Maryland Fleet Week is around the corner. Here's what to expect including festivals in Baltimore

BALTIMORE -- Maryland Fleet Week is around the corner, bringing three festivals, flyovers, and numerous ships to Baltimore. 

The week-long celebration brings thousands of people to the city, promising live performances, vendors, military and maritime exhibits, and educational demonstrations.

The free event, presented by Northrup Grumman, will happen along Baltimore's waterfront from June 12 to 18.  

A series of modern and historic military and civilian aircraft flyovers will happen Saturday and Sunday, June 15-16, over the Inner Harbor.

Visiting ships include military vessels, many traditional sailing craft and working vessels. They will be docked at the Inner Harbor West Wall and Piers 1-5, North Locust Point Marine Terminal Pier 4, and Fells Point Broadway Pier.    

Ships will be open for public tours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the event. Download the Fleet Week APP (iOS and Android) for specific ship schedules.  

There will be festivals during Fleet Week at the Inner Harbor, Fells Point and Martin State Airport.

The Fleet Week Inner Harbor Festival

This Sail Baltimore-produced festival features 25 bands on two stages throughout the weekend plus a crab soup cook-off, exhibitors, artists and makers and a parade. The event runs from Friday, June 14 to Sunday, June 16 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The "Kids on the Bay" Parade will kick off the festival, setting out at 11 a.m. Friday at West Shore Park. 

The parade will feature mermaids, the Oriole Bird, Towson University's Doc the Tiger & TU Cheerleaders, Ravens Cheerleaders, Naptown Brass Band and the literary favorite Rainbow Fish, organizers said. 

The Crab Soup Cook-Off will be held Frida from 12 to 1 p.m. at the Inner Harbor Amphitheater Stage. Local chefs will compete for the ultimate "Fleet Week Souper Bowl" trophy. 

The Fleet Week Fells Point Festival  

Broadway Square will become the site of a youth battle of the bands, and the surrounding neighborhood will have a 5K Fun Run with a boozy twist. The Fells Point festival runs from:

• Thursday, June 13, 5-9 p.m.
• Friday, June 14, 2-9 p.m.
• Saturday, June 15, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
• Sunday, June 16, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. 
• Monday, June 17, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. --  Family Fun Day 

Fells Point restaurants will participate in a Best Crab Cake Contest on Friday at 3 p.m. with celebrity judges deciding who winds the prize. 

On Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. is the Youth Battle of the Bands with local schools including School of Rock, Stages Music Arts, The Music Space, and Lee Priddy.

Finally, Family Fun Day is Monday, June 17 with free family-friendly programming, including gutter races on Broadway Square from 1 to 3 p.m.

An Open House and Festival at Martin State Airport

An open house and festival with displays of military aircraft, musical entertainment and vendors will be held Saturday, June 15 & Sunday, June 16, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The festival was organized by Baltimore County in partnership with Martin State Airport and the Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum 

Visitors can watch aviators take off and land, and the museum will be free and open to the public that weekend.