Annual EventsMany of the organizations below also host annual academic and cultural events.
Community and Cultural Festivals This is not an all-inclusive listing of the annual festivals and fairs held in or near the St. Louis area. This listing is partial and only includes those that have some potential academic or cultural merit.
Additionally, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch features two semi-annual listings of St. Louis area fairs and festivals. One lists those in the fall and comes out the last weekend of August or the first of September in the Travel and Leisure section. The other, a summer fair and festivals listing, comes out the last weekend of May or the first weekend of June. Additionally, the Get Out section of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch also features a listing of upcoming fine arts events including gallery showings and theatre productions during those same weeks .
January and February Eagle Days
West Alton, MO and Alton, IL
http://www.visitalton.com/story.cfm?id=26
Various interpretive educational programs and viewing opportunities of the American Bald Eagles.
St. Louis Chinese Academy
Social Science Building
St. Louis Community College at Meramec Campus
11333 Big Bend Blvd.
St. Louis, MO63122
Contacts: Da-Ren Chen at 314-576-2751 or Janet Skaer at 314-843-7983
http://www.stlchineseacademy.com/
Chinese New Year program.
April Art Fair
Laumeier Sculpture Park
12580 Rott Road
Sunset Hills, MO 63127
314-821-1209
http://www.laumeier.org/
General juried art fair.
Congregation Chai V'Shalom Passover Community Dinner
Held at Chai V'Shalom at 6327 Clayton Ave. St. Louis, MO 63139.
Fore more information 314-645-4456 or Email: RevKevye@aol.com
Historical Children's Festival at the State Capitol Historic SIte
Costumed re-enactors, fur & trapping exhibit, storytelling, games & toys, butter churning, necklace stringing, quill pen writing, candle dipping, hearth cooking, cow milking, barnyard animals, carriage rides, fur trappers and much more....The first Capitol will host a free open house. The event is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. For more information go to: www.historicstcharles.com/Attractions/Festivals
Meramec Children's Literacy and Safety Festival
St. Louis Community College at Meramec
11333 Big Bend Rd.
Community event for children offering various activities and progams focussing on safety and literacy.
Missouri Tartan Days, Scottish Festival
St Charles Frontier Park
http://www.motartanday.com/
Scottish demonstrations, games, competitions, food, dancing and music.
Our Lady of the Snows Earth Day Celebration
Interactive and hand-son activities, students will explore ways in which they might become champions for the earth and its resources. Registration required, for more information contact OLS Youth Minister at 618-394-6286 or www.sblateusa.org.
Read, Right & Run Marathon®
Presented By St. Louis Bread Company
Forest Park
314-727-0800
http://www.stlouismarathon.com/Events/RRR.htm
While adults will be running 26.2 miles all in a single day, students can participate in the Read, Right & Run Marathon®. They will be challenged to read 26 books, “right” the community with 26 good deeds, and run 25 miles over a six-month period. On race day, middle school students (grades 6-8) will complete their ULTRAMARATHON by running a 5K (3.1 miles). The elementary school students (grades K-5) will run their final 1.2 miles past cheering crowds and across the official Finish Line!
Everyone is a WINNER! Everyone receives a MEDAL! Children may participate individually or as a school group or youth organization. Watch for news about the Read, Right & Run Marathon® this fall at your school to find out if they are participating in the event!
St Louis Annual Earth Day Festival
Forest Park and Missouri Botanical Gardens
800-642-8842
http://www.stlouisearthday.org/
Focuses on the celebration, education, and stewardship of the environment.
May
Chinese Culture Days
Missouri Botanical Gardens
PO Box 299
St. Louis, MO 63166
314-577-9506
800-642-8842
www.mobot.org
Martial arts, dragon dance, arts and crafts, tai chi, music, games, Chinese garden tours and Chinese foods.
Greek Festival
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church
1755 Des Peres Road
Des Peres, MO 63131
314-966-2255
http://www.assumptiongoc.com/
Greek food, dance, music and art
Kids Day
Cahokia Mounds
30 Ramey Street
Collinsville, IL 62234
618-346-5160
http://www.cahokiamounds.com
Hands-on activities for children of all ages, including flint knapping, pottery making, Indian games, corn grinding, spear throwing, identifying animal tracks and pelts, and performances by Indian dance group.
Peru Hollow Farms Alpacas
5679 St. Rte. 3
Waterloo, IL 62298
Owners: Tim and Nancy Yates
618-939-5810
http://alpacanation.com/farmsandbreeders/03_viewfarm.asp?name=12352
This alpaca farm is owned by a homeschool family. Call to arrange a tour or join them for Shearing Days in May.
Renaissance Faire
Rotary Park, Wentzville, MO
636-946-7776
http://www.stlrenfaire.com
Living history event that seeks to recreate the spirit of Renaissance France in the mid 16th century. Visitors can immerse themselves in the costumes and mannerisms of the era with knights, jousting, village shops, stage acts, costumed villagers and noblemen, food and crafts. Free open-air performances.
