EAT

Jan. 26: Little Italy Meatball Fest

Pandola Learning Center, 914 Stiles St. 3-6 p.m. $40.

Sure, clean eating is all the rage, but there’s something about a giant plate of spaghetti and meatballs that makes it worth putting off the diet for a day. Bring your appetite to this all-you-can-eat meatball festival at Joe Benny’s, where attendees can help themselves to a seemingly endless buffet of pasta, salad, bread, and dessert. Sample each contestant in the Best Meatball competition and, if you can stomach it, enter into the meatball-eating contest for a truly carb-tastic afternoon.

DRINK

Jan. 25: Chesapeake Oyster, Wine, & Beer Festival

The Assembly Room, 316 Guilford Ave. 12-4 p.m. $69.

What’s the best way to wash down a bushel of world-class oysters? Heavy Seas beer, of course—and two dozen other wines and spirits you will find at this 13th-annual, adults-only seafood extravaganza. Blend briny bivalves and boozy flavors downtown at the Assembly Room, where tickets give you an all-access pass to a shuckin’ good time.

SEE

Jan. 25-Feb. 22: On The Verge

Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. Times vary. Free.

Creative Alliance is known around town for bringing together works that range in media, style, and material by artists that represent every corner of the city, and its latest exhibition is no exception. Opening with a reception on Saturday night, On The Verge showcases a wide variety of pieces by 25 up-and-coming artists, featuring some local names, as well as rising talent from Japan and Pakistan. Stroll through the Highlandtown arts center to take in these diverse works, and leave with a new favorite artist to keep up with as they rise through their career.

HEAR

Jan. 26: Beer Maria: Fully Tilted Music Collab

Full Tilt Brewing, 5604 York Rd. 10 a.m.-9p.m. $20.

Dear Maria, count us in. The hype surrounding Full Tilt Brewing’s collaboration with Towson-born punk rockers All Time Low will reach its peak this Saturday during the launch party for blonde ale, Beer Maria: Count Me In, inspired by one of the group’s mega hits. Spend the day at the Towson brewery sipping on the new brew, noshing on snacks by Bottoms Up Bagels and The Rolling Grill Pit Beef and Catering, and listening to guest performer James VanDeuson. There are heavy-handed rumors that All Time Low will take the stage for at least a few songs, so stick around to jam out and raise a glass with these hometown rock heroes.

DO

Jan. 26: Lunar New Year Celebration

The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free.

Ring in the year of the rat with this annual colorful celebration at The Walters Art Museum. With activities for visitors of all ages, let the kiddos help build a giant floral rat sculpture, participate in a zodiac-themed scavenger hunt in the Arts of Asia galleries, and snap photos in the photo booth. Be sure to secure a spot in the auditorium for a performance by The Baltimore Chinese School, and then make your way to the museum’s sculpture court to watch a traditional dance by the Johns Hopkins Yong Han Lion Dance Troupe.

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

 EAT

Jan. 14: Little Italy Meatball Fest

Pandola Learning Center, 914 Stiles St. 3-6 p.m. $30. 410-866-8494.

Last year, more than 200 people gathered inside the Little Italy Lodge for Joe Benny’s inaugural celebration of meatballs—aka the cornerstone of Italian cooking. If you missed it, attend this year’s festival for a buffet of pasta, salad, and dessert, with samplings from heated meatball competition to help crown the next winner of the “Best Balls in Baltimore.” If you’d rather win a trophy and secure bragging rights, submit your own killer recipe or participate in the meatball-eating contest. Try to beat Margaret Miller’s original veal and pork recipe, or Phil “the Fury” Fiore’s 60-second record time of downing 31 meatballs. Proceeds benefit the Pandola Learning Center, a local organization that offers Italian language and culture classes.

 DRINK

Jan. 13: Nobo Can Release

Monument City Brewing Company, 1 N. Haven St. 12-5 p.m. Free. 443-529-8131.

The Appalachian Trail is near and dear to the heart of brothers Ken and Matt Praay of Monument City Brewing. After all, it was on an annual hike along the historic trail that they initiated a conversation about launching the family brewery. So it’s no surprise that one of their most recent beers has been named NOBO, a term for hikers who move northbound on the AT, starting from Springer Mountain in Georgia. Although this brew debuted last September, they’re officially pumping out canned versions this weekend. On Saturday, swing into Highlandtown to sip this hazy New England-style IPA featuring double-dry hops. If you end up loving the citrus and tropical notes of this limited-edition beer, you can finally take it home with you in a six-pack.

 SEE

Jan. 13: The Art of Skateboarding

Bustin Boards at City Garage, 101 W. Dickman St. 6-10 p.m. $11.53-17.80.

When he was only 14 years old, Joey Jett discovered his passion for street skating, videography, and photography. Since then, he’s been touring the globe with fellow boarder Mike Vallely as a professional skater. On Saturday, catch the world premiere of The Art of Skateboarding, a film showcasing Jett’s original skate tricks shot around the world, followed by a meet-and-greet with the star himself, as well as Vallely, plus local food and beer. The silent auction is also a must for all skaters—with a Vallely hand-painted and autographed board, a sold-out first-run Joey Jett board, and a custom-designed Bustin board. Most importantly, all proceeds will go to Jake’s Skatepark, a new section of the redesigned Rash Field Park in tribute to local boarder Jake Owen, a 5-year-old South Baltimore skater tragically killed in a distracted driving accident.

 HEAR

Jan. 12: Charm City Bluegrass Festival’s Battle of the Bands

Union Craft Brewing, 1700 Union Ave. 6-11 p.m. $12-15. 410-467-0290. 

Each winter, local and regional musicians duke it out for a chance to grace the stage at Druid Hill Park’s Charm City Bluegrass Festival in the spring. This year is no different as the first round of the festival’s Battle of the Bands starts this month. On Friday, enjoy a night of Americana music as you sip on local brews by Union Craft and nosh on eats by BricknFire Pizza and The Local Oyster. Listen to performances by four bands—The Plate Scrapers, Hurricane Hoss, Gold Top County Ramblers, and 19th Street Band—as they go head to head with their fiddles, banjos, and harmonicas to see who will advance to the next round. 

 DO

Jan. 13: Version with Trillnatured  One Year Anniversary

The Crown, 1910 N. Charles St. 10 p.m. Free. 410-625-4848. 

Jessica Hyman accidentally stumbled into DJing out of a simple curiosity. Within a few years, that curiosity evolved into a full-blown passion, transforming Hyman into Trillnatured, a DJ spreading her eclectic style at local dance parties and curated shows throughout the East Coast, even earning her the title of Baltimore magazine’s Best DJ of 2017. This weekend, come celebrate the one-year anniversary of Version, her monthly turnup at The Crown. Though Trillnatured will be serving up her usual R&B and jazz-influenced club mixes, the event gained a renewed importance after she announced that it is now an explicitly queer function, providing a safe space for the city’s LGBTQ community to embrace who they are and just be.