It's the last stretch before school, and the weekend leans into it. The anchor is two nights of live music on the hillside at Lurman Woodland Theater. Around it — Zac Brown Band at Merriweather, a free backpack giveaway in Annapolis, guided fishing with the gear thrown in at Masonville Cove, a back-to-school bash on the SoPro lawn, Lego Hexbug races for the tweens, a baby art hour at the BMA, and The Iron Giant on the big screen at the Senator on Sunday. A full three days, most of it free.
Top Pick
Two Free Nights Under the Trees at Lurman — Lurman Woodland Theater, Catonsville Saturday – Sunday, August 15 – 16, 6:00 – 8:00 PM ET | All ages | FREE
Two nights, two bands, no ticket. Saturday brings The 1974 playing big '70s hits; Sunday is the Magical Mystery Girls, an all-female Beatles tribute. Spread a blanket on the wooded hillside and let the kids roam while the music plays.
Quick Weekend Wins
Free, and you can just show up
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GHEMS Love on the Lawn — Garrett Heights Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore City Live music, food, and vendors on the school lawn to send off the summer. Saturday, August 15, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET | All ages | FREE
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SoPro Family Funday: End of Summer Bash — SoPro (Southern Provisions), Canton Crafts, games, and a food-hall backdrop for the grown-ups. Saturday, August 15, 12:00 – 3:00 PM ET | All ages | FREE
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B-360 End of Summer Cookout — Bocek Rec Center, East Baltimore Baltimore's dirt-bike nonprofit throws a cookout with food, prizes, and giveaways. Friday, August 14, 1:00 – 4:00 PM ET | All ages | FREE
Ticketed This Weekend
These need a ticket — grab them ahead
- Zac Brown Band: Love & Fear Tour at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, with Old Crow Medicine Show opening — the big Saturday-night show. Lawn tickets run cheaper than the pavilion and a blanket suits a family better anyway; for a Saturday headliner they thin out the closer you get. Saturday, August 15, evening | All ages | paid.
- Neema Dance Collective: Summer Renaissance Showcase at the Bowie Center for the Performing Arts — the season-finale showcase from a summer dance camp. Best if there's a performer in the family or a kid who lives for dance. Saturday, August 15 | All ages | $25–40.
Budget-Friendly Finds
- Family Fishing Evening at Masonville Cove, South Baltimore — a guided evening on the pier with rods and bait provided. Registration required, and it already got bumped once, so it fills. Friday, August 14, 5:00 – 7:30 PM ET | FREE.
- Back to School Bash at School of Rock Annapolis, Arnold — free mini-lessons, open jams, and live student sets — a whole music-school afternoon. Sunday, August 16, 12:00 – 3:00 PM ET | FREE.
Back-to-School Ready
The Big Backpack Giveaway at Fitzgerald Mazda on West Street, Annapolis — the first 200 kids get a backpack filled with school supplies, courtesy of Fitzgerald Mazda and 93.5 WRNR. No purchase, one per child. Saturday, August 15, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET | All ages | FREE.
For Toddler Families
- Baby Art Date at the Baltimore Museum of Art — an hour built for the 0-to-4 set: sensory art in the galleries, nothing to sit still for. Free. Friday, August 14.
- Playday at the Library: Water Play at the City of Laurel Splash Pad — splash-pad play with a library craft, and an indoor room on standby if the weather turns. Free. Friday, August 14, 10:30 – 11:30 AM ET.
- Bubblepalooza at the Joppa Library, Bel Air — a room full of bubbles, a craft, and a dance-along. Free. Friday, August 14, 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET.
- Two more free library sessions: Playdough Playdate in Catonsville (Friday, 10:00 AM) and the bilingual Let's Dance! / ¡Bailemos! at the Anne Arundel County library (Saturday).
Tween-Approved
Real skills, real bragging rights
- Lego Hexbug Races at the Howard County Library, Central Branch, Columbia — teams build Lego mazes and race robotic Hexbugs through them. Bring a friend. Free. Friday, August 14, 3:00 – 4:15 PM ET | Ages 9–12.
- Fungi Games at BUGSS, the Baltimore Underground Science Space — design a board game out of mushrooms at a real science lab. Saturday, August 15, 10:00 – 11:00 AM ET | Ages 9–14 | ticketed.
- Teen After Hours at the Joppa Library, Bel Air — the library after it closes, open just for teens: games, crafts, and the run of the place. Free. Friday, August 14, 5:00 – 7:30 PM ET | Teens.
Mark Your Calendar
Book these now
- August 22 (Saturday): Pete Alonso Bobblehead Night — Orioles vs. Rays at Camden Yards. The bobblehead is capped to a set number of fans, so buy the game ticket ahead if that's the draw.
- August 23 (Sunday): Ken & Brad Kolodner's Annual Backyard Concert feat. Richie & Rosie — a Baltimore City backyard show where capacity is a literal fence line. This one sells out.
Local Intel
Two air-conditioned fallbacks if August turns hot or wet: The Iron Giant on the big screen at the historic Senator Theatre on Sunday morning, and Mess Fest at the Maryland Science Center both days, where the stations run from sensory play to hands-on experiments. And if Friday's fishing at Masonville Cove goes well, the cove runs a free Nature for Kids: Fantastic Fish session Saturday morning.
Also This Weekend
- Celebrating 45 Years at White Marsh Mall — live performances and a Miss Kitty Balloons return. Saturday, August 15, 1:00 – 3:00 PM ET | FREE.
- 150 Years & Counting — a Baltimore Heritage guided walk through the Maryland Zoo's 150-year history. Saturday, August 15 morning | zoo admission.
- Mabuhay Annual Picnic — a free Filipino-American community picnic at Allen Pond, Bowie. Sunday, August 16, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET | FREE.
- Back to School Bash at Clark's Elioak Farm — a princess-character show alongside the petting farm and storybook trail. Saturday, August 15 | farm admission.
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