Bars & Live Music
Most of Frederick's nightspots are on or near Market Street. Olde Town Tavern, 325 N. Market St. (tel. 301/695-1454), has live music and darts for its young crowd. Heading south on Market, Bushwallers, 209 N. Market St. (tel. 301/695-6988), features Irish music on Sunday and Wednesday, live bands on Friday and Saturday. Firestone's, 105 N. Market St. (tel. 301/663-0330; www.firestonesrestaurant.com), has live music on Friday and Saturday. If you just need a place to hang out, go to Brewer's Alley, 124 N. Market St. (tel. 301/631-0089) or Wag's, 24 S. Market St. (tel. 301/694-8451). Jackson's Restaurant & Bar, formerly the WestSide Café, 1A W. Second St. (tel. 301/418-6886; www.westside-cafe.com), offers live acoustic music Wednesday through Sunday. The Bentz Street Sports Bar, 6 S. Bentz St. (tel. 301/620-2222; www.bentzstreetsportsbar.com), has 30 TVs tuned to sports, live entertainment on Friday, and comedy on Wednesday.
The Performing Arts
All kinds of events, including dance, music, theater, classic movies, and family entertainment, are staged year-round at the Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St. (tel. 301/228-2828; www.weinbergcenter.org), a 1926 movie theater.
The Fredericktowne Players (tel. 301/694-6659; www.fredericktowneplayers.org) perform four shows each year at nearby Tuscarora High School. The Maryland Shakespeare Festival Theatre (tel. 301/668-4090; www.mdshakes.com) offers free performances each June at Hood College's Hodson Outdoor Theater. The Maryland Ensemble Theatre (tel. 301/694-4744) performs six plays a year at 31 W. Patrick St.