Baltimore parties all week long to get ready for the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown. The celebrations stretch from the Inner Harbor into Baltimore and Howard counties and begin more than a week before the race.
In 2008 the Preakness Balloon Festival that lights up the Turf Valley Resort in Howard County. Events like the Preakness Parade, Crab Derby at Lexington Market, the Frog Hop in War Memorial Plaza downtown and fireworks over the Inner Harbor are now beloved traditions.