Anticipating Baltimore's 2026 Flower Mart, and Looking Back on Last Years

   Every spring, Baltimore seems to exhale. After months of gray sidewalks and heavy coats, the city softens. For me, that shift is marked most clearly by the return of the Flower Mart at Mount Vernon Place.

   Even though I’ve lived just outside of Baltimore my whole life, last year was actually my first time going to the Flower Mart. Somehow it was one of those events I’d always heard about but never made it to. Once I finally did, it immediately made sense why people love it so much.

   I’ve always been drawn to local art markets. They’re slower, more personal, and you get to actually talk to the people who make the work. The Flower Mart felt like that right away. Walking around, getting acquainted with local artists and vendors, seeing what people were creating, and hearing the stories behind it all made the whole experience feel warm and familiar, even though it was my first time there.

   I loved getting to roam around and take photos of all the beautiful and vibrant flowers with my Pentax K1000. Shooting on film felt especially fitting for a day like this. It slowed me down and made me stop and smell the roses.