Spring means getting outside, maybe noshing on a chicken wing or 15.
Or how about some Filipino sticky buns or Bò-Khirria tacos — Viet-Mex fusion — and Japanese beer?
If you want to wash it down with music from the popular band Pressing Strings or cultural displays from the diverse Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander populations of Maryland, this weekend marks the start of the Annapolis festival season.
The Maryland Chicken Wing Festival opens at the county fairgrounds in Crownsville at 11 a.m. Saturday, followed by the Asian American Festival at 11 a.m. Sunday.
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Each features food as a central part of their lineup. Some of the roughly dozen food trucks, caterers and restaurants specialize in their cuisines, while others will be cooking on both days, switching up their menus to fit the festival theme.
Music is a big part of the wing fest, with local groups Timmie Metz & Tambo, Aaron Hawkins, the Grilled Lincolns, Casey McConville, Honest Lee Soul and PJ & Neal playing on the main stage throughout the day. Pressing Strings closes the day with a performance from 5 to 7 p.m.
General admission is $20 at the gate, with wings, drinks and other food sold à la carte.
Music is part of the Asian American Festival, too, but dance dominates the stage all day.
Performances by the Golden Phoenix Lion and Dragon Dance Team, Filipino Mabuhay dancers, the Somapa Thai Dance Company and various martial arts demonstrations are scheduled.
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JAGMAC, a family pop group from Arnold, closes the day with a concert at 4:30-6 p.m.
General admission is $10 plus taxes and fees, with food and drinks sold individually.
Here are other great things to do in the coming week.
Under the big top
7 p.m. Thursday
While Ringling Brothers will be in Baltimore next week, you can catch the spirit of the small, family-run circus this week in Annapolis.
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Cirque de Paris starts a 10-day run at the Annapolis Mall. It’s a one-ring circus, with traditional European acts such as clowns and acrobats.
General admission tickets start at $35 for adults and $30 for children at the gate, plus taxes and fees. Advance discounts and ticket upgrades are available.
Season finale
7:30 p.m. Friday
The Dalí String Quartet will join the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra season finale at Maryland Hall, performing the works of two emerging composers in “Fiesta.”
The quartet, named Chamber Music America’s 2024 Ensemble of the Year, will perform the Annapolis premiere of “Fiesta No. 2″ by Puerto Rican composer Sonia Morales-Matos and the world premiere of “Restless World Anew” by Canadian Roydon Tse.
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As part of a focus on Latin American composers, quartet members Ari Isaacman-Beck and Carlos Rubio on violin, Adriana Linares on viola and Jesús Morales on cello replicate the rhythms of mabo and salsa in the piece by Morales-Matos.
The orchestra will round out its concert with Maurice Ravel’s “Daphnis et Chloé.”
The performance will be repeated at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Jonathan Palevski, program manager of WBJC Classical Radio, will host a pre-concert lecture on each piece at 6:30.
Tickets are $39.75 to $100.75, plus taxes and fees. Discounts are available for ASO members, students, members of the military and first responders.
Cross-street rivals
Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday
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Tickets remain for the 41st anniversary croquet match between St. John’s College and the Naval Academy, a contest in style and size hailed as one of the most significant collegiate sporting events.
Thousands of students from both Annapolis colleges turn out to watch each school’s teams smack wooden balls through wickets with wooden hammers. If the fine points are lost on you, the spring festival atmosphere draws thousands of other spectators in fancy dress.
Tickets are $80 plus taxes and fees, with the front lawn of St. John’s open for claiming blanket space at 10:30 a.m.
Earth Day
3 p.m. Sunday
The Naptown Philharmonic Orchestra takes the stage with Annapolis Poet Laureate Jefferson Holland and other guests for an early Earth Day concert.
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Holland will perform “An Osprey’s Song“ at the Maryland Hall concert, his new poem celebrating the impact of the late Rachel Carson’s 1962 book “Silent Spring” on environmental awareness.
“Because of the book, DDT got banned and now ospreys are everywhere as a sign of spring,“ he said. ”I got inspired by sitting at her desk in her study at her home in Silver Spring, which is now a museum.”
The Arundel Vocal Arts Society and the student Apex Arts Vocal Ensemble will join the orchestra for American composer Jake Runestad’s “Earth Symphony.”
Bulgarian pianist Daniela Mineva rounds out the list of guest performers, playing Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz’s concerto.
Admission is $25 plus taxes and fees. Student tickets are free.
Paca Garden swing
1-3 p.m. Sunday
The Trident Brass Ensemble, the Naval Academy midshipmen’s jazz and swing band, performs classic numbers in the Paca Garden.
The garden is a restored Colonial landmark with terraced landscape, formal parterres, naturalistic wilderness and practical kitchen and medicinal gardens. It is located behind the home of William Paca, one of four Maryland signers of the Declaration of Independence.
General admission is $5 plus taxes and fees.
Showcase singers
7:30-10 p.m. Wednesday
The Songbird Showcase comes to 49 West Coffee House, featuring members of the Songbird Collective of women vocalists.
The performance includes Laura Brino, Danah Denice, Meg McDermott, Shelby Morgan, Meg Murray, Jen Schimpf, Nicky Stacy and Carly Winter.
Admission is $15 at the door.
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