On Amity Street, the building next to the Edgar Allan Poe House was open to the street and the weather for 36 days. Its openings were blocked and secured on August 28. On September 14, demolition started on Building 904, just southeast of the house, and Poe Baltimore began independent vibration and crack monitoring the same day. The International Edgar Allan Poe Festival & Awards usually sets up its vendors and stages in front of that house. This year the free festival grounds are on the plaza at Lexington Market, 112 N. Eutaw St., on October 3 and 4.
The move does more than change the address. It puts nearly all of the weekend's ticketed events within a short walk of the free grounds. The Poe House, which used to be where everything happened, is now the stop you plan around.
Why the Festival Left Amity Street
The Housing Authority of Baltimore City is redeveloping the former Poe Homes site. The plan replaces the 288-unit complex with public housing and mixed-income homes. Poe Baltimore has said plainly that it backs the project. Its FAQ calls the demolition necessary and says the museum "wants the project to succeed." What it can't predict is when the work next door will be done.
"We cannot provide a reliable end date for the conditions immediately beside Poe House."
That line comes from the museum's own demolition FAQ. HABC's September 9 community update listed 904 and 906 W. Lexington Street as the next buildings to come down. Poe Baltimore's September 18 update said demolition south and southwest of the house would go on into the following week. With that schedule, organizers chose to move the festival instead of risking disruption or crowding thousands of visitors next to an active site.
The museum also took on costs it hadn't planned for. Poe Baltimore put its incurred and projected costs for security, cleanup, oversight and maintenance at more than $50,000 and launched an emergency campaign with a $50,000 goal. It met that goal on September 18. Vibration monitoring is a separate expense, estimated at roughly $12,000 to $25,000 depending on how long demolition runs. Poe Baltimore turned Friday's Movie Nite into a fundraiser for this work, so buying a ticket supports the house directly.
What Lexington Market Puts Within Walking Distance
Organizers say the new grounds sit within one block of Poe's grave at Westminster Hall & Burying Ground. They're also an easy walk from the host hotel, the Lord Baltimore, and from the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, which has two of the weekend's biggest ticketed events. The Hippodrome is at 12 N. Eutaw St., on the same street as the market. Laid out together, the weekend looks like this:
| When | What | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 2, 6–9:30 p.m. | Movie Nite, world premiere of Vincent Price: What Keeps Us Alive | M&T Bank Exchange | $29, or $59 with Raven Reception |
| Oct. 1–4, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | "Edgar Allan Poe's History of Mystery" exhibit | Westminster Hall, 519 W. Fayette St. | $10 weekdays, $20 weekends |
| Sat.–Sun., Oct. 3–4, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | Free festival grounds, vendors and Main Stage | Lexington Market Plaza | Free |
| Sat.–Sun., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. | Death Weekend Bus Tour | Meeting point listed on ticket | $59 per person |
| Sat., Oct. 3, 5 p.m. | Ballet 5:8, The Curious Life of Edgar Allan Poe | The Hippodrome Theatre | $40–$110 |
| Sat., Oct. 3, 7:30–10:30 p.m. | Black Cat Ball, 21+ | Westminster Hall | $149–$199 |
The free grounds close at 4 p.m. and the ballet starts at 5 p.m. a few blocks south on Eutaw, so on Saturday you can go from the plaza straight to the Hippodrome. Chicago-based Ballet 5:8 is giving only one performance. The Hippodrome box office is open weekdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on show days from 11 a.m. until curtain. The Westminster Hall exhibit ticket includes discussion panels but not the catacombs. The Black Cat Ball's catacombs VIP add-on is already sold out.
On the plaza, Saturday's Main Stage opens at 11 a.m. with Chris Riehl and Chad the Bird. The 11th Hour plays at noon, Ballet Embody at 1 p.m., Dance Baltimore at 2 p.m. and The Ultra Kings at 4 p.m. Sunday starts with Gallagher's Frolics at 11:15 a.m. and HAEZL at noon. There are also more vendors and activities indoors in the market's Baltimore Room, along with a RavenBeer Garden and a free Costume POErade.
