31. A Historic Fourth Of July Celebration
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (314) 655-1701
Description: This annual event, held at the historic Old Courthouse, celebrates the Fourth of July with interpreters in period clothing, living-history portrayals, and demonstrations, including appearances by Thomas Jefferson, Abigail Adams, and Frederick Douglass; patriotic music; a tableau vivant (a 3-D “painting” using real people in the scene) and historic vignettes; patriotic speeches; ranger programs; and refreshments of the era. Free.
32. World’S Largest Catsup Bottle Summerfest Birthday Party And Custom ’N’ Classic Car ’N’ Truck Show Ba
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (618) 345-5598
Description: Celebrate the birthday of Collinsville’s world-famous roadside landmark—a giant bottle of catsup—at this family-friendly early-July festival of live music, crafts, food, fun, games, and a car show. Discriminating ketchup lovers can take the “Brooks Catsup Tangy Taste Test” and see if they can tell the difference between catsup and ketchup (even though they’re really the same thing). Free.
33. Live On The Levee
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (314) 434-3434
Description: Live on the Levee is a series of free music concerts that begin in mid-July and continue through early August each summer. Held on Friday and Saturday nights, In addition to live musical performances by artists such as Lyle Lovett, India. Arie, Cheap Trick, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Morris Day & The Time, each evening’s entertainment is capped off with a stellar fireworks display. Food and beverage vendors are set up on-site.
34. Soulard Bastille Day Celebration
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (314) 621-6226
Description: Celebrate St. Louis’s French heritage with a series of fun and quirky special events that include food and wine tasting, a street fair, and a bicycle race. Festivities kick off in mid-July with the ceremonial beheading of King Louis and Marie Antoinette and conclude with a bike race through the Soulard neighborhood. In between, there’s lots of live music, food, and drinks to be enjoyed by all. Free.
35. Annual Downtown Restaurant Week
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (314) 436-6500
Description: More than two dozen of downtown St. Louis’s finest and most popular eateries participate in this annual food frenzy. It’s an ideal and economical way to experience dinner at a variety of restaurants. There are no coupons to clip or passes to secure—just visit one of the participating eateries and select from a special 3-course dinner menu for around $25 per person, plus tip and tax. Participants change yearly, so check the Web site to see who’s in the mix during your visit.
36. Greater St. Louis Hispanic Festival
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (314) 837-6100
Description: This free two-day festival is held in early August each year to celebrate St. Louis’s ever-increasing Hispanic population. The event tends to move around a bit, but most recently was held at Soldiers Memorial Park in downtown St. Louis. There’s plenty of live music, dancing, and other Latin-inspired entertainment, along with Hispanic food booths, arts and crafts, a children’s activity area, and information booths. And lots of margaritas.
37. Missouri Black Expo
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (314) 361-5772
Address: 701 Convention Plaza
Description: Hundreds of local and regional African-American entrepreneurs showcase their businesses during this two-day event, held in the St. Louis Convention Center in early August. In addition to performances by local and national entertainers, Expo activities include a benefit gala, a lecture series, the Annual Festival of Foods Mart, Black Book Sellers Book Zone, self development and entrepreneurial workshops, a health fair, and free child-care services for those attending the event. Popular events held in conjunction with the Expo include the Budweiser Invitational Amateur Boxing Competition and the Annual Youth Rally, featuring tennis and golf camps for kids. The cost is $8; free for children six and under. Concerts are an additional fee.
38. Festival Of The Little Hills
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (636) 946-7776, (800) 366-2427
Description: The Festival of the Little Hills is St. Charles’s largest event of the year and draws more than 300,000 visitors during the three-day weekend held in mid-August. Activities include demonstrations by craftspeople and artisans, live music and entertainment, and more than 300 crafts booths with items for sale. There’s also a variety of food and beverage booths. Free
39. Moonlight Ramble
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (314) 644-4660
Description: The Moonlight Ramble is the world’s largest nighttime bicycle ride, as nearly 13,000 cyclists take to the streets of St. Louis. Registration and other pre-ramble activities get started around 9:00 p.m. and include performances by local bands. The ride, which takes place in late August, begins in downtown St. Louis at the Soldiers Memorial at 12:01 a.m. and ends several hours later in the same location. Recreational bikers as well as more serious-minded cyclists enjoy this event since it’s the only time that the streets of St. Louis belong to bike riders first, and automobiles are secondary. Free for spectators; $10 to $25 for participants.
40. Festival Of Nations
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (314) 773-9090
Description: The Festival of Nations, a fast-growing celebration that reflects St. Louis’s increasingly diverse population, is presented in late August by the International Institute and includes participation from more than 125 area ethnic organizations. Held in beautiful Tower Grove Park, the event features ethnic food booths, handmade items, and nonstop music and dance performances. This family-friendly event includes arts and crafts, a petting zoo, and demonstrations of cultural traditions, including instrument-making and crafts. The Festival of Nations kicks off with a colorful Parade of Nations that features participants dressed in traditional costumes. Free.
41. Japanese Festival
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (314) 577-9400, (800) 642-8842
Address: 4344 Shaw Boulevard
Description: The Missouri Botanical Garden hosts this festival in honor of Japanese culture each Labor Day weekend. Highlights include tours of the Japanese garden, special art exhibitions, traditional processions, tea ceremonies, kimono demonstrations, traditional music and dancing, a Japanese marketplace, arts and crafts, ikebana, bonsai, martial arts, karaoke, Japanese theatrical performances, cooking demonstrations, food booths, and many more fun family activities, including everybody’s favorite, feeding the koi (Japanese carp). Bring plenty of change for the “koi-chow” machines! The cost is $3 to $10.
42. St. Nicholas Greek Festival
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (314) 361-6924
Address: 4967 Forest Park Boulevard
Description: This ethnic food festival and celebration takes place on Labor Day weekend and features authentic food, dance demonstrations, live music, and some of the best baklava you’ll ever taste. Imports from Greece are sold in the bazaar, and you can buy desserts to take home as well. Admission is free—and the food is worth every penny.
43. Tour De Lafayette Criterium Bicycle Race
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (314) 772-5724
Description: More than 300 riders participate in this popular bike race, and they represent some of the best cyclists from 20 states. The historic neighborhood of Lafayette Square kicks off Labor Day weekend with a twilight race on Friday night. The mile-long circuit is around Lafayette Park, with participants making about 40 rotations around the park during the race. There are four races, with riders making starts at 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, and 9:00 p.m. Many of the restaurants in Lafayette Square stay open to accommodate racers and spectators, and live music and concessions are available in the mini park. The race is part of the Gateway Cup Series. Free for spectators; $25 for participants.
44. Annual Kirkwood Greentree Festival
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (314) 822-5855
Description: A mid-September weekend of festivities kicks off on a Friday evening with a kids’ dog show, canine Frisbee contest, a book fair, and lots of live entertainment. Other events that take place during the weekend include a parade, mini-sailboat regatta, classic car show, and more than 200 booths filled with different foods and arts and crafts. A Folklife Festival offers a glimpse at what life was like during the 1700s and 1800s, complete with period crafts and music. Free.
45. Hop In The City Beer Festival At Schlafly Tap Room
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (314) 241-8101
Address: 2100 Locust Street
Description: This local microbrewery hosts an annual beer festival that features live local bands and the chance to sample more than 35 different types of Schlafly beer, as well as products from area wineries. This one-day festival, held in mid-September, takes place under a giant tasting tent on Schlafly’s parking lot, and it is a great way for beer lovers to check out a lot of different ales and lagers. European-style foods and regular pub grub are available on-site as well. Free admission; $30-$35 to sample beers.