Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Clayworks announces the return of its highly anticipated Fire Fest 2025, an unforgettable evening celebrating fire, community, and the transformative art of ceramics. The event will take place on Saturday, October 18, from 5:30 – 8:30 pm at Baltimore Clayworks’ Mt. Washington campus.
Fire Fest is a family-friendly celebration of flame, featuring live ceramic firings, festive food and drink, spirited competitions, and live music. This year’s festivities promise something for everyone. From the thrill of watching clay vessels emerge from blazing kilns to the chance to compete in the energetic Clay Olympics, this annual event is one you won’t want to miss.
Event Highlights
Live Ceramic Firings
- Raku Kiln Firings – Rooted in China and Japan, these dramatic firings involve removing glowing-hot vessels from the kiln and shocking them in cooler materials for dazzling surface effects.
- Obvara Kiln Firing – Led by Professor Trisha Kyner of CCBC, this Baltic tradition produces mesmerizing organic markings through a unique plunge technique.
- Community Woodfiring of the Noborigama Kiln – Witness Baltimore’s first urban Japanese ascending kiln in action. Led by Wood Kiln Technician Jeremy Wallace, students from Towson University, CCBC, Anne Arundel Community College, and Morgan State University will tend the kiln day and night, coaxing fire to 2300°F for stunning and unpredictable results.
Live Music by Todd Marcus
Internationally acclaimed jazz musician Todd Marcus brings his fiery bass clarinet performance to Fire Fest. Known for his swinging, deeply melodic compositions infused with Middle Eastern influences from his Egyptian-American heritage, Marcus promises a performance as dynamic as the flames.
Clay Olympics
Cheer on—or join in—this lively competition where participants test their clay skills through feats of creativity, speed, and strength. Winners will take home handmade ceramic prizes.
Oktoberfest: Beer Steins and Wine Goblets Invitational
Back by popular demand, this invitational showcases festive, functional ceramic ware crafted by local and national artists. Special Offer: Each stein or goblet purchase includes a complimentary drink ticket at Fire Fest 2025 (while supplies last).
Commemorative Fire Fest T-Shirt
Designed by artist Andrew Black with Bloomberg Arts Interns Clay Costilla and Maiya Harris, the limited-edition screen-printed T-shirt is available for $25.
Ticket Information
- $15: Student Tickets
- $35: Early Phoenix Tickets (available until September 18, 2025)
- $35: Member Tickets (after September 19, 2025)
- $45: General Admission & Day-of Tickets
- $25: Commemorative Fire Fest T-Shirt
Tickets available now at Baltimore Clayworks’ website.
Why Attend?
Proceeds from Fire Fest 2025 support Baltimore Clayworks’ mission to provide outstanding artistic, educational, and community programs in ceramics. Funds raised help sustain classes, exhibitions, artist residencies, and outreach initiatives that bring the transformative power of clay to youth, adults, and families across Baltimore.
About Baltimore Clayworks
Baltimore Clayworks was founded by nine artists in 1980. Our mission is to develop, sustain, and promote an artist-centered community that provides outstanding educational, residency, and collaborative programs in the ceramic arts. We offer classes and workshops for adults and children, host short and long-term residencies for emerging artists, present rotating exhibitions along with a retail shop featuring the work of local and internationally recognized ceramicists, and BCW utilizes the universal medium of clay to engage under-resourced communities in and around Baltimore.
Learn more at: www.baltimoreclayworks.org
