Fall Arts Preview: The 21 Cultural Experiences You Can’t Miss in Baltimore This Season

The year begins to slow with the arrival of autumn, but the same cannot be said for the local arts scene. Over the next few months, brand-new seasons of cultural programming begin again at both small and large venues all across Baltimore, bringing with them fresh exhibitions, plays, performances, and much more—altogether showcasing the bona fide abundance of our local creative community.

Make the most of your fall by attending a few of the events featured in our October issue’s Fall Arts Preview. But don’t stop there—there are so many incredible offerings this time of year, we couldn’t fit all of them in. Long live the local arts!

10/2-5: NEW/NEXT FILM FESTIVAL
Even in the land of John Waters, we still can’t believe that we’re a city of two film festivals (see MdFF writeup below). Now in its third year, this already beloved Baltimore Public Media production presents four days of all things cinema at The Charles Theatre, including appearances by local film folks like comedian-turned-actor Stavros Halkias.

10/3-11/2: INTERIOR ARCHITECTURES
Curated by Baltimore Beat arts-and-culture editor Teri Henderson at Current space on Howard Street, this new exhibition explores the ways in which we construct our inner lives, featuring the drawing-based artworks of Vinnie Hager and the sculptural paintings of Emma Childs, as well as collaborative works by these two up-and-coming local artists.

10/3-5: NOBODY IS EVER MISSING
Including both highly trained and self-taught musicians, Baltimore’s Mind On Fire collective is shaping the future of classical music. See for yourself during this bold new opera, based on the 2014 novel of the same name, with three open-air, pay-what-you-can performances taking place at sunset on the Stony Run Trail.

10/4: OTTOBAR’S 28TH BIRTHDAY BASH
After nearly three decades, this Remington rock club has cemented itself as royalty of the local music scene. Celebrate their reign with this free, all-ages festival at the Inner Harbor Amphitheater. From noon to 8 p.m., catch live music from multiple Baltimore bands, plus food trucks and a flea market.

10/4-5: OPEN STUDIO TOUR
For one weekend, get a behind-the-scenes look inside the studios of some of Baltimore’s most talented artists. Over the past 37 years, this citywide event has grown into a time-honored tradition, offering glimpses into the working lives of our local painters, sculptors, collage artists, ceramicists, photographers, and more.

10/4-9/6/2026: FANTASTIC REALITIES
The American Visionary Art Museum is known for its collection of wild, whimsical, wonderful artworks. Now, they’re digging even deeper into that specialty, with this new exhibition exploring extraordinary, otherworldly creations—everything from pastel spirit portals to soap-carved sci-fi universes—that suspend both space and time.

10/10: ART IN OVERDRIVE
A decade ago, the Motor House appeared in the old Load of Fun building and quickly became a pillar of the Station North Arts District, hosting everything from art exhibits and music performances to open mics for poetry and comedy. Toast their anniversary during this jam-packed celebration of the neighborhood’s creative community.

10/10-12: SUBSCAPE
There’s no shortage of great DIY music in Baltimore, but this second-annual festival brings much of it under one roof during this free, all-ages showcase. Across three days at a trio of local venues—Metro, Mobtown Ballroom, Ema’s Corner—catch more than 60 acts under the underground umbrella, from punk and metal to indie and experimental.

10/25: THE WALTERS GALA & PARTY
Every fall, The Walters Art Museum’s annual gala is one of the most haute happenings in the city’s cultural sphere. Help support the Mount Vernon institution’s commitment to free admission with fine dining throughout its hallowed halls, with more affordable tickets also available for the Sculpture Court after-party. (Similarly, catch the Baltimore Museum of Art’s BMA Ball on November 22.)

10/26: END IT’S WRONG SIDE OF HEAVEN RELEASE SHOW
If you haven’t heard, Baltimore is having a bit of a hardcore music moment (see our October 2025 cover story on Turnstile) and this five-piece band is one of the reasons why. See them perform their new album, Wrong Side of Heaven, out now via Flatspot Records, during this Sunday night show at Baltimore Soundstage.

