Baltimore's Bourbon and Bowties charity is throwing its Masquerade Ball again this fall, and organizers are keeping the guest list tight: only 350 tickets, priced at $200 each, for the Friday, October 23 gala running from 7 to 10 p.m. at the American Visionary Art Museum in Federal Hill. The evening promises smoke-and-mirrors performances, handcrafted cocktails, and specialty bites from regional restaurants, with proceeds split among four local nonprofits.
As WBAL-TV reported, tickets for the masquerade are available through Muradbid, and the event benefits four charities working across very different corners of the region. According to a Facebook post from the Oyster Recovery Partnership, this year's designated beneficiaries are the Oyster Recovery Partnership itself, the Cool Kids Campaign, Hope Ignites Baltimore, and Semper Fi & America's Fund.
From a Patio Gathering to a $3 Million Charity Machine
Bourbon and Bowties has come a long way from its origins. The organization grew out of a small party thrown by Craig Martin, owner of Baltimore gentlemen's department store and barbershop The QG, and Jim Kinney; Chris Fiacco later proposed expanding the event into its modern form, according to a VoyageBaltimore interview. Since then, the group has raised more than $3 million for local nonprofit organizations, and it reports donating 90 percent of funds directly to its beneficiary partners, per its own website.
The fall masquerade is the more intimate sibling to Bourbon and Bowties' flagship event. The organization held its 15th annual main spring fundraiser on May 7, 2026, relocating that gala to the M&T Exchange at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, according to the beneficiary event page for Semper Fi & America's Fund. The October masquerade, by contrast, keeps things smaller and more theatrical inside the Federal Hill museum.
Where the Money Goes
Each of the four beneficiaries tackles a distinct local need. The Oyster Recovery Partnership works to restore wild oyster populations and improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay, having planted billions of oysters and recycled hundreds of thousands of bushels of oyster shells across Maryland, per the organization's own materials. The Cool Kids Campaign provides direct non-medical social, academic, and recreational support to pediatric cancer patients and their families, including operating the local Cool Kids Clubhouse.
Semper Fi & America's Fund rounds out the beneficiary list, offering lifelong financial assistance and integrative wellness support to wounded, critically ill, and injured members of all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families, according to the fund's official site.
A Fitting Venue With Its Own Backstory
Hosting the ball at the American Visionary Art Museum is no accident of geography. Located at 800 Key Highway, the museum was unanimously designated by the U.S. Congress as America's official national education center and repository for self-taught, intuitive artistry, according to Wikipedia. Its 1.1-acre Inner Harbor campus was transferred by the city of Baltimore only after museum organizers remediated residual industrial pollution left behind by a former copper paint factory and whiskey warehouse that once occupied the site.
For a masquerade built around theatrical flourishes and hidden identities, the museum's history as a reclaimed industrial site adds an unexpected layer to the setting. With capacity capped at 350 guests, organizers are betting that scarcity, paired with a cause that spans oyster restoration, pediatric care, and veteran support, will keep this year's Masquerade Ball selling out fast.