Poe Fest's own pages list two different Saturday closing times. Its FAQ says 5 p.m., while the detailed festival program says 4 p.m. both days. An August report in Baltimore Fishbowl also gives 4 p.m. If you're planning around the Ultra Kings' 4 p.m. set, assume the grounds close around then.
The Poe House Is Now the Trip You Plan
On Amity Street, the house was always right there. This year it's about a mile west of the crowd, and getting in takes some planning. Poe Baltimore says the house stays open for tours over festival weekend. A free shuttle runs between Lexington Market, Westminster Hall, the Poe House, Carroll Mansion, the Lord Baltimore Hotel and the Baltimore Visitor Center at the Inner Harbor. The Carroll Mansion stop runs on Saturday only.
Entry is by timed ticket. Each ticket admits one person for a 45-minute visit, and the museum asks visitors to book online. The museum's posted regular hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., plus Wednesdays from May through October. That schedule was published in 2025, so check the booking page before you go. Expect fencing, construction work and access that may change. The museum says the demolition has affected its day-to-day operations.
The Saturday shuttle stop at Carroll Mansion is worth using. The mansion is showing The Poe Death Exhibit & The Raven Room, which recreates Poe's funeral, on October 3 and 4. Poe, Revolution, & the Marquis de Lafayette is on view Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Carroll Mansion admission covers both. The Raven Room listing shows 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the museum's visitor guide gives regular weekend hours of 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Plan for the shorter hours.
Lunch Is Already on the Festival Grounds
On Amity Street, food came from festival vendors. On Eutaw Street, the festival is set up outside a working market. Lexington Market's merchant directory lists these options:
- Faidley's Seafood for crab cakes and seafood
- Trinacria for New York-style pizza, Italian deli sandwiches and gelato
- Charro Negro for Mexico City-style tacos and tortas
- Connie's Chicken and Waffles
- Blue Island Malaysian
- B'more Twist for pretzels and hot dogs
The newest stall opens the same day as the festival. NuVegan Cafe, which serves plant-based soul food, sandwiches and desserts, holds its grand opening Friday, October 2, at 11 a.m. The market is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Individual merchants set their own hours, so on Sunday check that a stall is open before you count on it.
Thames Street Has the Same Weekend
The 60th Fell's Point Fun Festival runs October 2 through 4. It's open Friday 5 to 9 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m., and admission is free. The CFG Bank Main Stage is at Broadway Square, with a Foodie Stage and a Family Fun Park also on the festival map.
The two festivals' hours line up in a way that's easy to use. Poe's free grounds aren't open Friday night, and that's when Fell's Point starts. On Saturday, the Poe plaza closes at 4 p.m. and Thames Street stays open until 7 p.m. That leaves room for Eutaw Street in the morning and the waterfront in the late afternoon. If you're skipping the ballet, Sunday works the same way with an earlier finish.
Getting between the westside and the harbor takes some advance planning. The city's free Harbor Connector fall weekend service doesn't start until October 17. The Baltimore Water Trolley's Outer Harbor route stops in Fell's Point on Saturdays and Sundays through October 31. Its first departure from Fell's Point is 11:15 a.m. and its last is 7:44 p.m. The Poe Fest shuttle stops at the Baltimore Visitor Center on the Inner Harbor, so you can connect the two festivals by heading to the harbor first.
The Poe Programming Keeps Going After the Weekend
Two events carry the theme past October 4. Orange Grove Dance's NEVERMORE, a Poe-inspired dance and media piece, runs October 1 through 18 at The Voxel, 9 W. 25th St., with tickets from $25 to $75. On Saturday, October 10, Baltimore Blueway hosts the free Edgar Allan Row. Paddlers gather on the water in front of Pitango Bakery in Fells Point at 4 p.m. for a Poe-themed harbor paddle with readings. You'll need your own boat or a rental.
The Poe Fest grounds are expected back on Amity Street once demolition near the Poe House is finished. Organizers have called this year's move temporary but haven't announced a return date.
At Nancy Hulsman Group, we follow how redevelopment changes Baltimore blocks, including the Poe Homes site around one of the city's best-known landmarks. If you want to talk through what changes like this mean for the streets you're watching, Book a Consultation with our team.