10/31-11/1: CHOCOLATE-COVERED ROCKY HORROR
For 10 years, this African-American shadow-cast (aka a theatrical troupe that performs as a live accompaniment to a film screening) has delighted local audiences with its rollicking rendition of the cult-classic Rocky Horror Picture Show. At Center Stage, experience all the excitement, which also includes a costume contest and audience participation.

11/1: DEAD COMPOSERS SOCIETY
Dan Rodricks seems to be everywhere these days. From his new Substack column to his recent run as a playwright, the former Baltimore Sun columnist is now teaming up with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for an afternoon kids’ concert full of sonic storytelling. Bring the little ones for this collaboration that’s sure to spark the imagination.

11/2-4/5/26: AMERICAN SUBLIME
Amy Sherald might be based in New York now, but after years of living, learning, and working in this city, not to mention repping it around the world, she’ll always be Baltimore to us. The most comprehensive collection of her paintings to date, this massive traveling exhibition, soon to be on view at the BMA, helps recognize Sherald as one of the most iconic American artists of this century.

11/5-9: MARYLAND FILM FEST
We’re still adjusting to some of Baltimore’s biggest arts festivals changing their long-held dates (looking at you, Artscape). But no matter when it happens, we’re happy that this once-spring, now-fall ritual is returning. Enjoy five days of film, filmmaker Q&As, food, music, and after-parties at the Parkway Theatre in Station North.

11/7-12/12: SUBMERSIVE PRODUCTIONS
This “collaborative artworks” company wears its name well. For the past decade, it’s taken viewers on immersive explorations through site-specific, sensory-rich, theatrical experiences. In this namesake exhibition at the Creative Alliance, relive those moments through costumes and props, video installations, and interactive performances.

11/8: TERMITE
For one night only at The Peale, soak in this movie premiere from gifted Baltimore cinematographer Kirby Griffin. The short documentary film captures the story of lifelong Cherry Hill resident “Termite” Kin Lane Brown, who, over the decades, has helped her neighbors navigate hardship, along the way becoming a hero of her community.

11/9: ROOTED AND RISING
To honor 25 seasons of the Full Circle Dance Company, head to the Baltimore Museum of Art for two brand-new dances from the city’s preeminent modern dance troupe: To Come Full Circle, honoring the ensemble’s artistic family, and She Did That!, inspired by the stories of female ancestors.

11/11-15: DIFFUSION FESTIVAL
Every September, the city’s annual High Zero Festival presents an eclectic array of musical performances, deemed the East Coast’s don’t-miss showcase of experimental music. But if you didn’t make it this year, fear not—you can still catch this exhibition of electronic and acoustic music from the same organizers, taking place at the innovative Voxel theater.

11/16: ASTRONAUT SYMPHONY
Scott and Alisha Patterson are the brains behind this one-of-a-kind band, which typically finds itself performing multi-sensory, sci-fi space operas in venues across Baltimore—a true embodiment of the city’s creative DIY ethos. Witness their otherworldly sound during two evening sets at the Keystone Korner.

11/30-1/4/2026: DECEIVED
From Agatha Christie to Sherlock Holmes, no one does a mystery like Everyman Theatre. At this downtown playhouse, sit on the edge of your seat during this gripping adaptation of the famous psychological thriller Gaslight, where a web of manipulation forces a young woman to doubt her own sanity.

TO 2/26: THE DAILY HUSTLE
It’s a good thing this powerful exhibition will be up for a while at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. We’re going to want to go back several times to soak up the images of I. Henry Phillips Sr., a pioneering photographer for the city’s Afro-American newspaper. Curated by his grandson, Webster Phillips, the collection depicts Black Baltimoreans at work, emphasizing their grace, style, and strength throughout the everyday.