The arts come out to play during the Summer months in Howard County, Maryland!

*Elvis and a few Baltimore Hons stopped to snap a photo with ‘Aubergine,’ the 2016 ARTsites piece stationed in front of the Howard County Welcome Center in Old Ellicott City.

The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company brings the bard to Old Ellicott City to perform under the stars at the ruins of the Patapsco Female Institute. This summer, pack a picnic, and enjoy performances of Romeo and Juliet and The Three Musketeers at this incredibly unique venue.

The Columbia Festival of the Arts‘ summer celebration will celebrate the engaging and diverse culture of the east. Silk Road Stories will run from June 10 – June 26 and feature performances by Koresh Dance Company, Mystic India on Tour and Sejoon Park. Additional highlights include the FREE Weekend in the Woods Celebration and the debut of the Columbia Film Festival.

Old Ellicott City will feature numerous opportunities to enjoy live music and visual arts. At the shops at Tongue Row you’ll find Concerts on the Courtyards taking place every Saturday evening and things get folky on Friday evenings starting June 17. In July, the city plays host to a Plein Air Paint Out. See the city through the eyes of painters as they capture glimpses of the historic district from various outdoor vantage points. Every Second Sunday, there’s an outdoor Artist Market in Lot D.

Merriweather Post Pavilion is one of the best and most beloved outdoor amphitheaters in the U.S. More acts are being added all the time, but this season big names include Ellie Goulding, The Lumineers, Miranda Lambert, Train & O.A.R.

Instead of venturing inside a museum, check out the 13 publicly displayed sculptures that make up the 2015 Howard CountyARTsites. These unique pieces of art will be on display at locations throughout the county until July. New sculptures in new locations will go up in August.

Downtown Columbia has family friendly entertainment every night of the week in the summertime. The Columbia Association’s Lakefront Summer Festival has concerts Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday-Sunday, Movies on Mondays and Fridays and dance lessons under the People Tree on Fridays in June, July and August. Some weekly events even continue into September!