Five things to eat, drink, see, hear, and do with your Charm City weekend.

 EAT

April 7: Shuckin’ in the Street

Lee’s Pint & Shell, 2844 Hudson St. 12-10 p.m. $10. 410-327-2883.

There’s a cold front coming in this weekend, but that won’t stop this rebranded Canton spot from shucking some 20,000 free oysters at their fourth blowout block party. Rain, shine, or snow, duck underneath the heated tents to slurp down all-you-can-eat oysters during the last R month of the season, with drinks from the orange crush bar and live performances by local bands like Crushing Day, DJ Nick Paros, and Philly’s beloved Kristin and the Noise. If they run out of oysters, don’t worry—food stands serving up pit beef sandwiches and burgers will be on hand to soak up the crushes.

 DRINK

April 6-7: Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ Festival

Maryland State Fairgrounds, 2200 York Rd., Timonium. Fri. 6-10 p.m., Sat. 12-6 p.m. 29-$99. 410-252-0200.

We’re impatiently waiting for weekends filled with sunny skies and backyard cookouts, but luckily, this two-day festival will have enough brews and barbecue to tie us over until then. This weekend, make your way to the Maryland State Fairgrounds for unlimited samplings of more than 60 beers, 40 bourbons, and smoky meats from local barbecue joints. While you sip on local brews from DuClaw, Flying Dog, and Monument City—or Maryland-distilled whiskey from Baltimore Whiskey Company and Sagamore Spirit—take part in a tasting seminar or compete in the stein-holding and bacon-eating contests.

 

 SEE

April 6-8: Light City

Times & locations vary. Free. 410-752-8632. 

We love seeing the way Light City’s art installations reflect off the Inner Harbor, but this year, downtown Baltimore will not be the only place illuminated by glowing sculptures and attractions. This Friday, the can’t-miss festival will kick off its third year with Neighborhood Lights, an artist-in-residence program that pairs notable local artists with community organizers to light up 14 city neighborhoods. Make your way across town to snap pictures of each location’s work of art during this one-weekend-only display.

 

 HEAR

April 7: Natural Velvet Homecoming & Ratboiler Reunion

The Crown, 1910 N. Charles St. 8 p.m. 410-625-4848. 

After two months of performing up and down the continent on their biggest tour to date, post-punk quartet Natural Velvet finally returns home this Saturday to grace The Crown with its rip-roaring sound. On Saturday night, welcome back Kim Te and Spike Arreaga’s searing guitars, Greg Hatem’s propulsive drums, and Corynne Ostermann’s howling vocals as the band perform songs from their latest album, Mirror to Make You—and hopefully their latest cover of Britney Spears’ “Gimme More.” Don’t miss the reunion performance by local heavy metal band Ratboiler (their first show together in years), as well as other opening acts like Baltimore’s indie group Pinkwench and Richmond’s disco punk band Toxic Moxie.

 DO

April 8: Baltimore Farmers’ Market & Bazaar

Beneath the Jones Falls Expressway at Holliday & Saratoga Sts. 7 a.m.-12 p.m. Free. 410-752-8632. 

It’s always tempting to sleep in on Sunday mornings, but we’ll gladly throw back our covers and brave the cold for the sweet smell of freshly-cut flowers and homemade bread wafting beneath the JFX. Now in its 41st season, Maryland’s largest producers-only market has become a true weekend ritual for farm-fresh produce, scrumptious eats, and one-of-a-kind vendors. On opening day, join in the hustle and bustle with a Blacksauce Kitchen breakfast sandwich in one hand and a Migue’s Minis made-to-order donut in the other. While there’s plenty to see, be sure to check out the 26 new vendors including Mera Kitchen Collective, The Urban Oyster, and Stupid Delicious Desserts.

It’s only fitting that the hyper-local approach to Baltimore’s annual Light City festival—which aims to spark social change through light, music, and innovation—is also reflected in the event’s food and drink offerings. For the third consecutive year, all concessions sold throughout the event around the Inner Harbor will be exclusively from Maryland purveyors.

“I didn’t understand why we would choose to bring in a circuit of people that go to all of the festivals and serve the same types of foods,” says Sandy Lawler, food and beverage manager for the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA). “Those people aren’t from around here, and for a city as soulful as Baltimore, it’s very important to support small businesses and give them a place to shine.” 

What to eat at the festival

Running from April 6-21, the celebration will feature more than 25 local vendors organized by cuisine.

