Summertime fun comes in many forms, including festivals! Luckily, the St. Louis region offers lots of choices. While some events are annual favorites, others are new to the area. Mark your calendar so you don’t miss out.
The Festival of Nations in Tower Grove Park returns August 23-24. Over 80 countries are represented in the region’s largest multicultural event of the year. Enjoy an array of music, food, art, and culture at this highly anticipated two-day event.
Bring a lawn chair or blanket and head over to Alton for the second year of the Mississippi River Festival at Liberty Bank Amphitheatre. The concert features 12 artists over two days, June 26-27.
It’s Shakespeare under the stars! Hamlet is this year’s offering of at the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival in Forest Park. Reserved tickets are available as well as free seats in the grassy Shakespeare’s Glen. This free performance runs Tuesdays through Sundays, concluding June 22.
During LGBTQ+ Pride Month, St. Louis welcomes the return of PrideFest June 28-29. With a goal of celebrating diversity and eradicating prejudice, downtown St. Louis hosts this parade and festival for its 45thyear.
With all works written, produced, and directed by locals, the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase celebrates a major milestone: 25 years of storytelling, creativity and community. Get tickets ahead of time; the event runs July 18-27.
Blues at the Arch Festival is four days of music, local flavors, and fun. Celebrate a decade of the Blues August 7-10 at Gateway Arch National Park.
STL’s biggest annual food festival is relocating to Clayton. Taste of St. Louis will be cooking up some terrific food and good times August 15-17.
Enjoy a peaceful and memorable outing at the Water Lantern Festival at Creve Coeur Park Lake August 29-30. Experience the magic of thousands of lanterns as they reflect on the water, plus food trucks, music and more.
Head to Main Street in Historic St. Charles for Festival of the Little Hills August 15-17. Music, entertainment, food, arts, crafts and the Kids Corner make this event a family favorite.
The first annual St. Louis Tattoo Arts Festival is coming to the Gateway Center in Collinsville. Hundreds of artists will be in attendance, including famous faces from television. If you’re looking for ink, don’t miss this festival June 20-22.
The Grandel Theater hosts the Tennessee Williams Festival August 7-17. This annual event celebrates the timeless works of this playwright and screenwriter who called St. Louis home for 20 years.
Another beloved event, the annual Japanese Festival, welcomes visitors back to the Missouri Botanical Garden Labor Day weekend. Celebrate the history, culture and people of Japan August 30-September 1.
Forest Park will host the Evolution Music Festival September 27-28. Live music, including Lenny Kravitz and Sublime, accompanies barbecue, bourbon, and other bold beverages.
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a festival season, featuring four new productions. Accompanied by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, shows will include Die Fledermaus and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The Great Forest Park Balloon Race celebrates 52 years of free family fun. Take in the balloon glow and race on Emerson Central Fields September 19-20.
Kranzberg Arts Foundation presents Music at the Intersection. Blues, jazz, soul, rock, hip hop, and more will fill the Grand Center Arts District September 12-14. A portion of the proceeds will help St. Louis tornado victims.
One more St. Louis summertime favorite is the Whitaker Music Festival. Returning to Missouri Botanical Garden, the free and family friendly open-air concert series continues every Wednesday evening through July 30.
So many festivals, so little time! Don’t let summer slip by without adding some to your calendar.
