From Books in Bloom, to BikeAround Downtown Columbia, to a concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion, to sushi at the lakefront – there’s always something to clear your calendar for.

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Events

All Summer Long
Concerts at Merriweather

Sept 30 – Oct 1
Fall BikeAround

October 7
Hops and Harvest Festival

October 14
Hispanic Heritage Festival

October 15
Howard County Pride

October 22
DTC Culinary Walking Tour

November 4
Cranksgiving

November 23
Downtown Columbia Turkey Trot

Drawing with chalk

Live Music

Merriweather Post Pavilion is a nationally recognized outdoor amphitheater, site for concerts, festivals and other activities

The Collective’s Encore Collective’s Encore is Downtown Columbia’s lakefront music hall.

Union Jack’s

18th & 21st speakeasy with live music 6 nights a week

Music at Lake Kittamaqundi – Columbia Lakefront Summer Festival

Movies and Theater

AMC Theatre featuring 14 screens

Columbia Film Society

Lakefront summer movie nights

Merriweather Post Pavilion movie nights

Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Downtown Columbia’s New Cultural Center – Howard County’s new home for the visual and performing arts –- Coming Soon!

Don’t miss the

The Lake Kittamaqundi Loop

Pathways

Downtown Columbia Trail for walking, running, and biking connects Downtown Columbia to Howard Community College, Howard County General Hospital, and surrounding villages

Lake Kittamaqundi pathway (built and maintained by the Columbia Association) is a one-mile loop through nature areas and Kennedy Gardens

Merriweather District Trail – multi-use pathway for walking, running, and biking, connecting the Downtown Columbia Trail through the Merriweather District!

Lakes

Lake Kittamaqundi, an 11-acre, scenic amenity for paddle boating, kayaking, and canoeing

Lakefront Activities include dining, festivals, music, summer outdoor movie nights and other entertainment (provided by the Columbia Association)

Wilde Lake

Fourth of July

Parks

Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods featuring the Chrysalis amphitheater, woodlands, and picnic areas

Metropolitan Promenade – A kid-friendly open space with interactive art and water features adjacent to dining, services, and retail at The Metropolitan

Color Burst Park – Located in the Merriweather District next to the Juniper building, this outdoor amenity is the site of seasonal events, like the outdoor ice ring from November through January, and other popular gatherings.

Lakefront Plaza – on the side of Lake Kittamaqundi, on any given day Columbia’s Lakefront is the place to go for a walk, a bike ride, or an out door lunch. The Lakefront is also the place to be for summer evening live events put on by the Columbia Association, for Lakefest, a weekend-long part of each year’s Columbia Festival of the Arts, and for the fireworks on the Fourth.

Biking

Whether you are in for a quick spin around Lake Kittamaqundi, or a more adventurous jaunt across town, two wheels will get you there. Downtown Columbia centers the nearly 100 miles of bike paths that network throughout the city, connecting neighborhoods through this ‘garden for growing people’s’ green spaces.

Within Downtown Columbia, the popular multi-use pathway runs from the hospital and college to and through the Merriweather District, by The Mall and the Lakefront, and safely crossing over Rt. 29 at the pedestrian bridge and into the village of Oakland Mills. Another section of multi-use pathway joins downtown with the village of Wilde Lake.

woman biking

Facilities

Historic Oakland for meetings, receptions, and cultural programs

Horowitz Visual and Performing Art Center at Howard Community College for plays, concerts, exhibits, and other events

Central Branch of the Howard County Library System

Retail

The Mall in Columbia
Five department stores and more than 200 shops (including Apple Store, Anthropologie, Athleta, and more), eateries, and restaurants including Cheesecake Factory, Seasons 52, Maggiano’s, PF Chang’s, ShakeShack, Zoe’s Kitchen, Chipotle, Uncle Julio’s, The Main Event, Barnes & Noble, Urban Plates, and The Walrus Oyster & Ale House

Whole Foods Market
45,000-square-foot specialty grocery store and café located in the iconic Frank Gehry-designed building on the shores of Lake Kittamaqundi

The Metropolitan Downtown Columbia
Ground floor shops, personal services and eateries—
Corner Bakery, MOD Pizza, European Wax Center, Floyd’s Barbershop, Village Nail Bar

TEN.M and m.flats
More than 30,000-square-feet of new shops, services, and eateries – Bonchon, Kung Fu Tea, The Halal Guys, Urban Hot Pot, and more to come

Merriweather District

Clove & Cardamom, The Charmery, Busboys and Poets, Dok Khao, Peter Chang’s, Toastique, and more