What We're Looking Forward to in June in Columbia
Summer in Columbia means the big lawns fill up and Merriweather cranks the volume all the way to September. June stacks it on early: strawberry festivals, a brewery's birthday bash, a peach truck worth rearranging your week for, and a Juneteenth weekend the whole county turns out for.
Here's what we circled this month.
📚 Summer Boozy Book Fair – Wednesday, June 3
Columbia's favorite indie bookstore, Queen Takes Book, sets up shop at Encore for a night of browsing with a buzz. Drinks in hand, stacks to dig through, and zero judgment about how many you take home. Books and booze — finally, someone gets it.
🪲 Beatles Weekend – June 5–7
The 2nd annual Beatles Weekend takes over The Collective's Encore for three days of Fab Four tributes — the Weeklings' high-energy classics and deep cuts Friday, the all-female Magical Mystery Girls playing Rubber Soul and Revolver Saturday, and a Paul McCartney tribute to close it out Sunday. Come for the hits, stay for the harmonies.
🏃 Maryland Half Marathon & 5K – Saturday, June 6
Lace up for a good cause. Now in its 18th year, the Maryland Half Marathon & 5K starts and finishes at Maple Lawn in Fulton, with every dollar going to the University of Maryland's Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center — over $8 million raised since 2009. Race the half, jog the 5K, or just cheer from the curb with a coffee.
🎪 Savage Fest – Saturday, June 6
Savage Fest takes over Baldwin Common and Carroll Baldwin Hall from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a petting zoo, pony rides, bounce castles, vendors, and live music. It's the kind of free, all-day community party that makes the historic mill town worth the trip.
🐝 Pollinator Fest – Sunday, June 7
Meet the bees, butterflies, birds, and moths that keep the whole show running. Informative stations, live insects, rescue animals, bug-themed crafts, and live music make this a sweet, hands-on morning for curious kids. Nature's hardest workers, finally getting their festival.
🎤 Lakefront Live – Select Saturdays
The Columbia Association just cut the ribbon on a brand-new CA Lakefront stage — real concert sound, color-changing lights, the works. Free shows land on select Saturdays all summer, with Jah Works kicking things off June 6 and Rufus Roundtree & Da B'more Brass Factory bringing the Baltimore brass on June 20. Pack a blanket, skip the cover charge.
🎉 LakeFest – June 12–14
Three free days take over the Downtown Columbia Lakefront for the Columbia Festival of the Arts' LakeFest weekend, presented by the Merriweather Arts and Culture Center. Expect live music on the new LakeStage, the Italian vertical-dance troupe Eventi Verticali performing up the side of a building, an invitational fine arts and crafts show, food trucks, and a beer and wine garden — all free.
🍺 Manor Hill 11 Year Anniversary Festival – Saturday, June 13
Manor Hill is turning 11, and Howard County's first farm brewery is throwing a festival to match. Head to the 54-acre Ellicott City farm from noon to 7 for live music across three stages, farm-brewed beer, food trucks, and blacksmithing demos. From the first brew day to now, it's been a ride — this is the party.
🍑 Georgia Peach Truck – Thursday, June 18
The Georgia Peach Truck rolls into Farm and Home Service in Ellicott City with fresh peaches straight from historic Dickey Farms and shelled Georgia pecans. Preorder by June 11 for the discount, then plan your cobbler accordingly. Summer in a cardboard box.
✊🏾 Howard County Juneteenth – June 19–20
The county marks Juneteenth with two days of celebration. Friday brings Juneteenth at the Lakefront, where Black-owned makers and food trucks, line dancing, and kids' activities lead into a headline set from DC soul powerhouse Kyaira, produced by the Merriweather Arts and Culture Center. Saturday moves to the Harriet Tubman Cultural Center for the Community Day & Block Party — live music, food, a community yard sale, and a day built around honoring the holiday.
🏄 Jack Johnson: SURFILMUSIC Tour – Friday, June 26
The king of barefoot, beachy acoustic rock brings his SURFILMUSIC Tour to Merriweather Post Pavilion — his first run of shows since 2022, with Hermanos Gutiérrez opening. Pack a blanket for the lawn, settle in, and let "Banana Pancakes" do its mellow thing as the sun goes down. Doors at 6, music at 7:30.
🎸 The Strokes – Saturday, June 27
Jack Johnson Friday. The Strokes Saturday? What a weekend. The timing's almost too perfect — the Strokes' new album, Reality Awaits, drops the day before, making this basically a release party. Two-plus decades in, "Last Nite" and "Reptilia" still slap. Wear black, obviously.
SEE YOU OUT THERE
