Outdoor Events Return To Annapolis This Spring

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Events are starting to return to downtown Annapolis. The city on Thursday announced plans for an Independence Day celebration, but the town also has several festivities this spring.

Dinner Under the Stars, May Day and First Sunday Arts all return in the coming weeks. Event organizers think these happenings will promote small businesses and local artists.

Patch partners with several local organizations to bring you their latest news. This guest contribution comes from the Inner West Street Association and the Annapolis Arts District. Here's what Executive Director Erik Evans wrote about the spring festivities:

"Spring weather means the return of outdoor events[,] and several are planned over the next few weeks on West Street in downtown Annapolis, Maryland.

Starting next Wednesday, April 21st Dinner Under the Stars outdoor dining events will resume with live music every Wednesday evening. This event is hosted by the Inner West Street Association[. It] has traditionally started at the end of May but will be debuting early this year to accommodate community residents that prefer outdoor dining and to help our local musicians have a place to safely perform.

Last year[,] this event hosted 112 evenings of live music and socially distanced dining with no cover charge. The participating restaurants hope to add additional evenings later this spring and are currently looking for a sponsor to help underwrite the cost of these community events.

The Garden Club of Old Annapolis Towne will be celebrating its 66th May Day on Saturday, May 1st, and all throughout downtown Annapolis, there will be flower baskets on the fronts of stores and homes. As a bonus this year[,] you will find more than 15 flower sculptures made by artists from Gallery 57 West along West Street. Bring your camera and photograph the flowers along West Street as there will be chances to win prizes if you post your pictures on social media with the tag #MayDayAnnapolis2021

The First Sunday Arts events will resume on Sunday, May 2nd on the first block of West Street. These outdoor art markets are the first Sunday of each month May through November.

This event hosted by the Inner West Street Association is now in its 20th year of helping local and regional artists have outlets to sell their arts and crafts to the public. This event has no admission charge and has a tradition of hiring local musicians to perform.

For May and June, the event will be on the first block of West Street, and starting in July the event will expand back towards its pre-COVID size, extending up to the Graduate Hotel, and People’s Park (formally Whitmore Park) and bring back live entertainment. Since last year[,] this event has also hosted a virtual festival on its website at no charge to its artists for those more comfortable shopping from home.

The Inner West Street Association[,] which manages many of the popular events on West Street[,] has been quietly working for decades to bring economic development through the arts to West Street. A dedicated group of local businesses, sponsors, and residents have funded these events on West Street without direct government funding. They have created events that are mostly free to the public to attend, provided access to the arts for all, and created new income sources for artists and musicians.

“The group creates events for locals by locals,” says Erik Evans the Executive Director of the Inner West Street Association. “The events have made West Street a safer place for the community to hang out, eat, shop, and enjoy the arts. The extra foot traffic gives a boost to local businesses and fills the City parking garages.”

During the height of the COVID pandemic last year[,] most events shut down and some even went out of business. The Inner West Street Association managed to find safe ways to keep events going with social distancing, smaller in-person events, and adding virtual options.

Last year[,] Inner West Street Association hosted 120 free admission events compared to 25 events in 2019. They worked closely with City and County governments to make sure the events were modified to meet all health and safety requirements.

The cover of this year's Annual Financial Report from Comptroller Peter Franchot features Dinner Under the Stars with the tagline "Ingenuity in the Face of Adversity".

The Inner West Street Association also works closely with the Annapolis Arts District in promoting West Street as an arts destination[,] and both groups have a history of supporting the arts community along West Street. Working together, and with other partners, the West Street corridor continues to be a place where everyone can enjoy the arts.

Erik Evans
Executive Director
Inner West Street Association
Annapolis Arts District"

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