The pioneering Afro-Peruvian sound system and Latin GRAMMY nominees Novalima continues to innovate by collaborating with a new generation of artists and fusing contemporary global sounds with their Afro-Peruvian roots. Over their celebrated career, Novalima has earned worldwide critical acclaim from media outlets like NPR, The Guardian, and Billboard. See them perform as part of […]

SINKANE is the nom de plume of multi-instrumentalist Ahmed Gallab. The former skate punk turned afro-funk maestro and veteran of indie-rock bands like Caribou, Yeasayer, and Of Montreal, has released eight albums and continues to resist the confines of genre. It’s pop. It’s funk. It’s electronic. It blends the gritty punk newness of a 70s […]

Bassel & The Supernaturals tells the story of Bassel Almadani’s experience as a first generation Syrian-American using soulful melodies, funk inspired rhythms, and captivating lyrics regarding love, loss, otherness, and the war in Syria. They made their national television debut in May 2024 as part of a new PBS docuseries starring Dule Hill entitled The […]

Shop 50+ artisans showcasing a variety of media during the Invitational Fine Arts & Crafts Show, all part of the Free LakeFest Weekend, June 20-22, at the Downtown Columbia Lakefront!

The 38th annual Free LakeFest Weekend returns to the Downtown Columbia Lakefront, June 20 – 22, 2025! This FREE three-day extravaganza features live music, an Invitational Fine Arts & Crafts Show, kids’ entertainment, food trucks, and more. Friday, June 20: 5pm – 10:30 pm; Saturday, June 21: 11am – 10:30pm; Sunday, June 22: 11am – […]

The Wilde Lake High School Steel Drum Band is one of many performing ensembles that make up the Wilde Lake Band Program. The Wilde Lake High School Steel Drum Band is well known for its performances of a variety of music, from Calypso to Soca, as well as jazz. See them perform as part of […]

Enjoy viewing a variety of decorated golf umbrellas outlining Lake Kittamaqundi near the boat dock. Using golf umbrellas as canvases, community members and groups created 60 colorful works of art inspired by the theme Bringing Unity to CommUNITY through the Sounds of Music. Designed to enhance unity and positivity throughout the community, the show entries […]

Join KidzArt as part of the Free LakeFest Weekend presented by the Merriweather Arts and Culture Center in collaboration with the Columbia Festival of the Arts, June 20-22, 2025, at the Downtown Columbia Lakefront. Children are invited to explore the visual arts with “artrageously” fun projects led by KidzArt, Howard County’s celebrated advocates of child […]

Founded in 2015, the Patuxent Jazz Band operates under the Columbia Bands, Inc. (CBI) umbrella, and was formed to provide an outlet for community members to play in a jazz ensemble. See them perform as part of the Free LakeFest Weekend presented by the Merriweather Arts and Culture Center in collaboration with the Columbia Festival […]

The New York Times calls Birckhead “One of the most riveting young improvisers in New York.” The Baltimore native’s talent earned him the honor of performing and touring with legendary artists including Lauryn Hill, Nas, Wale, Eric Benet, Larry Graham, George Duke and many more. See them perform as part of the Free LakeFest Weekend, […]

Baltimore’s Black Cherry Puppet Theater has for 45 years built a community of artists exploring and presenting the art of the puppet. Not only does it showcase performances by some of the finest puppeteers anywhere, the touring troupe also presents award winning puppet shows across the Mid-Atlantic Region. This is a show not to be […]

This Wisconsin based Soul-pop R&B group, found themselves playing music together in a very unconventional way. They were all neighbors, each one living alone on one floor of a five-story flat. Cake baking is a shared passion of the five-member group, but in the sugar shortages early in the 2020 pandemic, they found themselves so […]