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4th Annual International Edgar Allan Poe Festival and Awards

4th Annual International Edgar Allan Poe Festival and Awards

Poe Baltimore will host the fourth annual International Edgar Allan Poe Festival and Awards (Poe Fest International) with in-person and virtual events, October 2nd - 3rd, 2021, including vendors, performances, tours, and The Black Cat Ball. This year’s events commemorate the 172nd anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s death.*

The FREE festival will take place October 2 & 3, 2021, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM, open to the public, at Poe Park, in front of Poe House, at 203 N. Amity St., Baltimore. Special events are ticketed, including “The Poe Places Death Weekend Bus Tour” of historic sites in Baltimore associated with Poe’s Death, and the “Poe in Film & Fashion Exhibit” at 1840s Plaza which explores the ways in which Edgar Allan Poe's life and works continue to inspire and shape popular culture. For those who cannot attend in person, the festival is also organizing several virtual programs and tours, live-streamed via Facebook Live @PoeBaltimore and YouTube.

The in-person and online festival will feature Edgar Allan Poe-themed performances, vendors, readings, music, and art workshops. Program includes presentations by The Edgar Allan Poe House, The Poe Museum (Richmond, VA), The Poe Cottage (Bronx, NYC), The Poe Studies Association, The United States Military Academy at West Point, Enoch Pratt Free Library, and The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore.

A complete schedule of festival events and ticket information will be regularly updated at https://poefestinternational.com/festival-program. Direct ticket sales: PoeFestInternational.eventbrite.com.

Highlights and Special Event Information:

The in-person International Edgar Allan Poe Festival & Awards will occur October 2 & 3, 2021, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM, free to the public, at Poe Park, in front of Poe House, with vendors, entertainment, food, and the return of the RavenBeer Garden. Family-friendly art demonstrations, readings, musical performances, and even a coffin-building workshop will return to the festival. Poe-themed costumes are encouraged!

Special Event: The Edgar Allan Poe Film & Fashion Exhibit at 1840s Plaza, 29 S. Front St., Baltimore, exhibit only occurs dates October 2- 8, 2021, provides a sneak peek at costumes from upcoming Poe movie adaptations, including the new “3 Days Rising” starring Peter Greene, Ice-T. Mickey Rourke and Frank Whaley, as well as Poe costumes from the hit Netflix series, “Altered Carbon,”; examples of historical fashion from the 1800s; discussions about the mysterious circumstances of Poe's death in Baltimore in 1849 and how the very clothes in which he was found are a tantalizing clue to the mystery of his final days; explores the living arts of fashion and costume in recent films that adapt Poe's life or works, and the aesthetics at play in how Poe is interpreted for modern audiences.

NOTE: Death and funeral imagery (including body in an open casket), may not be suitable for young children. Viewer discretion advised. $20 pp purchased online/ $25 pp at the door.

Special Event: The Poe Places Death Weekend Bus Tour via Rent-a-Tour to four Baltimore Poe sites including a special funeral “viewing”, October 2 & 3, 2021. $59 pp.

This ticket option includes the new film exhibit!

Special Event: The Black Cat Ball, the official party of Poe Fest International, themed this year as Hollywood Gothic, October 2, 2021, 7:00 – 11:00 PM, at the 1840’s Plaza, 29 S. Front St., Baltimore. VIPs receive access to funeral re-enactment and séance. $135 to $200 pp

The annual Saturday Visiter Awards* winners and the Young Saturday Visiter Award nominees will be announced at The Black Cat Ball. The awards are an honor recognizing Poe’s continuing legacy in the arts and literature around the world, honoring art, performance and writing that adapts or is inspired by Poe’s life and works. The Saturday Visiter Awards are named after the prize a young Edgar Allan Poe won while he lived in Baltimore which launched the famed writer’s career.

Virtual Festival Passes are available for a flat $25, and include streaming content, virtual tours and trivia. Passes are good for both days of the festival.

Proceeds from The International Edgar Allan Poe Festival and Awards (Poe Fest International) will benefit The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum and Poe Baltimore, a non-profit organization. While the festival is free, donations are encouraged: http://www.poeinbaltimore.org/support/.

*COVID-19 Notice: For the safety of everyone, please only purchase in-person event tickets if you have been vaccinated for COVID-19 and/or agree to wear facemasks during the event. Failure to cooperate with safety protocols may result in your removal from the event without refund. If, based on Baltimore City ordinance, in-person events cannot take place due to COVID-19 reinforced measures, refunds will be given.

Event Contact

Enrica Jang
410-462-1763

Event Details

Saturday, October 2, 2021, 11:00 AM – Sunday, October 3, 2021, 4:00 PM
Free

Location

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