Charles County's arts community encompasses festivals, music, theater and several facilities showing visual arts year round.

Charles County Arts Alliance

Formed in 1987, the Charles County Arts Alliance promotes upcoming arts activities in its weekly newsletter and sponsors River ArtsFest, a highly anticipated annual festival that draws close to 2,000 spectators. Held on the picturesque greens surrounding the La Plata Town Hall in June, River ArtsFest brings together musicians, artists and performers from all over Maryland for a day of entertainment and artistic inspiration.

Music in Charles County

If music is your favorite expression of art, then Charles County’s roster of concert series will be music to your ears. The Town of La Plata presents an annual Summer Concert Series on the west lawn adjacent to Town Hall. Free concerts are held every Friday night from Memorial Day through the end of September. Concert-goers often bring lawn chairs and picnic baskets, and food is also available for sale. 

In July and August, you can attend free outdoor concerts at the College of Southern Maryland’s Twilight Performance Series, held on all three of the college’s campuses over four weeks. The college brings in professional musicians specializing in everything from folk music to Motown and jazz. 

In Waldorf/St. Charles, music-lovers can enjoy the Sunset Concert Festival, a summer series of free Friday night performances held on the boardwalk at O’Donnell Lake. The waterfront concerts spotlight local artists and a variety of music genres. 

Charles County Performing Arts

Fans of live theater have plenty of options for entertainment in Charles County. The Indian Head Center for the Arts houses the popular Black Box Theatre, a venue that provides local artists with a setting for plays, musicals, recitals and other performances throughout the year.

Two community theater groups entertain audiences in Charles County.

The Port Tobacco Players in La Plata was founded in 1947 and performs six shows each season on a recently renovated stage in a 1940s movie theater.  

The Hard Bargain Players in Accokeek perform in a 1930s outdoor amphitheater at Hard Bargain Farm. They are known for presenting unusual plays that ask questions and allow patrons to come up with the answers. 

Charles County Visual Arts

The Mattawoman Creek Art Center showcases visual arts in Charles County. Located inside Smallwood State Park in Marbury, Mattawoman Creek hosts art exhibits, workshops and lectures about painting, pottery and sculpture.

The new Waldorf West Library opened in late 2012 and includes gallery space that will routinely spotlight the work of the many talented artists in Charles County.

Find more on the arts in La Plata, MD.