn’t really work for,” says Kari Mutscheller, the local CFF chapter’s senior development director. “This event spans a much bigger age bracket and it’s an afternoon of eating and drinking downtown. This is mostly a party, but with a really great cause attached.”

This year’s event, Saturday, June 17 on the waterfront promenade at Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, boasts more than 20 food and drink options from around the region, including some new faces like Gnocco, Diamondback Brewing, Center Cut Donuts, La Food Marketa, Belle Isle Spirits, Ground & Griddled, and Modern Cook Shop.

“Our goal is to promote and get to know the more up-and-coming restaurants,” Mutscheller says. “This is a nice way for our guests to discover some new offerings in the city they may not have already tried.”

In addition, restaurant options include more well-established locations like Wit & Wisdom, Hersh’s, Clavel, and Atlas Restaurant Group’s Azumi and Loch Bar. In fact, it was Atlas owner Alex Smith who helped to co-found Feastival last year with fellow CFF board member Mack McGee.

“Those two are the founding chairs of this event,” Mutscheller says. “It was their idea to take this kind of thing out of the ballroom and really into the streets.”

Something new for 2017 is that Feastival appointed five Cystic Fibrosis ambassadors to help get the word out about the event and disease through individual happy hours and social media. Each ambassador—which includes Katie Rose Broadhurst of Mix 106.5 and local advocate Katharine Scrivener—was tasked with trying to raise $3,000.

“One thing people don’t understand about CF is just how invisible it can be,” says Scrivener, who was diagnosed at 16 years old. “There are always shocked because most of us, even at different stages in the disease, look relatively healthy. This event gives us a chance to explain our stories.”

In fact, each ambassador created videos that they could share to do just that. One of the many challenges of CF is that patients can’t be around each other in close quarters because of certain bacteria they carry, which can lead to serious infection. But because this event is spread out and outside, all of the ambassadors can attend with their friends and family.

“Even though we’ll never be able to sit around a table in the same room, this will be a great way to spend the day in the same place with the same goal,” Scrivener says. “The way the local food community has come together, how hard the other ambassadors have worked, and the support of my friends and family is why an event like this is so fulfilling and purposeful.”