As the sun goes down on the Baltimore Inner Harbor, there’s a noticeable change. After more than a year of restrictions, the sound of music permeates the air.

According to the Baltimore Health Commissioner’s Directive Order dated in May, Baltimore City is easing masks restrictions for some outdoor venues and activities. These new guidelines are music to Manuel Caceres’ ears.

Caceres is one of the organizers in SalsAddicts, a community of people living near the Baltimore area that love dancing Salsa and Bachata music. Today the group is meeting in the deck in front of the Four Seasons Hotel. Caceres starts up the playlist on his iPad and people slowly start to trickle in for Saturday’s SalsAddicts meetup.

As the sunsets beautifully on the horizon of the inner harbor, Caceres tells me about what makes this group special. We have people from all nationalities that come from places as far away as Pennsylvania to dance with us says Caceres. We started the group in 2020 with hopes of bringing people together to enjoy Latin culture through salsa music.

SalsAddicts’s setup is simple. Organizers like Caceres announce when and where the group will meet on the SalsAddicts Facebook Groups Page. After that, anyone is welcome to join in on the fun. There is no charge and anyone walking by can join in without needing to register.

During previous COVID restrictions, meetups like this one were impossible without breaking city ordinances. While the state of emergency still exists in the State of Maryland, the latest emergency declaration by the state merely encourages continued use of masks by non-vaccinated people for indoor public settings, continued social distancing, and avoiding large gatherings.

Organizers for this meetup are sensitive to these recommendations. Caceres says this is one of the reasons their latest activities are outdoors. He also mentioned that they encourage mask-use for anyone not vaccinated and for all those that wish to do so in keeping with Maryland State and Baltimore City recommendations.

As the sun disappears, the city lights and the ambient lights illuminate the deck. Tonight was a good turnout with approximately twenty-something people coming out to enjoy a social activity that was completely restricted just a mere few months before. As the people start to show their moves on the dance floor, things seem just a little closer to normal. SalsAddicts demonstrates that there can be a balance between observing pandemic guidelines and having fun.

For more information about SalsAddict’s upcoming events, you can visit their Facebook page or email them at salsaaddict2020@gmail.com.