Things to do in Baltimore this week
Monday to Thursday26 October to 29 October
Twenty-four things on Monday to Thursday, every time read off the organiser's own page: a Keystone Korner show every night from Tuesday, Six at the Hippodrome, and a Halloween week Thursday with Rocky Horror and a live shadow cast at the M&T Bank Exchange, Marvin at the Lyric, Frankenstein back at Chesapeake Shakespeare and a free Violet Hour at the BMA.
Monday 26 October
Django Jazz Jam
The Bluebird
Django Jazz Jam every Monday 7pm to 11pm, hosted by Michael Joseph Harris and the Hot Club of Baltimore, running since 2012. No cover, all ages
Dat Feel Good jazz jam
Motor House
Dat Feel Good jazz jam, alternate Mondays 7pm to 10pm, pay what you can. Hosted by Clarence Ward III and emceed by Rufus Roundtree
Tuesday 27 October
Tue to Thu 7:30pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm and 8pm, Sun 1pm
Six
The Hippodrome Theatre, 12 N Eutaw St
The Tudor queens' pop concert musical, 1 hour 20 minutes. Recommended for ages 10 and up, with strobe, haze and loud music. The Hippodrome's page gives no price.
the Hippodrome's own Broadway series page for Six, read Oct 7, 2026
7pm
The Larry Brown Quintet
Keystone Korner Baltimore
The Washington pianist's straight-ahead quintet, three times the Wammie winner for best jazz group: Kent Miller on bass, Greg Holloway on drums, Thad Wilson on trumpet and Peter Fraize on tenor saxophone. Seats $30 to $35 plus fees, or $15 to stream. Tickets are not refundable or exchangeable, and food and drink are extra.
Keystone Korner's own calendar and ticket page, read Oct 27, 2026
6pm
John Legend in-store performance
The Sound Garden
John Legend plays the record store the week his album Muse comes out. Time and space are limited: pre-ordering Muse secures priority entry, $21.99 for a signed CD with an admission or $34.99 for the smokey quartz vinyl, picked up free in store on the day.
The Sound Garden's own in-store event page for the date, time, entry rule and prices, read Oct 22, 2026
Bar opens 5pm, talk 6:30pm
Profs & Pints: The Life of Frankenstein
Section 771, 504 Washington Blvd
Bernard Welt, emeritus professor of arts and humanities at George Washington University, on how Mary Shelley's 1818 novel was written and how it became a myth, through the film adaptations from early cinema to now. Advance sales have ended; tickets at the door are $17, or $15 with a student ID.
Profs & Pints' own ticket page for the talk, read Oct 27, 2026
Baltimore Bluegrass Jam
The Bluebird
Baltimore Bluegrass Jam on the other Tuesdays, 7pm to 10pm with Alex Lacquement and Friends. Free, all ages
Wednesday 28 October
7pm
The Karen Briggs Experience
Keystone Korner Baltimore
The violinist best known from Yanni: Live at the Acropolis, with Luke Carlos O'Reilly on piano, Gerald Veasley on bass and Tim Hutson on drums. Seats $35 to $40 plus fees, or $15 to stream. Tickets are not refundable or exchangeable, and food and drink are extra.
Keystone Korner's own calendar and ticket page, read Oct 27, 2026
5:30pm to 9pm
Aquarium After Dark
National Aquarium
21 and over, $59.95 or $47.95 for members, with a drink and a 4D film in the price. Last entry 7pm, and booking is by phone on 410-659-4269.
aqua.org dated event page, read Sep 19, 2026
6pm
Isaiah the Poet, Isaiah the Prophet: Loyola's Cardin Conversations
McGuire Hall, Loyola University Maryland, 4501 N Charles St
The first of Loyola's new Cardin Conversations, after the Cardin Lecture: a moderated discussion and Q&A on the Book of Isaiah between Robert A. Harris of the Jewish Theological Seminary and Elaine T. James of Princeton Theological Seminary, chaired by Loyola's Robin Landrith. Free and open to the public, with registration on the university's page.
Loyola University Maryland's own Cardin Conversations page, read Oct 27, 2026
6:30pm to 8pm, boarding from 6pm
Wednesday on the Water: Cider Edition
Lady Thames, Fell's Point Water Taxi Stop, 901 S Broadway
The Water Taxi's Wednesday evening cruise, a different theme each time it sails; this one is a cider tasting with Global Wines and small bites, 90 minutes on the harbor as the city lights come on. General admission with no assigned tables, so it is a mingling night. $48 covers the tasting and the bites; ciders by the glass and a cash bar for everything else. 21 and over with ID, and the boat leaves at 6:30 and cannot wait. Bring a layer. Lady Thames is not wheelchair accessible: boarding and moving about the boat mean stairs, steps and raised thresholds, and the operator asks guests with mobility concerns to call before booking.
the Baltimore Water Taxi's own Wednesday on the Water page for 28 October, read Oct 20, 2026; the operator's FareHarbor booking calendar for the date, the time and the price, read Oct 20, 2026
Doors 7pm
Flooding with Dosser and Racing Green
Ottobar
Rose Brown's slowcore and noise rock three-piece, presented by u+n booking. All ages. The Ottobar's page gives no price.