Rendezvous
Fort de Chartres
Prairie du Rocher, Illinois
http://www.greatriverroad.com/stegen/randattract/fdcvous.htm
18th rendezvous camp-in and reenactment displaying historical crafts, food, music, flintlock rifle and musket competition, cannon and mortar competition, and fur traders.
Shakespeare Festival
Forest Park
462 North Taylor Avenue, Suite 202
St. Louis, MO 63108
314/531-9800 or 314-361-0101
http://www.sfstl.com/
Free open-air performances in the park.
Story Telling Festival
Continuing Education & Outreach
J.C. Penney Conference Center
University of Missouri-St. Louis
One University Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63121-4400
Diana Rehagen
(314) 516-7005
http://www.umsl.edu/~conted/storyfes/storytellers_regional.html
Community wide multi-day storytelling event.
June
Circus Flora
Grand Center
Centene Center for the Arts
3547 Olive St., 2nd Fl.
St. Louis, MO 63103
314-289-4040
http://www.circusflora.org/
Old fashioned big top circus.
Fleur de Lis Festival
Old Town St. Charles
800-366-2427
http://www.historicstcharles.com
Artists, street dancing, music and historical reenactments.
Great Rivers Towboat Festival
Grafton Riverfront
906 Olive Street, Suite 1010
St. Louis, MO 63101-1432
314 436-7303
800-258-6645 or 618-786-7000
http://wwwgreatriverroad.com
Tour and ride on towboats.
St. Louis Jazz Festival
Shaw Park,
Clayton MO 63105
314-863-0274
Jazz Festival
Jazz music festival, multiple performing groups.
July
Festival of Nations
Tower Grove Park
3654 S. Grand Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63118
314 773-9090
http://www.intlinst.org/
Traditional dance and music, ethnic food, cultural and educational exhibits, folk art demonstrations, and international market. Presented by the International Institute and 125 ethnic organizations, the festival promotes awareness and understanding of our community's growing ethnic population.
Old Time Music Fete
Cahokia Courthouse
107 Elm St
Cahokia, IL 62206
618-332-1782
http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=AnL6dPkGR7UlyCXBuW.lFW.KNcIF;_ylu=X3oDMTBsaHBuMXY2BF9zAzk2NjE3NDk1BHNlYwNzcGVjcw--/SIG=112ak6o0h/**http%3a//www.illinoishouse.org/
Musical rendezvous for bluegrass, old time country, folk, and blues.
Transportation Museum
Annual Open House. Free
3015 Barrett Station Road
St. Louis, MO 63122
314-965-7998
http://www.museumoftransport.org/
Tour antique trains, steam and diesel engines, Pullmans, streetcars, and automobiles.
August
Annual Hispanic Fair
Soldier Memorial Park
314-837-6100
http://www.hispanicstlouis.com
Hispanic, music, dance, food and crafts.
Archaeology Days
Cahokia Mounds
30 Ramey Street
Collinsville, IL 62234
618-346-5160
http://www.cahokiamounds.com
Demonstrations of ancient crafts, artifact washing and processing, hands-on activities, tours of excavations, and storytelling.
Festival of the Little Hills
Frontier Park, St. Charles
PO Box 1323
St Charles MO 63302
636-940-0095
800-366-2427
http://www.festivalofthelittlehills.com/festival/index.htm
Craft and artisan community festival.
Jour de Fete
St. Genevieve, MO
636-394-8543
http://www.greatriverroad.com/stegen/sgattract/jourfetehome.htm
Historical German and French crafts, music, food, arts, exhibits, house tours, reenactments in colonial Ste. Genevieve, the first European settlement in Missouri.
Old Mines Fete Recreation of 1800’s French village near Washington State Park on Hwy
21.
Scott AFB Air Fest
Scott Air Force Base
http://public.scott.amc.af.mil/library/airfest2006/index.asp
Air force planes, helicopters, tanks, weapons, and historical crafts on display. Most can be toured. Demonstrations include parachutists, Thunderbirds, and a simulated dogfight.
September
Big River Days
Clarksville, MO
http://www.pikecountytourism.com/events.htm
Annual event centered on the Mississippi River and life on the river in the 1800s.
Nationally known storytellers, educators, program providers like, Wild Bird Sanctuary, Army Corp of Engineering, tours of the lock and dam, Coast Guard tours of their science vessel, Scioto, the Missouri Department of Conservation, US Fish and Wildlife, and historical re-enactors. Some years they offer a special homeschool educational program the day before the public event - check in advance.
Bioblitz
5050 Oakland Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
Contact: Peggy Winkler
314-533-8082
http://www.stlbioblitz.com/
The St. Louis BioBlitz is a 24-hour inventory of all living organisms in Forest Park. Teams of scientists and naturalists with expertise in various taxa, aided by a cadre of volunteers, will observe and record as many species as possible during the 24-hour time period. Students can participate in this event.
Civil War Reenactment
Frontier Park, St. Charles
636-946-7776
http://www.historicstcharles.com/
Reenactment of a Civil War encampment and battle.
