A list of upcoming events organized or supported by Baltimore Sister Cities and our sister city committees (Changwon, South Korea; Gbarnga, Liberia; Kawasaki, Japan; Luxor & Alexandria, Egypt; Piraeus, Greece; Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Xiamen, China) and our affiliates. Events include:
Census: Outreach to Baltimore’s immigrant communities
MIMA (Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs) has released a website for Census 2020, with information available in multiple languages.
The site contains Census outreach materials in multiple languages as well as opportunities to get involved. You can help promote the census in your community by requesting MIMA to share Census info at an upcoming event or let MIMA know if you are interested in volunteering as a Census Ambassador to help Baltimore’s immigrant communities fill out the census.
MIMA is looking to our community partners (YOU!) to help ensure that every Baltimore resident is counted this spring.
March 2020
[Postponed] Architecture trip to Rotterdam
Assistant Professor Cristina Murphy had planned a trip for Morgan State University architecture students to visit Rotterdam in the Netherlands this spring, with side trips to Amsterdam, Delft, and Antwerp.
Due to the evolving coronavirus situation, the students are not travelling on this trip. The coordinator is participating in some of the already-planned activities this month, to lay the groundwork for a redo of this trip next year.
In Rotterdam, the delegation had originally intended to tour the city’s architectural landscape; meet with architecture, planning, and urban design firms; visit Independent School for the City and TU Delft, and attend a lecture and a streetscape design workshop at Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Urban Design (RAvB). A big thanks to the sponsors that contributed donations towards the student travel costs: Penza Bailey Architects • Quinn Evans • Twopoint Studio • CallisonRTKL and funds contributed by their staff • BCT Architects • Hord Coplan Macht • Vertical Architecture Enterprises • Jerome C. Gray Architect LLC. We are disappointed this trip got derailed and we will be in contact with the sponsors to discuss the change in plans for the trip.
Supported by Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC).
Friday, March 27, 2020
[Postponed] Greek Night at Ikaros Restaurant featuring “The Ikarian Diet”
Out of an abundance of caution, this event is postponed.
Address: Ikaros Restaurant, 4901 Eastern Ave, Baltimore, MD 21224
Enjoy healthy Greek food and learn why the island of Ikaria is known for extraordinarily good health and longevity compared to other parts of the world. Ikaria is one of the world’s Blue Zones and is commonly referred to as “the place where people forget to die!”
Supported by Baltimore-Piraeus Sister City Committee (BPSCC).
Sunday, March 29, 2020
[Postponed] Maryland Greek Independence Day Parade
Out of an abundance of caution, this event is postponed.
Colorful, traditional costumes and ethnic pride of both young and old fill the streets of Baltimore each spring when the Greek-American Community commemorates Greek Independence Day with an annual festive parade in Baltimore’s historic Greektown.
More info: Parade organizer’s website
Supported by Baltimore-Piraeus Sister City Committee (BPSCC).
Monday, March 30, 2020
[Postponed] Dutch Drinks DC networking “borrel”
Out of an abundance of caution, this event is postponed.
This is a periodic happy hour networking event hosted by DC Dutch, Netherlands Embassy, the Netherland-America Foundation, the Netherlands America Chamber of Commerce Washington Metro (NACCWM), BrettonWoodsNL, Dutch District Drinks and the Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee.
Supported by Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC).
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
[Postponed] WTCI’s 2020 Maryland International Business Leadership Awards
Out of an abundance of caution, this event is postponed.
World Trade Center Institute (WTCI) hosts this annual event with Maryland Governor Hogan and 70+ presidents and CEOs to honor 2020′s award winners that have guided their companies and the state of Maryland to new global heights.
More info: Event page
Saturday, April 4, 2020
[Cancelled] Hanami Community Picnic
Out of an abundance of caution, this event is postponed.
Location: Rowing Center building, Middle Branch Park, 3301 Waterview Ave, Baltimore MD 21230
Hanami, a Japanese cherry blossom celebration, was to come to Middle Branch Park in Baltimore for its second annual edition — a great alternative to traveling to Washington, DC and dealing with DC parking and crowds.
In this annual event, Baltimore-Kawasaki committee and Flowering Tree Trails invites community members to bring a picnic lunch to a festive afternoon, based on Japanese tradition! Then go kayaking or learn origami. There are calligraphy demos, lawn games, Japanese music, food vendors, and more. Experience one of Baltimore’s finest waterfront parks and enjoy learning about another culture.
For more infomation: Facebook event page (Event is cancelled)
Organized by Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City Committee (BKSCC) and Flowering Tree Trails of Baltimore with partnership of Baltimore Department of Recreation & Parks.
[Postponed] Asia North Festival
Out of an abundance of caution, this event is postponed.
Location: Historic Korean Senior Daycare Center at 1915 Maryland Ave next to the North Avenue Market, with a night market in the Graffiti Alley next door.
