Now, Lexington Market and The Bromo Tower Arts & Entertainment District are teaming up once again to host the event’s fifth installment on Wednesday, May 4 from 5-9 p.m., which will feature its signature chef mash-ups while also throwing a few budding food startups and a new wave of performers into the mix.

“When we first started, we really wanted to introduce the market to folks who may have never ventured over during evening hours, and the fact that it has caught on so well is really exciting,” says Lexington Market manager Stacey Pack. “In the past we’ve always had more established and well-known restaurants participate, and this time around we’re excited to bring a couple of places that are new to the food scene on board.”

In keeping with its tradition of pairing the market’s vendors with restauarant chefs, the foodie get-together will feature collaborative dishes from the likes of Faidley’s Seafood, Mem Sahib Restaurant, Sausage Master, Ejji Ramen, Neopol Smokery, Bookmakers, and The Local Fry. The latest installment will also include local food startups such as Waverly-based pop-up Bottoms Up Bagels and vintage wood-fired pizza truck Well Crafted Pizza.

“Participating in Light Up Lexington is super exciting because of the market’s history,” says local wedding photographer Liz Bower, who co-owns Well Crafted Pizza with her husband, Ryan, and college friends Laura and Tom Wagner. “We like the idea of getting back to the roots, not only with the food that we serve but also with our community.”

The event will mark the first public sale for Well Crafted Pizza, whose revamped 1949 Dodge pickup truck will be parked outside to serve up its locally sourced pizzas, like a margherita, chorizo-spinach, purple pesto, and a dessert version with apples and Mouth Party Caramel sauce.

Other food offerings will include collaborative dishes like French fries smothered in hearty toppings from The Local Fry and Park’s Hamburgers, crispy pork belly with slaw and fried veggies from Bookmakers and Dudley’s Fries, and corned beef and shrimp salad sandwiches from Bottoms up Bagels and Mary Mervis Delicatessen. As in previous months, Union Craft Brewing will be slinging $4 beers from 6-9 p.m.

“The market is doing a lot of work to revitalize and diversify its options,” says Michelle Bond, co-owner of Bottoms Up Bagels. “And in some ways it epitomizes the larger story of Baltimore’s food scene, where we’re trying to build on what’s there and expand the circle so that everybody can see themselves in it.”

Highlighting local musicians is also a fundamental part of Light Up Lexington’s mission. The evening’s live entertainment lineup will feature the New Orleans-inspired sounds of Rufus Roundtree and Da B’More Brass Factory and music spun by 9-year-old DJ Kool Flash of Silver Spring, who recently dropped her first mixtape.

The event comes in the midst of Lexington Market’s major remodel and rebranding, which will yield increased seating, extended evening hours, regularly scheduled live music performances, a designated stall for rotating pop-ups, and an outdoor farmers’ market. The space has remained open during construction, and changes are expected to start being implemented by the end of 2016.

Pack says that Light Up Lexington is a great preview for the community to see what the proposed plans will offer.

“Lexington Market truly is the city’s market,” Pack says. “Some of the comments that really stick to my mind are from one of the [Light Up Lexington] events last June, which we had to postpone after the uprising, where people said, ‘This feels so good, this feels like we’re healing.’”

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On November 4 from 5-9 p.m., the fourth installment will highlight the free event’s signature chef mash-ups, while also introducing a revamped live music lineup, two interactive art installations, and a special pop-up.

“We’ve learned a ton about what the restaurants’ needs are and how to really accommodate what the merchants and the audiences want,” says Priya Bhayana, director of the Bromo Arts District. “It’s pretty great that we’ve been able to make it grow.”

As in previous months, a handful of Lexington Market’s vendors will be teaming up with visiting chefs from area restaurants to serve a collaborative dish for less than $10.“Light Up Lexington veterans Dooby’s, Sobo Café, and The Local Fry will once again participate, while newbies such as La Cuchara, Bookmakers, and Woodberry Kitchen are joining in for the first time.

Can’t-miss menu items will include Korean fried chicken from Dooby’s and Dudley’s Fries, lemon thyme chevre cheesecake with grilled grapefruit from La Cuchara and the Fruit Basket, and specialty snacks from The Local Fry and Park’s Hamburgers. The team from Union Craft Brewing will also be on hand, selling $4 beers all night.

Additionally, the foodie get-together will boast a special happy hour with James Beard Award-winning chef Spike Gjerde, who is teaming up with Faidley’s Seafood to serve dishes inspired by the bay.

“To be able to partner one of Baltimore’s best chefs with Faidley’s, which has been an institution for so long, is really exciting,” says Lexington Market manager Stacey L. Pack. “Spike is a leader in the local scene, who is super supportive of local food sourcing, and with Faidley’s commitment to the Chesapeake Bay—it seemed like a natural fit.”

