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

 EAT

Sept. 29: Trucktoberfest

The Rotunda, 711 W. 40th St. 5-10 p.m. Free-$43.19. 410-235-8771

There’s no better way to celebrate the start of October than a food truck edition of Oktoberfest. Don your best lederhosen or dirndl and head on over to Hampden’s one-night Deutschland to enjoy food, beverages, street vendors, and authentic German music. Hosted by The Gathering, Baltimore’s outdoor food truck festival, the event headlines local food trucks competing for the title of the best Oktoberfest-style menu. With fiery competition, food trucks are keeping their German-inspired specials a secret, so you’ll have to go to check out their own renditions of bratwursts, schnitzels, and pretzels. And of course, there will be beer, so grab a glass (or several) of your favorite German brews, too. We know you’ll be yelling prost by the end of the night.

 DRINK

Oct. 1: Southside Stakes

R. House, 301 W. 29th St. 7-10 p.m. $50-60. 443-347-3570

Last summer, Baltimore magazine co-hosted a competition in which the city’s top bartenders duked it out to see who could concoct the best Southside, the signature cocktail of Baltimore County. But this Sunday, Baltimore Bartenders’ Guild is rekindling the competition with up-and-coming barkeeps. Join the judges in sampling drinks shaken and stirred by the promising bunch, made with regional spirits like Baltimore Whiskey Company, Lyon Distilling, New Liberty Distillery, and One Eight Distilling—plus help choose the best maker in town. While you’re there, eat your way around R. House’s food stands, take a break with Union Craft beers, and participate in a bar tools and spirits raffle. The best part? Proceeds will go to support House of Ruth, so you’ll be Sunday Fundaying for a good cause. 

 SEE

Sept. 29: Gilded Lily presents Pour Some Glitter on Me

The Windup Space, 12 W. North Ave. 8-11:30 p.m. $10. 410-244-8855. 

Tease out your hair and travel back in time to the decade of excess with Baltimore’s premier burlesque troupe, Gilded Lily. Starring their very own Maria Bella, Ruby Spruce, Gigi Holliday, and Mourna Handful, plus special guests Ona Monsoon and MC Kittie Glitter, the bodacious troupe will be paying tribute to the sounds of ’80s hair metal with a titillating performance complete with crimped hair, fishnets, and copious amounts of glitter. After all the razzle and dazzle, be sure to in on rock-and-roll karaoke with Black Lodge Karaoke and DJ Penfold.

 HEAR

Sept. 30-Oct. 1: BSO Movie with Orchestra: Jurassic Park

Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St. Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m. $17.50-69. 410-783-8000.

When Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park came out in the ’90s, many were in awe of the CGI dinosaurs and considered the film a cinematic masterpiece. Even today, the movie’s legacy endures with its reputation as an award-winning sci-fi adventure that redefined the entertainment business with its sequels and souvenirs. This weekend, you can relive its majesty with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s live performance of John Williams’s iconic score, as conducted by Nicholas Hersh. Watch the film as you listen to one of the most memorable soundtracks in movie history, and don’t miss out on local food truck Jurassic Pork, which will be serving up its old-school barbecue before the Saturday screening. 

 DO

Sept. 29-Oct. 7: Baltimore Innovation Week

Locations & times vary. Free-$75.

Move over, Silicon Valley—it’s Baltimore’s time to shine. With the growth of its technology and innovation sector, Charm City was recently named as one of the fastest-growing cities for tech. Starting this weekend, you can discover the nascent novelties of the city’s technological world. A plethora of programs will be scattered across the city—from groundbreaking gameplay to collaborative workshops—and give you the chance to meet local visionaries and entrepreneurs or learn about startups and inventions. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be inspired to jump on the tech wagon, make a revolutionary device, and become the next Steve Jobs.

On a balmy evening last summer, a dozen of the area’s most talented bartenders gathered beneath the waterfront pavilion at the Baltimore Museum of Industry to put their skills to the test in Baltimore magazine’s inaugural Southside Stakes competition. The contest paired each bartender with a local distillery, and tasked the teams with creating a unique spin on the classic Southside cocktail.

Baltimore Bartenders’ Guild (BBG) treasurer Amie Ward—who took home the People’s Choice award for her Southside that combined Sagamore Spirit Rye, rhubarb amaro, lavender sorbet, and lemongrass syrup—was so inspired by the experience, that she decided to keep the event going this year.

“I didn’t want it to go away,” says Ward, co-beverage director at R. Bar inside Remington’s communal food hall R. House. “It feels good to be able to maintain something that’s super Baltimore-focused.”

Local industry professionals will once again gather to craft their versions of the country club concoction in the second annual Southside Stakes competition at R. House on Sunday, October 1 from 7-10 p.m. Though veteran bartenders and guild members have been involved in organizing the event, Ward says that the BBG is hoping to attract industry newbies to participate this time around.

“This one’s for the new guys and gals,” she says. “Baltimore’s bar and restaurant scene is growing exponentially, so we wanted to make sure that we’re letting all of that fresh blood come through.”

Each contender will be assigned a regional spirit— including Baltimore Whiskey Company, Lyon Distilling Co., Catoctin Creek Distillery, and Belle Isle Spirits—and will be required to incorporate sugar, herbal, and citrus sources. Aside from those key ingredients, Ward is encouraging the participants to get as creative as possible.

“It has such a refreshing impact,” she says of the classic cocktail. “Regardless of what you use, the citrus and herbal sources combined together make something that’s just mind-blowing.”

With roots that trace back to the Prohibition era, the traditional Southside—made with gin, sugar, mint, and lemon—is thought to have originated in Chicago, but gained popularity locally amongst Maryland’s Hunt Cup crowd.

“We obviously weren’t going to do a Manhattan competition,” Ward says. “The locality and history of it all plays a huge role in this.”

In keeping with the local feel, the BBG will be donating a portion of all ticket sales to House of Ruth Maryland. The organization, which benefits victims of partner violence, aligns well with the guild’s mission to reduce harassment in local bars. Ward says that the guild members voted on which local charity they wanted to partner with, and House of Ruth was the overwhelming winner.

“The big drive within the bartending community worldwide right now is providing safe spaces for our patrons and peers,” she says. “And, specifically, being able to recognize things like sexual harassment and assault. People have become so much more cognizant of what’s happening in the atmosphere.”

Throughout the past six years, the guild has donated more than $50,000 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation with its annual Rye’s Up fundraiser. Ward hopes that the Southside Stakes competition mirrors that event’s spirit, not only in the charitable sense, but also in the way that it brings the community together. 

“Rye’s Up is always referred to as bartender prom for us, so this is like our homecoming” she says, with a laugh.  “But it’s not just about the comradery of our community. It’s also great for the regulars who we provide solace to from a long day of hard work. Whatever is happening in their life, they know they can come to us to escape it.”