FaeryCon Baltimore 2026: Lord Baltimore Hotel Events, Tickets & Getting There

FaeryCon, Baltimore's indoor fantasy convention and ball, runs Friday, November 13 through Sunday, November 15, 2026 at the Lord Baltimore Hotel, 20 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. Produced by the Baltimore Faerie Faire since 2015, FaeryCon combines a daytime family faerie festival with live-music fantasy balls by night: the Bridgertroll Ball on Friday the 13th and the Fairy Scary Ball on Saturday. An artists' market, workshops, a faerie court, craft vendors, and a Sunday Drag Brunch fill out the weekend. This guide covers the schedule, tickets, the historic hotel, parking, and why a group vehicle is the best way to get costumes, wings, and crowns to a late-night ball.

Event Details

The Three-Day Schedule

Friday the 13th

Daytime (1–5 PM): the festival opens with the vendor market, workshops, the faerie court, craft shopping, and children's activities. Friday is also Elder Day, with $10 admission for ages 55 and up. Evening: the Bridgertroll Ball ($75) is an elegant fantasy ball with live music by Tower Green, and costumes are encouraged, whether Regency attire, fantasy, or Renaissance. The Friday the 13th date adds an extra layer of atmosphere. The organizers pose the question themselves: will there be trolls, goats, fabulous costumes, and a Diamond of the Season? The answer, they say, is yes to all of the above.

Saturday

Daytime (1–5 PM): the full vendor market, workshops, and faerie court continue, and on Saturday the Seelie Court steps down while the Unseelie rule. Evening: the Fairy Scary Ball ($80 earlybird) is FaeryCon's signature event and "the Party of the Season." Three live bands perform: Dust Bowl Faeries (haunting folk), Brinjal World Music (an interactive world-music performance), and Kindred Crow (pounding drums), with entertainments between sets. Many vendors remain open during the ball, and the event often sells out, so buy tickets early through the FaeryCon Eventbrite page.

Sunday

Sunday is the final day of the vendor market and festival, with daytime programming from 10 AM to 5 PM. The morning begins with the Drag Brunch at 10 AM (21+), featuring Shawnna Alexander, Babbette Bimbeaux, Onyx D Pearl, and more, with food and drink from the Lord Baltimore Hotel kitchens. The official FaeryCon website has the full schedule, vendor list, and any updates.

The Lord Baltimore Hotel

The Lord Baltimore Hotel is a 1928 historic hotel on the National Register, and it is reportedly haunted, which suits a faerie convention in November. The International Room on the lower level houses the vendor market and daytime programming, and the ballroom hosts the evening events. Holding a fantasy convention in a hotel of this age gives the weekend a ready-made set: ornate ceilings, historic corridors, and a lobby that looks right with elaborate costumes. A discounted hotel block is offered at $159 per night, which makes it easy to stay on-site for a full weekend of balls and festivities.

Who Attends FaeryCon

Fantasy and cosplay communities come as elves, mermaids, faeries, gnomes, goblins, orcs, and trolls. Costumes are not just encouraged; they are the point, and the convention creates a space where elaborate costumes are celebrated, not stared at. Renaissance Faire enthusiasts find that FaeryCon scratches the same itch indoors, in a historic hotel, in November, which makes it the natural next gathering after the Maryland Renaissance Festival season ends in October. Families attend during the daytime, when children 12 and under are free with a ticketed adult, and enjoy crafts, stories, meetings with the Faerie King and Queen, and a mermaid or two. Ball-goers treat the Bridgertroll Ball and Fairy Scary Ball as costume-formal events, with elaborate outfits, live music, dancing, and an immersive social experience no nightclub offers.

Getting to the Lord Baltimore Hotel

The hotel is at 20 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, downtown at Baltimore and Hanover Streets, two blocks from the Inner Harbor and one block from Charles Center Metro.

Parking: hotel guests get free self-parking in the Lord Baltimore garage with a room reservation. FaeryCon attendees who are not hotel guests pay a discounted rate of $20 per day at the hotel garage. Additional downtown garages are available on Baltimore Street, Howard Street, and Charles Street.

The Late-Night Ball Transportation

The Fairy Scary Ball on Saturday runs late, with live bands, dancing, and energy that does not wind down at 11 PM. For costume groups from Annapolis, Columbia, DC, or the Baltimore suburbs, a private group vehicle or party bus picks the costumed group up, drives to downtown Baltimore, and picks everyone up when the ball ends, however late that is. Elaborate costumes do not mix well with Metro transfers or parking garages, and a vehicle keeps the wings, crowns, and troll ears intact from door to door. For groups attending both the Friday Bridgertroll Ball and the Saturday Fairy Scary Ball, a vehicle covering both evenings provides consistency and lets everyone arrive and leave in character.

Groups coming from several cities can meet at a central pickup point and use a shuttle service, so the whole court arrives together. Out-of-town guests flying in for the convention can use airport transportation from BWI, which reaches the Lord Baltimore Hotel in roughly 20 minutes, and a driver can carry luggage and costume trunks as well as passengers.

Planning for Costumes

At FaeryCon, getting dressed is part of the event, and transportation should serve the costume. Wings, headpieces, long skirts, armor, and prosthetics all take up space, and a standard car seat or a crowded train is a poor fit. A vehicle with room allows the group to dress at home, travel in comfort, and arrive in perfect form. If you plan to change at the hotel, a driver can drop the group at the entrance with garment bags, and the hotel's discounted room block gives a base for dressing and resting between events.

Think about the practical details too: comfortable shoes for the walk between rooms, a small bag for essentials, and a repair kit for last-minute fixes. Check the ball's dress guidelines, and if you are unsure whether an item is allowed, ask the organizers in advance. Photographs are part of the fun, so allow time for them, and tell your driver the pickup time so you can enjoy the last dance without watching the clock.

Making It a Weekend

For many attendees, FaeryCon is a destination weekend. Staying at the Lord Baltimore means walking to the events, enjoying the hotel's atmosphere, and skipping the drive home after a late ball. For guests staying elsewhere in Baltimore, the Inner Harbor's hotels are a short ride away, and a driver can handle the transfers between hotel, convention, and dinner. The Inner Harbor and its restaurants are two blocks from the hotel, so meals before or after the daytime programming are easy to arrange, and a Sunday morning drag brunch makes a fitting last event before the trip home.

However you plan the weekend, settle the ride early. With a driver on call, a group can enjoy the whole convention, from the Friday court to the Sunday brunch, with nothing to worry about but the music, the costumes, and the company.

One last tip for first-timers: do not be shy. FaeryCon rewards participation, whether that means joining a workshop, asking a vendor about a handmade piece, or striking up a conversation with a stranger in a spectacular costume. Most attendees love to talk about their outfits, and an introduction is easy when you both arrived in wings. Arrive with an open mind, a camera, and a plan to get home safely, and the weekend takes care of the rest.

Frequently Asked Questions