As autumn enters the chat, thoughts turn to gatherings with family and friends, old and new. It’s also the start of the social season — making it a good time to spark new relationships.

Readers of The Sun will have their own guide to the city’s social turn with our new feature, Baltimore Scene by Sloane, a weekly column from Sloane Brown that offers an inside look at Baltimoreans hitting the town for galas, fundraisers, parties and events.

We spoke with our columnist to get the inside scoop on Charm City’s evolving social scene.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: How did you become the queen of the Baltimore scene?

A: I came to town as a television anchor and reporter, and also became a news director for radio, so my name was kind of recognized around town. When The Baltimore Sun’s longtime society columnist Sylvia Badger retired, I was suggested as a possible replacement. And I had covered arts and entertainment, and I was out on the social scene, so The Sun thought it was a good fit. That’s how it began. It was great. It still is.

Q: Now that parties and events are coming back after the COVID-19 crisis, what are some changes that you’re seeing?

A: COVID-19 allowed a lot of organizations to reboot. Because what happens with events is they can get tired, and yet you have board members or major supporters who are used to it being done a certain way. And they want it done the same way again and again. So at first, the crisis, it hurt them, because they had to shut down the social events. And then a lot of them realized this was their opportunity to completely redo their events. The Everyman Theatre Gala (A Night for Baltimore) is a good example. They’ve gone much more casual. Some events have completely changed the time of year that they’re held. There does seem to be a feeling of refreshment. And I see people enjoying themselves more at these events. There’s a certain amount of gratitude, like, yay, we’re getting back out there.

Q: Any other notable differences?

A: Well, I think I’m seeing a little more of a mix, which is great, at a lot of events — ages, race, ethnicity. There used to be silos, almost, and I’m seeing a little more crossover. For instance, the BSO gala used to be a lot of blue-haired symphony fans. But there was kind of a turning last year — there was a huge influx of younger professional fans as well as the older ones. It was really nice to see.

Q: If you haven’t been socializing in a while, and you want to get back out, any advice on a good place to start?

A: One of the ways you can tell about an event, sometimes, is the price of the ticket. A lot of the galas have gotten extremely expensive. Don’t start there. Go to something that’s more casual, something like Maritime Magic — for the Living Classrooms Foundation or even, The Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs, where there’s much more mingling, and you have an opportunity to meet different people. I would definitely start with something that’s a little bit more casual like the Ulman Foundation, which supports young adults with cancer. One of their big events that’s grown in popularity over the years is Screw Cancer, Brew Hope. And it’s held at a brewery — so that’s coming up this fall.

Q: Does Baltimore have a social vibe? And if so, how would you describe it?

A: It’s hard for me to say that because all I know is Baltimore. I’ve lived in different cities, but it was when I was a lot younger, and I really wasn’t into a social scene. But one of Baltimore’s unique vibes reflected in a lot of its events is a down-to-earth feeling and that’s what attracted me to Baltimore to begin with. It has this unpretentious energy of a city that has a working-class background. I think that’s a great combination, and it also makes for a great party.

Q: Is there anything that surprises you on the social scene?

A: Something that surprised me in the last year or so is dress code. With events like galas, everybody gets dressed to the nines or whatever. Now you see a mix. You can go to a casual event and see people showing up in what used to be considered gala attire just because they want to get dressed up. It’s often women in really cool gowns and they might be coming with a guy who’s wearing jeans, and that’s OK. The whole fact is that sneakers have also become high fashion. So all of those dictates kind of fell away and that makes it, frankly, a lot more fun. It makes people much more watchable.

Q: We see so many people being ‘social’ on TikTok and Instagram. What’s the benefit of going out and being social in person?

A: There have been a lot of news reports on how isolating social media actually is. You think you’re having contact and connecting with all these people, and you’re actually not. There is something very different about personally connecting. And when you are in an environment where there’s all that energy and all those people, it’s very different and so much better. I think those feelings can kind of fill you up.

Q: What are younger Baltimoreans doing on the social scene, and how are they changing it?

A: One of the main things that happens, probably with every generation, is that they get to take over. There’s that whole transition, and you have people coming up who get more involved, and they’ll change it to make it their own, make it appeal more to things that they and their friends like. So just take, for instance, food. You are going to see a lot more varying cuisines at events. It used to be a standard, catered, certain safe food. Now everybody is much more adventuresome. The same thing with fashion. A lot more is allowed fashion-wise.

Q: What’s been your favorite event over the years?

A: Well, it switches. And also, you don’t want to play favorites, because there are different things you like for different reasons. I mean, the Pratt Contemporaries Black & White Party is always a really good party. You have to wear black and/or white, and they always have fabulous decorations and a great DJ, and, it’s all put together by young professionals. The problem is that it’s hard to get tickets.

Q: What’s your must-have accessory for any event?

A: My camera, absolutely. But I would say for everybody else, as much as I love, love great-looking shoes, the most important accessory is to have a pair of comfy ones stuck away somewhere so you can continue enjoying the night if the shoes you’re wearing aren’t comfortable. Because, man, nothing will destroy a night out more than when your feet are killing you.