the Ottobar's own event page, read Oct 7, 2026; u+n booking's own Instagram post of its October shows
Baltimore Irish Music School
The Bluebird
Baltimore Irish Music School on the last Wednesday of each month, an evening of traditional Irish music in place of the jazz
Art of Comedy open mic
Motor House
Art of Comedy open mic, alternate Wednesdays 9pm to 10:30pm, pay what you can. Up to 25 comedians, hosted in rotation by Jamar Taylor, Lyric Marie and Zach Zwagil
Thursday 29 October
Thu 7:30pm; Fri 6:30pm and 10:30pm; Sat 3pm and 8pm
The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the M&T Bank Exchange
The M&T Bank Exchange at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, 401 W Fayette St
The film in a new 4K restoration with a live shadow cast acting it out in front of the screen, audience participation and a costume contest. Rated R, and 18 and over.
the Hippodrome Broadway Series' own show page for the dates, times and age rule, read Oct 20, 2026, and again Oct 23, 2026 for the M&T Bank Exchange as the hall
Thu 7pm, Fri 8pm
Marvin: The Marvin Gaye Musical
The Lyric, 140 W Mount Royal Ave
Je'Caryous Johnson's musical of Marvin Gaye's life, with a second show added. From $73 with fees and taxes. Doors an hour before. Small bags up to 6 by 8 by 2 inches or clear bags up to 12 by 12 by 6, no backpacks.
The Lyric's own event page and the ticket page it links, read Oct 7, 2026
Thu 7:30pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm and 8pm, Sun 2pm
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, 7 S Calvert St
Chesapeake Shakespeare's Frankenstein for the Halloween season. Adults from $43 and 25 and under from $35; a $5 exchange fee for non-subscribers. Costumes welcome at every Saturday show. The company does not publish an age guide.
Chesapeake Shakespeare's own show page, its performance calendar and its season press release, read Oct 7, 2026
Doors 6pm, program 6:30pm to 7:45pm
BMA Violet Hour: Lawrence Burney and Ellis Marsalis III
Baltimore Museum of Art
Lawrence Burney reads from No Sense In Wishing, the 2026 One Maryland One Book, and previews Revisiting Ramona, his documentary in progress built around Ellis Marsalis III's photo book Tha Bloc, published as t.p. Luce, then the two talk. Tied to the Flashback photography show. Free, with registration encouraged.
the BMA's own event page, read Oct 27, 2026
7pm
ZO! & Tall Black Guy featuring Debórah Bond
Keystone Korner Baltimore
The Detroit keyboardist and producer and the beatmaker behind the albums Abstractions and Expansions, jazz, soul and hip-hop together, with the DC singer Debórah Bond. Seats $35 to $45 plus fees, or $15 to stream. Tickets are not refundable or exchangeable, and food and drink are extra.
Keystone Korner's own calendar and ticket page, read Oct 27, 2026
7:30pm and 9pm
Javier Nero 18-piece Jazz Orchestra
An die Musik LIVE!
A big band in the listening room, two sets. In-person seats $10 to $25, and the 7:30 set streams.
An die Musik's own events list, read Oct 27, 2026
7:30pm to 10pm
Craft and Cinema Night: The Craft
Creative Alliance
The 1996 film in the Patterson's theatre with the lights kept low, so you can knit, crochet, embroider or sketch while it runs; bring your own supplies. Run with Craft &, a Baltimore crafting group. $18, or $13 for members.
Creative Alliance's own calendar and event page, read Oct 27, 2026
5pm to 7:30pm
ArBOOretum
Cylburn Arboretum
Cylburn's family Halloween evening: the mansion decorated for photographs, a self-guided haunted trail walk through the woods pitched at elementary-age children, guided night hikes at 6 and 6:30 (no strollers), the Nature Education Center open 5:15 to 6:45, entertainers, free face painting and food trucks. $5 plus fees in advance, $10 at the door; tickets are for the night bought and cannot be refunded, rain or shine. Its page said under 3s free, its newer post says under 2s, so take the post.
Cylburn Arboretum Friends' own ArBOOretum page and the ticket page it links, read Oct 7, 2026; its own Instagram post of Oct 2, 2026 for the trail, the hikes, the face painting and the under-2s line, read Oct 22, 2026
4pm to 6pm
Baltimore Pop-Up Jazz Jam
Baltimore Pop-Up Jazz Jam
The jam that moves to a different city park or green space every Thursday, and an hour earlier this week. Free and open to all; bring an instrument or a chair. A guitar and bass amp and a drum kit are provided.
the jam's own Instagram post naming the October locations and times, read Oct 7, 2026
Baltimore Jazz Underground
The Bluebird
Baltimore Jazz Underground most Wednesdays and every Thursday, 8pm to 11pm, $10
Worth knowing
- This edition went out on Tuesday 27 October, two days late, so Monday and Tuesday are already behind us; Wednesday and Thursday are still ahead.
- Sold out: Wednesday's Profs & Pints talk on the haunted house at Guilford Hall Brewery, with no door tickets, and the Pendry's Hocus Pocus screening the same night.
- Wednesday is the last Wednesday of the month, so the Bluebird has the Baltimore Irish Music School in place of its jazz. Motor House's open mic is on its week; its next jazz jam is 9 November.
- Six plays the Hippodrome through Sunday 1 November, Tuesday to Thursday at 7:30. The Hippodrome's page gives no price.
- Aquarium After Dark and the Rocky Horror screening are 21 and over and 18 and over. Aquarium bookings are by phone only, on 410-659-4269.
Out every Sunday for the Monday to Thursday ahead; Friday to Sunday is the weekend digest. Everything on the site with a date on it is on the city’s events page.