Baltimore Bubble Parade
Saturday, May 11th, 2024
2-5 PM
Riverside Park, Baltimore
Look Forward To:
Live bubble show – Uncustomary + April’s Twisted Entertainment
Pixilated photobooth with props for you to take photos
Costume contest for the best dressed adult, child, and dog
Bubble games — rope wands, make a bubble over your body,
Lawn games — parachute, velcro balls, skip its, sidewalk chalk, inflatables, hula hoops, jump ropes
Bubble parade merchandise + fun gifts available for purchase
Mystery Raffle
Food truck — Althea’s Almost Famous
Parade at 4 PM!
GPS Location
Transportation
PARKING + TRANSPORTATION
Riverside Park is a park in a residential area.
This good news is if you find a parking spot the PARKING is all free and easy to navigate. You will not need quarters or need to utilize parking meters.
The bad news is because people live here, it’s a weekend, and an event, I’m not promising it’s going to be extra EASY to find parking.
If you do need to drive, I encourage you to carpool, to minimize the amount of cars looking for parking and driving in general.
Also UBERS and LYFTS are always a smart option!
If you absolutely can’t find a spot, there IS a large shopping center down the street with a Giant. There is a pedestrian cut through between the Giant and the vape store. You can walk through that and walk straight up Heath street till you hit the park. Please do NOT immediately go here and ONLY utilize this for absolute overflow parking. If you choose to drive, it’s your responsibility to first try to responsibly park your car.
PUBLIC TRANSIT
The closest bus stop is Fort Avenue and Riverside Avenue from Baltimore bus line 94.
Put “Riverside Ave & E Fort Ave, Baltimore, MD 21230″ into Google Maps and select the bus mode.
See the official bus schedule here.
This is about a 35 minute ride from Hampden, Ottobar, Charles Village, or Dundalk. It’s less than an hour from Glen Burnie or Catonsville.
The second closest bus stop is Jackson Street and Fort Avenue (southbound) (this is .4 miles from your destination). Type in “Jackson St (SB) Baltimore, MD” or “Harborview (NB), Baltimore” for the stop on the other side of the street.
And a third alternative bus stop is “Key Highway and Harborview WB FS, Baltimore, MD” which is also .4 miles away.
Don’t forget about bikes, scooters, skateboards, and walking!
Please ask your questions for transportation clarity before the end of the day Friday because I’m going to be a setting up bubble burst on Saturday! Otherwise, you are self-reliant wonderful bubbleriffic people and I will see you there!
Day Of Event
We will meet inside Riverside Park on the Covington Street side in the grass at 2:00, where we gather and party for 2 hours with the photobooth, live music, bubble games and activities, lawn games, eat, blow bubbles, dance, buy merch, and get instructions.
Then at 4:00 we’ll gather for the parade and walk. We’ll announce the winners of the raffle and costume contest, and continue to dance and play until 5:00. Feel free to stay at the park. There’s a lovely playground and lots of space to run around with your family and dog!
Tickets
This year this event IS ticketed! Tickets are required per person (with the exception of ages 2 and under). When you arrive, you’ll need to check in with a ticket check-point person and you’ll receive a wristband.
Tickets increase the day of the event, so it’s encouraged that you purchase your tickets in advance. Tickets need to be purchased online through the link provided. Upon arrival, you just need to show one of the ticket takers your confirmation order page either on your phone or printed out. So when you check out, please save that email.
The first few years, the Bubble Parade was in the Hampden neighborhood and we simply walked up and down a street, posed for a photo, and went about our day. Due to an increase in popularity, the event grew to numbers that the Hampden neighborhood couldn’t safely sustain. With so many people of all ages, we basically shut down the streets!
I made a decision to move the event to a park, and with that decision, the event expanded. Today’s Bubble Parade looks different than ever before. It includes much much more than a walk where we wear costumes and blow bubbles. It’s basically a festival now with music, games, activities, dancing, costumes, prizes, performers, a photobooth, and more.
With this expansion in the event, more costs have come with it. I asked for donations last year, but even with those generous donations, I wasn’t able to cover the costs, so this year I am making sure that I am able to fund all costs to put on a fun event for the community.
Parade
The parade itself is simple. We’re just walking, rolling, and strolling while blowing bubbles!
There is a sidewalk on the outer perimeter of the park. We will start walking there so people from their homes can see us and we still have an audience and we don’t disrupt people exercising in the park.
The route will be starting from the intersection of Covington + Heath. We’re making an outer loop around half of the park.
Parade Route:
Covington + Heath
Covington + Randall
Randall + Johnson
Johnson + Heath
Cut through the park (along Heath) back to our starting point
The point is to have fun, dance, twirl, blow bubbles, play music, spread joy, and create a beautiful scene that people (including you, the participants), can enjoy! And let’s be honest, it’s a fantastic photo-op!
