What:

Merriweather Post Pavilion was set to close twenty years ago, but a group of friends and live music fans teamed up with local politicians and promoters to save, rejuvenate, and eventually acquire the storied venue. In 2003, under the name “Save Merriweather,” a handful of friends in their mid-20’s organized a grassroots campaign that blossomed into a community movement to preserve the venue. Ultimately, this effort led to a comprehensive renovation of the venue and a transfer of its ownership to the nonprofit Merriweather Arts and Culture Center, helmed by Ian Kennedy, one of the founders of the movement. Not only has the venue been physically re-made under MACC’s ownership, it has also become a hub of community, culture, and civic life—a callback to the vision of Merriweather’s creation in 1967, and an appropriate role for a venue that sits in the heart of Columbia, Maryland’s thriving urban core.

Who:

Ian Kennedy, co-founder of Save Merriweather and Executive Director of the Merriweather Arts and Culture Center 
Ken Ulman, former Howard County Executive and Councilman and current member of MACC’s Board of Directors
Justin Carlson, co-founder, Save Merriweather
Merriweather Post Pavilion staff and management 

When:      

The 20^th anniversary of Save Merriweather’s first public appearance is July 23, 2023, and a celebration will be held to mark this momentous occasion at Merriweather Post Pavilion at 7 PM on July 21.

Where:     

Merriweather Post Pavilion.
10475 Little Patuxent Parkway
Columbia, MD 21044