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ON SALE NOW!Poe Fest Int'l in Baltimore, MD, commemorating the 176th Anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s Death in Baltimore and the 180th anniversary of The Raven!
Join us festival weekend for three days of programs, exhibits, and of course the street festival just outside Poe's chamber door at the Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum in Baltimore!
Poe Fest International is a free, family-friendly weekend of events featuring Edgar Allan Poe-themed performances, art, vendors and food, celebrating Poe’s life, works and his influence in the arts. The street festival takes place at The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum at 203 N. Amity Street in Baltimore, in the newly-built “Poe Park” at Center/West. Additional exhibits, tours, and programs at several locations in Baltimore City, October 3-5.
The festival includes Poe-themed performances, vendors, booksellers and music, plus family-friendly activities, poetry and art. Attendees will also get to learn about Poe’s life and works from some of the United States’ preeminent “Poe Places”, with representatives from The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum (Baltimore), The Poe Museum (Richmond, Virginia), The Poe Cottage (Bronx Historical Society, NYC), and The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore.
General Admission to Poe Fest International is FREE. The winners of the 2025 Saturday 'Visiter' Awards will also be announced festival weekend!
Tours inside the Edgar Allan Poe House and additional exhibits at Westminster Hall & Carroll Mansion are not included as part of the general festival program and require paid tickets. To be sure you get in to see these precious landmarks, check out the ticketed options below:
**The Black Cat Ball: A Mesmeric Masquerade at Westminster Hall**
The Black Cat Ball is the Official Party of the International Edgar Allan Poe Festival & Awards. This year’s Black Cat Ball is a Mesmeric Masquerade, a triple invocation of Edgar Allan Poe’s immortal legend: 180 years since the haunting cry of The Raven, 180 years since the chilling tale of Valdemar first mesmerized readers, and 150 years of the historic Poe Grave and Monument enshrining the poet who inspired equal parts dread and delight.
Dress in Victorian mourning, spirit-world couture, or your most mesmeric finery and enjoy an evening of hypnotic spectacle inspired by Poe’s fascination with the uncanny and the afterlife, perhaps even catch a glimpse of a certain poetic specter. Dance on the edge of dream and death, in a ballroom alive with gothic glamor. All tickets include:
RavenBeer/Wine Bar Reception & hors d'oeuvres
Private Viewing of the Poe Monument 150th Anniversary Exhibit
2025 Saturday 'Visiter' Awards Ceremony
Mesmeric Dance Party with DJ Marty and special guests
Tours of the famed Westminster Catacombs
A grave-side toast to Edgar Allan Poe
For guests who desire a more decadent descent into darkness, our VIP Mesmeric Lounge Package offers the ultimate Poe-inspired indulgence. Each package includes two tickets to the Black Cat Ball, reserved velvet banquette seating, and two signature cocktails delivered with funereal flair. Sip, spectate, and socialize from the comfort of your velvet perch—just don’t get too comfortable... the dead don’t rest easy here.
This party is 21+ over restricted; 100% ID Check!
There's more! This year's festival includes additional events and performances festival weekend:
**The Red Masque Festival Pass**
Prince Prospero himself can't keep you out of these exclusive experiences festival weekend! The Red Masque Festival Pass includes special entry to VIP tents on festival grounds, plus entry to Westminster Hall & Carroll Mansion:
>>The Murder Mystery Company Presents: Best Laid Plans, an Old Hollywood Whodunnit!<<
You're invited to a "killer" Old Hollywood party at the estate of Sir Warren Peace, a night of mystery, intrigue, and murder you will never forget. Bribe suspects for clues and gather information to uncover the unhinged guest who is whacking all the invitees. 4 games festival weekend.
>>The Poe Toaster Cocktail/Mocktail Tasting Tent<<
For decades, the mysterious Poe Toaster honored Edgar Allan Poe with a secret midnight toast. Join the tradition! Sample dark, Poe-inspired cocktails and mocktails featuring Baltimore-based spirits. Tastings every half-hour, Saturday/Sunday—raise a glass and become part of the mystery!
>>Stephen Smith is "One Man Poe"<<
Direct from London and a 2022 Saturday 'Visiter' Award winner, actor Stephen Smith will stage a special and intimate performance of some of Edgar Allan Poe's most hanting tales during his "One Man Poe" shows, Saturday & Sunday at Poe Fest International.
>>Bloody Mary Brunch With Poe<<
Ward away that Red Death hangover at a special bloody brunch with Poe at the festival Sunday, 11AM to 1PM. Your wristband gets you one virgin version; Marys and Marias available for purchase, 21+ only. Includes a bloody toast to the man himself, Edgar Allan Poe!
PLUS the 150th Anniversay of the Poe Monument at Westminster Hall and Poe Death Exhibit at Carroll Mansion.
Pay at the door, or purchase a Red Masque Festival Pass to enter all!
***"Written In Stone: 150 Years of Story at the Poe Monument"***
Poe Baltimore, The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore, and Enoch Pratt Free Library present an exhibit commemorating the 150th anniversary of Poe’s monument, the extraordinary events that brought it to fruition, and the eerie tales that followed. Explore rarely seen artifacts from Poe’s second funeral (and third burial!), including the original 1875 ceremony program, accounts of mislaid bones, and unsettling claims that the wrong man lies beneath the stone. Learn about the many cenotaphs that were proposed and abandoned, and the strange posthumous journey of Poe’s wife, Virginia—her remains shut in a box and kept under a bed for years before she was finally reburied beside her darling “Eddie,” a tale as haunting as any he ever wrote.
The International Edgar Allan Poe Festival & Awards is made possible by sponsorship, programs and volunteers by Poe Baltimore, Wells Fargo, La Cite LLC & Center/West, The Lord Baltimore Hotel, University of Maryland Carey Law School Westminster Hall & Burying Ground, The Poe Museum (Richmond), The Enoch Pratt Free Library, The Bronx County Historical Society/ Poe Cottage at Fordham, The Maryland Women's Heritage Center, The Society of Sons of the Revolution in the State of Maryland, RavenBeer, and many others. All proceeds benefit The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum in Baltimore!
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum / Poe Baltimore, 201 N Amity St, Baltimore, MD 21223-2501, United States
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