BALTIMORE — Summer is the time to kick back and relax, on a Friday night or a weekend, and take in some local music.
While there are always larger festivals, sometimes it's nice to just wander down the street and experience a show - and most of them are free.
Many communities and towns in the Baltimore area offer summer concert series for local residents to enjoy. Here are a few you can check out all summer long:
- WTMD's First Thursdays has been a major draw on the Canton waterfront. The first show was June 1, and the prominent series will run all summer long.
- The second annual Baltimore By Baltimore brings local music and makers to the Inner Harbor. The festival technically runs beyond the summer, through November 4.
- Baltimore's Downtown Partnership presents Pints in the Park, in Center Plaza on North Charles Street, once a month starting June 9. The Friday happy hours offer drink specials, with those who register in advance being eligible for a free drink ticket good for canned wine and draft beer from Guilford Hall Brewery. Lawn chairs, picnic blankets, and dogs on leashes are all welcome.
- Towson's Feet on the Street returns to Allegheny Avenue on Friday nights starting June 9. The concerts feature local cover bands, like Chesapeake Sons, and also include a bar with beer, wine and cocktails.
- Music on Main Street in Reisterstown brings crowds to the lawn outside Franklin Middle School on Friday nights. It starts June 23, with a performance by Sagamore Band. There are also food vendors.
- Town of Bel Air Summer Concert Series will take place Sundays at the Shamrock Park ampitheater. The shows will include classical, choral music, jazz, big band music and more.
- Catonsville's Frederick Road Fridays return June 2 with Foreplay.
- Lurman Woodland Theatre in Catonsville brings back summer concerts starting June 3. Light snacks and drinks are available at the concession stand.
- Glen Burnie Summer Concerts begin June 30 with The Rebels. Concerts are held at The Corcoran Pavilion, Glen Burnie Town Center.
- Havre de Grace's Summer Concerts in the Park offer free music at Millard E. Tydings Park on Friday nights, starting June 2 with Christian rock band Ashes Remain.
- Lakefront Live in Columbia starts June 15 with headliner Elikeh.
- Howard County Recreation & Parks offers Sunset Serenades at the Centennial Park ampitheater in Ellicott City, starting July 12 with Reverend Smackmaster and the Congregation of Funk.
- The Jerusalem Mill in Kingsville offers Concerts in the Meadow, which isn't free but is certainly popular. They take place Sundays, starting June 4 with The Melting Pot Big Band. Shows are $15 for general admission.
- Racers Cafe in Parkville continues its annual Spring & Summer Concert Series in the beer garden, on Fridays throughout the summer.
- Dundalk's Concerts in the Park are at Heritage Park starting June 1.
- Annapolis City Dock concerts return June 4 with the Bayside Big Band.
- Tides & Tunes starts June 15 at the Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park's waterfront campus. The first show will be a night of classic and modern rock from Timmie Metz featuring Tambo. Concerts are free but donations are accepted. Food and drink will be available for purchase.
- Riverside Concert Series brings music to Riverside Park in south Baltimore on the second Sunday of each month, through September. There are beer and wine sales, food trucks and a raffle.
- Friends of Patterson Park kicks off its Sunday-evening concert series at the Patterson Park Observatory on June 11, with Letitia VanSant.
Besides community-organized events, several local shopping centers also offer summer concerts, including Mill Station in Owings Mills, Foundry Row in Owings Mills, Hunt Valley Towne Centre, The Avenue in White Marsh, Belvedere Square, and Merriweather District.