Please make sure you’re hydrated. While the walk is short, it can take longer than it would normally take you on your own because we’re doing it as a group. Go at your own pace, don’t rush anyone.
We don’t have to manage any major intersections, but please be respectful of anyone utilizing the park for playing, dog walking, resting, and/or exercising.
Costume Contest
A big part of the Bubble Parade is that I encourage you to dress up as your Merriest, Silliest, Most Fun/Authentic Selves! To encourage that, I’m going to give away THREE prizes to the BEST DRESSED!
1) Best dressed child human!
2) Best dressed adult human!
3) Best dressed dog!
I will announce the winners AFTER we circle back from the parade. Please come back to where we started to claim your prize and hear the winners!
Do you have a fun, loud, outlandish outfit that you’re not sure where you could ever wear it to? THIS IS THE PLACE!
Do you feel like your job keeps you too toned down to express yourself? Come tell us who you really are this weekend!
Of course, your outfit does NOT need to be rainbow-riffic to be accepted by ANY means. 
GOTH, METAL, and NON-RAINBOW ARE WELCOME.
You also do NOT need to wear a costume to come or participate in this event.
However, if you DO put effort into your outfit (regardless of color or theme), I will consider you for the 
best dressed adult, child, or dog (who will each be sent home with a FABULOUS gift bag prize)! (By dressing up you are automatically entered to win.)
If you’re not sure where to start with getting dressed, my RECOMMENDATION is to pile on accessories! 
Headwear (crowns, tiaras, flower crowns, fascinators, headbands, hats, head boppers, ears, flowers, feathers, mustaches, facial hair, face paint, make-up, masks, wigs, party hats)
Eyewear (sunglasses, fun glasses, monocles, goggles)
Neckwear (necklaces, boas, ties, bowties, collars, ruffles, bandanas, stethescopes, capes)
Waistwear (belts, fanny packs, beads, corsets, tutus, suspenders)
Legwear (tights, leggings, garters, knee pads, leg wraps, leg warmers)
Footwear (shoes, socks, anklets, slippers, toe rings)
Backwear (backpacks, wings, tails)
Don’t forget props, puns, themes, and bags!
(I left out gloves because it’s not so easy to blow bubbles with them, but live your best life!) What are YOU going to dress up as?!
Plus… DOGS!
That’s right! Your pup could not only win the Best Dressed Dog, but go home with an dog-gone-it good prize!
Also, if you want to enter an animal that’s not a dog, I’m down. If you’ve got a newt or a cat, I’m VERY into that.
However, PLEASE only bring out good girl and boy dogs (WELL BEHAVED). The rule at Riverside Park is all dogs must be leashed, and we need to make sure the safety of all people (especially children) is ensured!
That said, I am not personally or professionally responsible or liable for any injuries of any kind sustained before, during, or after the Bubble Parade or at Riverside Park. You assume responsibilities entering the park that you would the same as any other day.
To Bring Checklist Ideas
PLAN
+ Do you have a skill you want to share/showcase? Pack those supplies, too!
PACK A BAG
Provisions
+ Hand sanitizer
+ Blanket
+ Chairs
Fun Stuff
+ Lawn toys
Miscellaneous
+ Your tucket/confirmation
Bubbles
You can find bubble wands and supplies at Dollar Tree, Michaels, Target, Walmart, Big Lots, Party City, JoAnn’s, Five Below, and online.
The sooner you secure your bubbles the better. They go quickly in the spring!
So please, if you have bubble supplies, bring them! Bubble guns, bubble wands, bubble machines, bubble anything are encouraged.
–I will NOT be providing free bubbles this year, but I WILL have bubble wands for sale!–
Parking
Bathroom
Hydration
Volunteers Needed
I am still in search of…
Performers (if you have any skills you want to showcase)
Photographer on my phone
Vendor attendants for my merch (2)
Photobooth attendant (2)
Ticket taker/wrist bands (3)
Activity attendant (3)
Set up (2)
Clean up (2)
If you are interested in volunteering or have a service you can offer, please e-mail me at mary@uncustomary.org with the subject line ‘Bubble Parade’ and let me know what position you’re interested in and I’ll give you more details.
Donations
Venmo at @ merrimentmaker or PayPal
Sponsors + Vendors
For the first year ever, I’m accepting vendors for the Bubble Parade!
If you think your product or service would be a good fit for the Bubble Parade audience, please e-mail me and for $75 you can set up a table!
Every year we have increased our numbers exponentially and I’m always making things bigger and better.
This is a chance for you to take advantage of a pre-existing audience!
For additional sponsorship opportunities and the benefits that accompany them, please take a look at the sponsor deck here
If you’re interested in either opportunity, please e-mail me at mary@uncustomary.org
Questions
If you have any questions, you can direct them at me, Mary Uncustomary England. I’m the organizer of this event and can be best reached via e-mail at mary@uncustomary.org
Thank you for your support in making this event so wonderful. I can’t wait!!