In addition to the new food offerings, organizers are also throwing two art installations into the mix this time around. Attendees are invited to experience The Contemporary’s interactive GhostFood truck performance, which makes a powerful statement on the effects of climate change, as well as browse the work of artist Rachael London in a multimedia exhibit that pays homage to the market and its vendors.

“We started talking [to London] about doing something very simple like using a former stall to incorporate neon and reference the neon that’s so prevalent in the market,” Bhayana says. “But she’s very community-based, so she’s been interviewing vendors and people that visit the market, archiving all of their stories, and creating a space for those conversations to be put on display.”

And, of course, in keeping with the event’s mission of creating a platform for local performers, a live music lineup featuring DJ Chuck the Mad Ox, blues performer Quinton Randall, and genre-defying band Black Root Underground will provide the soundtrack for the night’s festivities.

Pack says that Light Up Lexington has been a great way to foreshadow what’s to come, as Lexington Market continues to move forward with its remodeling and rebranding plans. (The market recently unveiled its revamped website in August, and is slated to include additions such as increased seating and an outdoor farmers’ market space in the coming months.)

“One of the great things we’ve done is helped portray Lexington Market in a way many folks never thought about it before, whether it’s keeping it open late or the art aspect or the collaborations with really amazing chefs,” she says. “The goal is to highlight its potential to the entire city, and the more positive events and positive exposure it gets, the better.”

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The free event features collaborations between vendors and local chefs, live music, and deals on beer and wine.

“With our first event in November, we were nervous not knowing what to expect, but we had about 500 people come out,” says Stacey L. Pack, Lexington Market’s manager. “It was different—it was something that Lexington Market isn’t really known for, but we got a lot of positive feedback from regulars who were excited to try the new offerings, and also from folks who had never been there before.”

This time around, vendors such as Faidley’s Seafood, Andy’s Best Cheese Steaks, and Mem Sahib Indian Restaurant will be teaming up with a new roster of participating local chefs from Joe Squared, The Food Market, The Local Fry, and Neopol Smokery, to fuse their talents and serve dishes for under $10.

“Light Up Lexington” veterans Dooby’s and Alewife will also be returning for next week’s fête, and Alewife will be partnering with Sausage Master, while Dooby’s will work with Park’s Fried Chicken to put a Korean-inspired spin on Park’s traditional recipe.

To accompany all of the inventive eats, representatives from Union Craft Brewery and The Brewer’s Art will be pouring $4 glasses of wine and beer all night long.

The lineup of local music will include performances by improvisational hip-hop troupe Baltimore Boom Bap Society, singer/songwriter Jahiti of local reggae and soul band Brown FISH, and DJ Abdu Ali, who will be spinning a variety of musical genres from around the world.

Pack says that the series is a great outlet to foreshadow what’s to come with Lexington Market’s proposed remodel and rebranding, which could extend its current closing time past 6 p.m.

“The event is a way to bring out the changes that the master plan calls for before construction starts—such as staying open late,” she says. “We are in an arts district and there aren’t a lot of options for people who are looking for a place to go before the theater or a local gallery.”

In the future, Pack says that Lexington Market and Bromo are excited to be able to introduce new bands and artists to the event, while also continuing the partnership with returning chefs and recruiting new ones.

“It’s really fantastic to work with chefs who are excited about the future of the market,” she says. “It’s nice to see them collaborate in a way where they can get outside of their normal kitchen and have some fun.”

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“There has been a lot of chatter of a very large renovation of [Lexington] Market,” said Dooby’s owner Phil Han. “And we’re trying to show the city that the market has incredible potential by showcasing it to new audiences.”

Participating chefs will be coming from Farmstead Grill, Clementine, Hersh’s, Blue Pit BBQ, The Charmery, Dooby’s, Alewife, and Forno Restaurant. Each chef will be paired with a different market vendor from Berger Cookies, Faidley’s, Pasta House, Paul’s Southern Grill, Italian Stallion, Park’s Hamburgers, Mexican Delight, and Station Deli. Each pairing will create a dish (all under $10) and diners can vote for their favorite.

Additionally, the event will feature live music from local R&B and blues band Brooks Long & The Mad Dog No Good and Lexington Market regulars KERQ (the Kevin Robinson Quintet). There will also be $4 wine and beer from Union Craft Brewery and The Brewer’s Art.

“We’re really interested in collaborating with the existing merchants,” said Priya Bhayana, the Bromo District’s director. “It’s about focusing on the existing character of the market and also looking at how we can introduce new things.”

While the renovation of the market is still in the very preliminary study phase, Bhayana and other local leaders are hoping these kinds of events will bring more awareness to Lexington Market and change perceptions about the space, long before any rehabbing takes place.

“I think we are fighting some perceptions about safety, but to me it’s mainly a lack of awareness of what the market has to offer,” she said. “This will be the beginning of a series of events to enliven the market and infuse it with experimentation.”

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