Time: 4-10pm
Admission: Free. RSVP recommended (event registration page to come)
Parking: Available for free at the park
This annual festival, organized by the Towson University Asian Arts & Culture Center, promotes visual and performing Asian and Asian-American artists in the Station North Arts District area of Baltimore. Baltimore-Kawasaki committee will present Aco Tomine, a singer of Japanese traditional Japanese folk songs as well as her own compositions on her accordion. Baltimore-Changwon and Baltimore-Xiamen committees will also provide cultural activities.
Organized by Towson University Asian Arts & Culture Center and supported Baltimore-Kawasaki (BKSCC), Baltimore-Changwon (BCSCC), and Baltimore-Xiamen (BXSCC) Sister City Committees. Event partners include Central Baltimore Partnership.
[Postponed] Monday, April 6, 2020
Hermes International Expo
Out of an abundance of caution, this event is postponed.
Location: Capital Hilton, 1001 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC
Time: 4-8:30pm
Annual Greek-American international business networking trade show. Baltimore-Piraeus committee represents Baltimore and State of Maryland at this annual event, promoting tourism and business and economic development.
More info: Hermes Expo website
Supported by Baltimore-Piraeus Sister City Committee (BPSCC).
Late April 2020
Seagull Mamma — A Performance Piece about Trash and Recycling
Rotterdam-based, American-born theatre artist and educator Kathie diStefano will be in Baltimore in April 2020 and will return in fall 2020.
Ms. Kathie is part of the artist roster at Young Audiences Arts for Learning, Maryland and she performs “Seagull Mamma” at several schools in our region each semester. Public schools can sign up on the Young Audiences website to schedule the “Seagull Mamma” performance for this spring or in the future, for kids in kindergarten through grade 2. Young Audiences can provide subsidies to public schools to significantly reduce the cost of the performance by up to 80%; schools can inquire with Young Audiences for details.
This interactive show takes young audience members on a journey through the eyes of a seagull mamma who mistakes trash for fish while hunting for food for her young. The term ‘plastic soup’ is introduced; lakes, rivers, and seas that have so much plastic trash that no fish can live there.
Supported by Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC).
Saturday, May 30, 2020
[Postponed] Baltimore’s annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) Celebration
Out of an abundance of caution, this event postponed until May 2021.
Location: Enoch Pratt Central Library, 400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Baltimore’s Asian sister city committees (Xiamen, China; Kawasaki, Japan; and Changwon, South Korea) hosts an annual event to celebrate Asian-American and Pacific Islander (APA) cultures and the contributions of APAs to Baltimore. Enjoy Asian food, cultural performances, book talks, a keynote roundtable discussion, and much more.
Organized by Baltimore-Xiamen (BXSCC), Baltimore-Kawasaki (BKSCC), and Baltimore-Changwon (BCSCC) Sister City Committees.
July 8-10, 2020
Sister Cities International (SCI) Annual Conference and Meeting
Location: Sante Fe, New Mexico
Details to come.
September 2020
Xiamen China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT)
Details to come.
Promoted by Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee (BXSCC).
September 28-30, 2020
ISWA World Congress
Location: World Trade Center, Beursplein 37, 3011 AA Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Admission: Ticketed.
ISWA World Congress is an international annual conference about sustainable solid waste management. It was held in Baltimore in 2017, and in 2020 it will be held in Rotterdam, which is the new location of ISWA’s offices. Landfill, marine litter, and circular economy solutions are among the major themes in 2020. Port of Rotterdam is one of the sponsors.
Baltimore-Rotterdam committee is promoting this event to Maryland waste management professionals and encouraging them to submit proposals for presentations, with the goal of having Maryland send a delegation to this conference.
More info: ISWA Congress website
Promoted by Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC).
October 2020
23rd annual meeting of the International Friends of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (IFBA)
Members of Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee plan to attend this meeting in Alexandria, Egypt.
Supported by Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee (BLASCC).
Annual Baltimore Japan Arts Festival
Date to be announced later. Stay tuned for more information!
Organized by Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City Committee in conjunction with other partners.
October 7-12, 2020
Baltimore Black International Film Festival
The annual Baltimore International Black Film Festival (BIBFF) provides a venue for independent films for, by and about African Americans, the African Diaspora, and members of the SGL-LGBT community locally, nationally and globally.
Baltimore Sister Cities encourages filmmakers from its sister cities to submit their films to the festival organizers for consideration to include in this festival.
More info: Call for submissions | About the festival
Saturday, October 24, 2020
Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Imagination Celebration
This event was originally scheduled for March 28 but will likely be rescheduled to October 24.
Location: Enoch Pratt Central Library, 400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Admission: Free
Pratt Library hosts Imagination Celebration (formerly known as the Fairy Tale festival. This signature event celebrates creativity and honors diverse voices and experiences within children’s literature and our communities.
Baltimore Sister Cities will have a table at this event with fun activities for kids from some of the countries around the world where we have sister cities.
Supported by Baltimore-Changwon Sister City Committee (BCSCC), Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC), and Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee (BXSCC).
Note: due to the evolving worldwide COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, we advise you to check each event’s page or event organizers for the latest updates about the event, before you go to attend an event.
