Fall Best Bets 2023: Not-to-miss Baltimore-area events

September

Maryland Renaissance Festival

Ongoing: Leave the modern age behind as you pierce the veil of time to take a walking tour of a 16th-century English village. Tour Revel Grove and marvel at the Tudor architecture as you rub elbows with lords, ladies, knights and peasants, all performers dressed in period costumes. Take in a jousting tournament or go to the local tavern for a turkey leg and mug of beer. The festival runs every weekend through Oct. 22. Tickets cost $24 for adults. 1821 Crownsville Road, Annapolis. rennfest.com

‘Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill’

Now-Oct. 8: Four months before her passing, Baltimore jazz singer Billie Holiday performed at Emerson’s Bar and Grill in South Philadelphia. At Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St., this performance will be recreated featuring Holiday’s best known songs like “Strange Fruit” and “God Bless the Child,” and the triumphs and heartbreaks of her life and career. Tickets start at $39. centerstage.org

Jonas Brothers

Sept. 22: Brothers Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas will bring their pop rock music to CFG Bank Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St., for their latest tour: Jonas Brothers: Five Albums. One Night. The trio is known for such hits as “Sucker,” “Burnin’ Up,” “A Little Bit Longer,” and more. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices start at $44. cfgbankarena.com

Artscape

Sept. 22-24: The free arts festival returns for its 38th year. Walk from Station North to Mount Vernon to see art, culture and performances. Enjoy live music on the Main Stage on Sept. 23 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring DJ Pee .Wee, the “musical persona” of eight-time-Grammy-award-winning, R&B performer Anderson .Paak. There will be food and drink vendors. Take a poetry workshop class and more. artscape.org

October

Queen + Adam Lambert

Oct. 4 and 5: Sing along to your favorite songs when Queen + Adam Lambert bring their Rhapsody Tour to CFG Bank Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St. Queen is known for such mega hits as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Don’t Stop Me Now” and the arena staple “We Will Rock You.” Tickets start at $244.50. tickets-center.com

Henry Rollins

Oct. 6: Listen to a spoken word performance by Henry Rollins at “Good to See You,” at the Baltimore Soundstage, 124 Market Place. Rollins is known for being the singer/frontman for the punk rock band Black Flag. The show starts at 7 p.m. Ticket prices range from $30 to $90. baltimoresoundstage.com

International Edgar Allan Poe Festival and Awards

Oct. 7-8: Celebrate the macabre writer who lived and died in Baltimore, at the annual fest that features Poe-themed performances, readings, art, vendors, food and tours. The two-day event is free, but includes paid extras, including “death weekend” bus tours. The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum, 203 N. Amity St. poefestinternational.com

Oktoberfest

Oct. 7-9: Head over to the Guinness Open Gate Brewery, 5001 Washington Blvd. Halethorpe, for the Oktoberfest Weekend Celebration. Try five German beers, limited batch releases and German inspired food. Enjoy polka and Oktoberfest music performed by Sepp Walzer Fest Band, Edelweiss Band and Alte Kumpel Band. Admission is free. Other activities include: Guided Tasting ($25), Beer & Sausage “Wurst” Pairing ($36), Beer & Breakfast Experience ($45). guinnessbrewerybaltimore.com

‘The Firebird’

Oct. 13-15: Ballet Theatre of Maryland opens its 45th anniversary season with “The Firebird” at Maryland Hall for the Arts, 801 Chase St, Annapolis. Taking inspiration from a Russian folk tale, it follows a mythical firebird who helps Prince Ivan save a group of captured princesses from an evil sorcerer. In-person tickets are on sale now at $55 for adults, $44 for seniors and military, and $33 for children. For virtual audiences, tickets are $33 per household. balletmaryland.org

‘Funny Girl’

Oct. 24-29: This Broadway comedy is coming to the Hippodrome Theatre, 12 N. Eutaw St. The story is the indomitable Fanny Brice, a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage. Everyone told her she’d never be a star, but then something funny happened — she became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway. Tickets start at $57. baltimore.broadway.com

Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics

Oct. 25: Get into the holiday spirit with a candlelit concert at Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics at the Theater at the Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. Tentative program includes: “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, “Tubular Bells (Theme from ‘The Exorcist’),” “The Adams Family (Theme),” “Halloween Theme” by John Carpenter, “In the Hall of the Mountain King” by Edvard Grieg and more. Show times 6:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. General admission costs $45. feverup.com

Steve Martin & Martin Short

Oct. 28: Two comedic legends Steve Martin and Martin Short bring “You Won’t Believe What They Look Like Today!” to The Lyric, 140 W. Mount Royal Ave. Martin and Short have both performed on “Saturday Night Live” and acted in motion pictures. Recently, the duo teamed up with singer/actress Selena Gomez in the Hulu mystery-comedy-drama, “Only Murders in the Building.” Bluegrass group Jeff Babko and the Steep Canyon Rangers will play music. Ticket prices start at $115. Show times are 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. lyricbaltimore.com

November

Maryland Irish Festival

Nov. 10-12: Follow the leprechauns to the Maryland Irish Festival at the Timonium state fairgrounds. Enjoy authentic food, drink, music and dance. Date and times are Friday: 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday: noon to 11 p.m.; Sunday: noon to 6 p.m. Ticket information will be forthcoming. 2200 York Road, Timonium. irishfestival.com

Eyewinkers, Tumbleturds, and Candlebugs: The Art of Elizabeth Talford Scott

Nov. 12-April 28, 2024: Elizabeth Talford Scott inherited a creative legacy from generations of craftspeople in her family who honed their artistry through slavery and its aftermath in sharecropping, migration and segregated city life. Twenty works will be on view at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive. Highlights include the majestic Plantation (1980), a dazzling quilt in the BMA’s collection that envisions the Big Dipper as a matriarchal beacon of freedom, and Joyce’s Quilt (1983), a tribute to her daughter, artist Joyce J. Scott. artbma.org

Ethiopia at the Crossroads

Dec. 3-March 3, 2024: Explore the artistic traditions of Ethiopia from their origins to the present day. Ethiopia at the Crossroads will be the first major art exhibition in America to examine Ethiopian art in a global context. Featuring more than 225 objects including coins, painted icons, illuminated manuscripts, metalwork and carved wood crosses of various scales along with works by contemporary Ethiopian artists. The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. thewalters.org

Editor’s Note:

These events were planned prior to our publication date. Please check with organizers for each event to confirm that it is still being held.