“This past year there has been a lot of work in our city to support individual communities,” Lawler says. “We have a big Latin culture, a great soul culture, and a large Asian community. So, to us, dividing the food vendors up like this made a lot of sense.”

Festival-goers will be able to find Asian-fusion favorites like Ekiben, Dooby’s, and Pinch Dumplings adjacent to Club Light City at Kaufman Pavilion, a selection of soul food from the likes of Big Bean Theory and The Urban Oyster near Pier 1, and Latin eats from DMV Empanadas and Restaurant Piquin outside of Mini Light City. There will also be a Zeke’s coffee and dessert bar featuring Berries by Quicha and Stupid Delicious Desserts at Bicentennial Plaza, and an ode to the Chesapeake near the National Aquarium highlighting seafood from Harbor Market Catering and DogFish Head’s SeaQuench Ale.

What to drink at the festival
Light City’s beverage program will also add to the local flair. This year’s official festival cocktail is the “Night Thyme,” combining rye whiskey, soda water, orange juice, and a special citrus thyme shrub from Baltimore-based juice maker Le Monade. It will be sold at various booths alongside the cleverly-named Lumen Ale, a citrusy, dry-hopped pale ale that The Brewer’s Art has brewed exclusively for the Light City.

Other craft beer options will include The Brewer’s Art Resurrection, Duckpin from Union Craft Brewing in Hampden, and 51 Rye from Monument City in Highlandtown.

“For BOPA to really recognize and embrace the local craft beer industry is huge,” says Monument City co-founder Ken Praay. “It just goes hand in hand with how Baltimore is always behind its small businesses. It’s something that we’ve seen from day one.”

Aside from selling the beer, Monument City has also partnered with BOPA to help put sustainable recycling and garbage collection systems in place for this year’s festivities. In keeping with the green mentality, BOPA is encouraging all vendors to use compostable serving dishes and utensils.

“My brother and I have always wanted to be a family-owned, community-based brewery,” Praay says. “And a big part of that is making sure that the communities in which we live and operate are clean, safe, and enjoyable. So naturally, this is something we jumped on.”

Light City specials around town

Outside of the festival’s footprint, other local bars and restaurants are getting in on the fun by offering food and drink specials of their own. Ampresea on the Fells Point waterfront is hosting a three-course dinner followed by a waterfront cruise to view some of the installations by boat on April 14. And the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Hotel has created a special lime green cocktail in honor of the light shows, fusing sour apple schnapps, white wine, club soda, and simple syrup.

Additionally, the second-annual Lit City dance party is returning to the illuminated St. Paul Street tunnel on Thursday, April 19. The evening will feature music spun by DJ James Nasty, a full bar, and light bites from Cava Mezze, The Owl Bar, The Elephant, Sobo Cafe, and Gordon Ramsay Steak inside Horseshoe Casino.

Learn about food at Light City

For those who are interested in how the local restaurant scene impacts the
community at large, FoodLab@LightCity will take place at the Columbus Center on April 21. Now in its second year, the discussion is one of seven social innovation sessions that will occur throughout the event’s three-week run.

This time around, Food Lab is bringing together change-makers in the food community including chef/owner Dave Thomas of Ida B’s Table, Dovecote Cafe owners Aisha Pew & B. Cole, and Baltimore-based food writer Allison Robicelli.

“The overarching theme of Light City makes this unlike any other conference I’ve ever been to,” Robicelli says. “There’s this huge cross-pollination of ideas. You get to see how all of these topics relate to things like healthcare, tech, social justice, and equity.”   

Robicelli will lead a panel of female food industry professionals discussing discrimination in the workplace. Speakers will include New York chef and food historian Therese Nelson, culinary consultant Rachel Waynberg, and former Manhattan restaurateur Alison Price Becker.

“It’s an issue that is getting a lot of attention, but we’re still seeing hesitation to fix it,” Robicelli says. “In the media, you already hear about what women go through in the kitchen, but this is a huge industry. And there are so many women behind the scenes. There is a huge glass ceiling when it comes to ownership and how people view women.”

Robicelli says that Baltimore’s innovative spirit makes it an ideal place to fuel the conversation. 

“The reason I moved to Baltimore is because it’s the kind of place where people are coming up with solutions to change the world,” she says. “We have some of the best minds in the country. We’re writing the script that can change every city.”