Fri.-Sat., July 21-22, noon-10 p.m.; Sun., July 23, noon-8 p.m., free, Mount Royal Ave., Baltimore, Md., 410-752-8632, www.artscape.org

The chance to catch an MC on the crest of hip-hop (Common, pictured), watch a B-list actor present his play on a real-life outer-space rescue (Bill Pullman) and log some hours in the Lego Tent is a rarity, to say the least. Seize the diem and storm the gates of Baltimore.

And if that's not enough, here are 10 more reasons to haul ass across state lines: live theater, dance, opera, fashion, film, food, jazz, electronic and classical music, and a one-of-a-kind Billie Holiday vocal competition.

You can also stroll the "cultural corridor" and view the 120-plus exhibitions of visual art in every imaginable medium, or bankroll a starving Picasso in the Artists' Market. There'll even be hands-on kids' projects to make sure the little ones are knocked out by the time the late Sunday Brazilian Girls concert rolls around.

P.S. —And, of course, there will be fireworks. Friday at 10 p.m.