A Personal Note
EDIT BEFORE SENDING
Mother's Day weekend in Baltimore! Lots of activities around for what looks like a cool but decent weather weekend (Sunday being better than Saturday). Free events feature trucks, and the Walters has a cool Black Panther themed mask making activity. For Annapolis parents looking for date night check out the drop-off Lion King event. For the Baltimore crew our Sunday pick is Rico Rico Fiesta, a Latin food and music festival (which to be faair is happening all weekend).
Top Pick: Monkton Music Festival
Saturday, May 9 | 11am–8pm | $15/person | Camp Puh'tok, Monkton
Two outdoor stages, regional and local artists rotating all day, artisan vendors, craft booths, and local food trucks. The festival raises money for camp scholarships and programs for children with disabilities, which means your rather pricey Saturday admission is actually doing something in the world while you eat a pulled pork sandwich and pretend you're not tired.
This is a full-day destination — $60 per adult, $20 for 6-15, free for <5 - which gives you up to nine hours of music and food. Ages 5 and up can handle the full day; younger kids will do better leaving by early afternoon.
- Perfect for: Families who want a real Saturday adventure with live music, local food, and room to roam
- More info | Get tickets — registration required
Quick Weekend Wins
Three free events where you just show up. No tickets, no registration, no excuses.
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Weber's Food & Fire Trucks — Sat May 9, 2–6pm, FREE, Weber's Cider Mill Farm, Parkville. Real fire trucks, food trucks, and a farm that Baltimore County families already love. Post-nap timing makes this one feel effortless. Details
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Public Works Big Truck Day — Sat May 9, 10am–2pm, FREE, Baltimore City. Climb on the actual trucks. Interactive STEM exhibits. The engineering-curious kid in your house will lose their mind in the best way. Details
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Black Panther Family Afternoon at the Walters — Sat May 9, 1–4pm, FREE, Walters Art Museum. Marvel-themed family activities at a world-class free museum. Your kid will ask about Wakanda and accidentally learn art history. Sleeper hit of the weekend. Details | Register
Ticketed This Weekend
Worth the price if the timing works.
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Lion King JR Kids Night Out — Fri May 8, 6–9pm, $50, Children's Theatre of Annapolis. Drop-off for ages 5–9 while you have a real dinner. The show is good; the three hours of quiet is the actual value. Book now
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Moms & Mini-mosas — Sat May 9, 10:30–11:30am, $20, Historic London Town. Mom and kids make flower bouquets and drink mocktails together. Short, purposeful, exactly what it sounds like. Spots tend to fill for this one. Details
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Once Upon a Princess Tea — Sat May 9, 10:30am–12pm, Clark's Elioak Farm. Price on registration page. Best fit is ages 4–7 — not the right event for under-threes. Register
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BSO Heroes & Heroines — Sat May 9, 8pm, Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Star Wars and Lord of the Rings performed live by a full orchestra. One flag: bringing the whole family gets expensive fast. We suggest a parent-and-tween date night, not a family evening. Tickets
Mother's Day Sunday
Sunday has a clear anchor and two quieter alternatives.
The main event: RICO RICO FIESTA Sun May 10, 11am–5pm, FREE, Baltimore Peninsula waterfront
Eighty-plus food vendors. Live Latin music. Waterfront views. This is the Mother's Day move. Skip the mediocre brunch reservation and let mom walk the peninsula picking from eighty options — tacos, arepas, empanadas, whatever looks right — while the kids run and the music plays. It's free, and you can leave whenever you want. Details
The quieter option: Clark's Elioak Farm Sun May 10, free hayrides for moms. Farm animals, spring air, a slower morning pace. If your family does better with open space and less stimulation than an 80-vendor festival, this is a genuinely warm alternative. Details
Harford County: Star Bright Farm Lunch Sun May 10, 10:30am–4pm, $35/adult, $15/child (ages 4+). Boxed picnic, bluegrass, wagon rides. If you're north of the city, this one's worth the drive. Registration required. Book
For Toddler Families
Two of the Quick Weekend Wins above are particularly well-suited for the nap-schedule crowd:
- Weber's Food & Fire Trucks (see above) — 2pm start works well with nap schedules. Open space, easy exits.
- Big Truck Day (see above) — 10am start gives you a clean morning window.
- Steam Show at the Fire Museum — Sat 10am–2pm, FREE. Hands-on and interactive. One note: steam equipment is genuinely loud for noise-sensitive kids.
Tween-Approved
Events that actually land with kids who have opinions now:
- Black Panther at the Walters (see above) — The Wakanda hook gets them in the door. What happens after is between them and the medieval armor collection.
- Music Tech: Logic Pro X — Sat 2–3:30pm, ages 11–18, FREE, HoCo Library Central Branch. Beat-making and production basics. No registration link available — call the branch to confirm.
- Blood on the Clocktower at Patterson Park — Sat, FREE. Outdoor social deduction game, beginner-taught. If your tween is deep in an Among Us phase, this is the in-person version with strangers who are extremely serious about it. Details
Mark Your Calendar
Registration is open now for some of the summer's best programs.
- Baltimore County Rec Summer Camps — Registration open now, programs start June 1. Ages 4–17.
- Therapeutic Recreation Summer Programs — Limited spots for children with disabilities, June 1 start. If this applies to your family, it goes to the top of the list.
- Strawberry U-Pick at Pearlstone — Opens May 18. $6/lb, Kids' Corner on site.
- Magic School Bus Live at Center Stage — Opens May 15. Strong field-trip energy. Ticketed.
Local Intel
Saturday power combo: Big Truck Day in the morning rolls cleanly into Weber's in the afternoon. Full day, zero admission, two completely different vibes.
Howard County families, your makerspace has Mother's Day covered: Laser-cut pendants at HoCo Library Glenwood (Thu May 7, FREE, registration required) and Mother's Day Cards at HoCo Library (Fri May 8, FREE). Walk in Sunday with a handmade gift and you've already won the weekend before anything else happens.
Paw Patrol Live is at the Hippodrome with multiple Saturday showtimes. Budget $30–40 per person — your four-year-old will not be managing their expectations.
Also This Weekend
A few more options if none of the above fit your schedule:
- New Town Village Spring Festival — Sat, FREE, Owings Mills
- Drop-in Art Making at the Walters — Sat 10am–1pm, FREE
- Havre de Grace Mother's Day Market — Sat 10am–4pm, FREE
- Half-Price Friday at the National Aquarium — Fri 5–9pm, ~$25/adult