We’ve got a jam-packed, long weekend (for most of us) in Baltimore, including Martin Luther King Jr. holiday events.

Though for the first time in years — excluding during the COVID-19 pandemic — the city won’t host an MLK Day parade. There are other related celebrations, and parade fans only have to wait until Feb. 16, when Baltimore will host a Black History Month parade.

Non-holiday options include Monster Jam at CFG Bank Arena, rising Baltimore band Pinkshift at Ottobar and your last chance to skate at the Inner Harbor Ice Rink. Let’s dig in.

Thursday, Jan. 15

Langston Hughes’ ‘Shakespeare in Harlem’

This collaborative theater production between the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company brings writer Langston Hughes’ characters alive in 1940s Harlem through poetry, movement and music. Directed by Gerrad Alex Taylor, the production — which features students, professionals and members of the CSC’s Black Classical Acting Ensemble — runs through Sunday.

Note: Thursday is Black Out Night, an evening intended for a Black audience to see and discuss the show. “The intention is for audience members to feel represented beyond the stage,” Nia June, the company’s communications director, said in an email. No one is turned away from these performances, June added, which started in 2024.

Time: 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday

Price: $15-$25

Location: Chesapeake Shakespeare Company Theater (7 S. Calvert St.)

Family friendly? Yes

Lafayette Gilchrist and New Volcanoes

Veteran Baltimore jazz pianist Lafayette Gilchrist stops by Keystone Korner Baltimore in Harbor East with his full band. Expect to hear material from Gilchrist’s six-track release, July’s “More With Love.”

Time: 7 p.m.

Price: $35-$40. Virtual stream available for $15.

Location: Keystone Korner Baltimore (1350 Lancaster St.)

Family friendly? All ages; must be 21-plus to sit at the bar.

Erica L. Green and Katie Benner: ‘Miracle Children’

The new investigative book by New York Times reporters Katie Benner and Erica L. Green, a Baltimore native and Baltimore Sun alum, centers on a small private school in a poor Louisiana town, where a high-profile scam exposed “the inequalities and racial segregation of American education,” according to publisher Metropolitan Books.

Benner and Green will hold a live discussion with Banner education reporter Liz Bowie at the Central Enoch Pratt Free Library.

Time: 7-8 p.m.

Price: Free. Register here.

Location: Wheeler Auditorium, Central Enoch Pratt Free Library (400 Cathedral St.)

Family friendly? Yes.

Friday, Jan. 16

Monster Jam

Come ready to cheer and scream as flashy, 12,000-pound monster trucks take over CFG Bank Arena for the weekend. There are competitions of some sort, but let’s be real — we’re here to see these colossal machines, and their adrenaline-seeking drivers, get SOME BIG AIR.

Time: 7 p.m. Friday; 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday

Price: $32.80-$99.25

Location: CFG Bank Arena (201 W. Baltimore St.)

Family friendly? You bet.

Saturday, Jan. 17

Pinkshift

So you missed out on tickets for this rising Baltimore alt-rock trio’s now sold-out Friday night gig at the Ottobar. No worries: Pinkshift added a second night, where they will again play their latest album, “Earthkeeper,” in full. Maryland emo act Rose Lens opens.

Fair warning: At the moment, these are the band’s only scheduled local dates in 2026. You could be bragging one day soon about being there if Pinkshift continues its ascent.

Time: 9:30 p.m.

Price: $28.37

Location: The Ottobar (2549 N. Howard St.)

Family friendly? All ages. Expect to rock.

MLK Jr. Day Celebration by Unique Robinson

Honor the life of Martin Luther King Jr. ahead of the holiday (more Monday events below) with a program at the Walters Art Museum curated by poet and Baltimore native Unique Robinson. The event will feature performances by singer/songwriter Ray Winder, Maryland poet laureate Lady Brion and Davon Fleming, former semifinalist on “The Voice.”

Time: 3-4:30 p.m.

Price: Free

Location: The Walters Art Museum (600 N. Charles St.)

Family friendly? Yes

Soulful Saturdays: Love & Connection Edition

Here’s a cross-country crossover we didn’t know we needed: San Diego life coach Lisane Basquiat, sister of the influential artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Baltimore multidisciplinary visual artist Ainsley Burrows are cohosting this one-night-only soiree designed to socially connect locals. Attendees will eat, drink and get to know each other through “interactive vignettes and playful social experiments,” according to organizers. Come ready to mingle and dance to music by DJ Tanz.

Time: 6-10 p.m.

Price: $28.52

Location: The Mill on North (2636 W. North Ave.)

Family friendly? Leave this one to the adults.

MLK Jr. Weekend Celebration: Freedom in Fabric

The B&O Railroad Museum’s weekend-long holiday programming highlights the rich legacy and artistry of African-American quilting. On Saturday and Sunday, the Baltimore Heritage Quilt Guild will present quilts inspired by King’s work, while the Maryland-based Uhuru Quilters Guild will share their own quilts on Monday.

Time: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Monday

Price: Included with museum admission

Location: B&O Railroad Museum (901 W. Pratt St.)

Family friendly? Yes. Kids can make mini-quilt crafts they can take home.

Poe Toaster Murder Mystery

Celebrate Edgar Allan Poe’s 217th birthday with this live, podcast-style investigation into the Poe Toaster, a shadowy figure known for leaving roses and cognac at Poe’s grave at Westminster Hall and Burying Ground. Lit-hop rapper MC Lars will be on hand to debut songs from his new Poe-inspired album as well.

Time: 6:30-9 p.m.

Price: $49

Location: Westminster Hall and Burying Ground (515 W. Fayette St.)

Family friendly? Yes, but parent discretion is advised. We’re talking macabre stuff here.

Sunday, Jan. 18

Damn Near Beer Fest

Who says Dry January can’t have a beer festival? More than 30 nonalcoholic beers and beverages — from Sierra Nevada, Fat Orange Cat Brew Co., Athletic and more — will be available to sample and purchase at Whitehall Mill.

Time: 2-6 p.m.

Price: Free to enter. Beverages available to purchase.

Location: True Chesapeake (3300 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 400)

Family friendly? Yes.

Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day

MLK Dare to Dream Day

The American Visionary Art Museum will dedicate the day to King with a performance by Baltimore’s Keur Khaleyi African Dance Company, an open-mic poetry slam, art workshops and more. Best of all, it’s all free.

Time: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Price: Free. Register here.

Location: American Visionary Art Museum (800 Key Highway)

Family friendly? Yes.

King Day: The Children Shall Lead

From insightful conversations and craft activities to film screenings and music performances, this full day of programming at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum is inspired by the life of King and also Kid Zone, the museum’s newest permanent exhibit designed for kids and parents.

Time: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Price: Free with museum admission. Kids are free.

Location: The Reginald F. Lewis Museum (830 E. Pratt St.)

Family friendly? Yes.

End-of-season ice rink party

Lace up the skates one more time before the Inner Harbor Ice Rink closes after Monday.

Time: Noon-10 p.m.

Price: $12-$15

Location: Inner Harbor Ice Rink (201 E. Pratt St.)

Family friendly? Yes

Just announced

Dubstep DJs/producers Levity and Tape B will bring their “Summer Program” tour to Pier Six Pavilion on July 31. General tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday.

Kpop stars BTS are ending their yearslong hiatus with a world tour, including two dates at M&T Bank Stadium on Aug. 10-11. General tickets go on sale 1 p.m. Jan. 24. Read more about it here.