Great War Fly-In
Creve Coeur Airport
314-426-0159
http://www.aerodrome.org/
The St. Louis Escadrille hosts a great fly-in on even numbered years, vintage air planes on display.
Japanese Festival
Missouri Botanical Gardens
PO Box 299
St. Louis, MO 63166
314-577-9506
800-642-8842
www.mobot.org
Japanese music, food, dance, crafts, taiko drummers, traditional tea ceremony, and candlelight walks in the Japanese Garden.
Failte St. Charles
Irish Heritage Day
Frontier Park, St. Charles
PO Box 1323
St Charles MO 63302
636 946-2449
http://www.failtestcharles.com/
Irish folk festival, demonstrations, food, music, dance and arts and crafts.
Festival of Faiths and Cultures
Our Lady of the Snows
Belleville, IL
800-682-2879
http://www.snows.org
Food and performances and an International Children's Village.
Folk Festival
Faust Park
15185 Olive Street Road
Chesterfield, MO 63017-1805
636-532-7298
http://www.stlouisco.com/parks/Faust_home.html
Historical crafts and demonstrations such as, candle making, cider making, soap making, stage coach rides, rope making, brook making, spinning and weaving.
Fort Belle Fontaine Historic Encampment and Shoot
Fort Belle Fontaine
314-544-5714
http://www.stlouisco.com/parks/s
Historical civil war reenactment.
Great Forest Park Balloon Race
Forest Park
http://www.greatforestparkballoonrace.com
Balloon glow and race.
Greentree Festival
Kirkwood Park
http://www.ci.kirkwood.mo.us
Community parade and festival with crafts, historic crafts and reenactments.
Lock and Dam Cruises
St. Louis Riverfront
314-923-3048 or 877-982-1410
http://www.gatewayarchriverboats.com
Mississippi River cruise aboard the Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher, 19th century steamboat replicas, through the lock and dam system. September and October
Mosaics-Festival for the Arts
Old French Town, St. Charles
520 North Main Center
St. Charles, Missouri 63301
636 255-0270
800-366-2427
http://www.stcharlesmosaics.org
Art fair.
Operation Clean Stream
PO Box 1468
Ballwin, MO 63021
636-766-0088
www.openspacecouncilstl.orgCoordinates the volunteer organized annual clean up of the Meramec, Bourbeuse, Big, Huzzah and Courtois Rivers
Annual community wide clean up event is usually the last weekend of August or the first of September.
Pioneer Days at Daniel Boone Home and Village
Highway F
Defiance, MO
636-798-2005
http://www.stcharlesmosaics.org
Historic reenactment and craft demonstrations.
Pow Wow
Cahokia Mounds
30 Ramey Street
Collinsville, IL 62234
618-346-5160
http://www.cahokiamounds.com
Demonstrations of ancient crafts, artifact washing and processing, hands-on activities, tours of excavations, and storytelling.
Prairie Days
Shaw Nature Reserve
Hwy 100
Gray Summit, MO
636 451-3512
http://www.shawnature.org
Portrays prairie heritage through activities and demonstrations, and showcases the Reserve’s 250-acre re-created tall grass prairie. Hike with a naturalist through the prairie to learn about prairie life, check out the teepees, play pioneer games, listen to a string band or storyteller, and watch weavers, spinners and other craft demonstrations. Exhibits include mammals, reptiles and amphibians, insects and live birds of prey. Living history characters will re-enact the lives of early prairie inhabitants. An archaeologist and a flint-knapper will display and interpret artifacts of prairie life. Native plant nurseries will sell wildflowers and seeds.
St. Louis Art Fair
Clayton Business District
7818 Forsyth Blvd., Suite 210
Clayton, MO 63105
314 863-0278
http://www.saintlouisartfair.com/
One of the major juried art fairs in the United States.
St. Louis National Charity Horse Show
National Equestrian Center
Lake St. Louis, MO
314-951-1501
Annual horse show.
October
Annual Snake Crossing
Il Rte 345
Contact: Scott Ballad
Ill Dept of Natural Resources
618-993-7094
See annual migration of amphibians and reptiles across the highway Call for expected dates.
Best of Missouri Market
Missouri Botanical Gardens
PO Box 299
St. Louis, MO 63166
314-577-9506
800-642-8842
www.mobot.org
Missouri food producers and artisans.
Deutsch Country Days Pioneer Days
Luxenhaus Farm
18055 State Highway "O"
Marthasville, MO 63357-2357
636-433-5669
http://www.deutschcountrydaysorg/
Learn about folkways and skills of early Germans in Missouri in a
recreated historical village in Marthasville sponsored by Lindenwood College.
Eureka Back Draft Rodeo
636-938-5505
http://www.eurekachamber.us/events/events_upcoming.html
Rodeo.
.
Fall Festival
Saxon Lutheran Memorial
Frohna, Missouri 63748
573-824-5404
http://chi.lcms.org/sites_slm.html
Like Deutscheim, historical crafts such as quilting, spinning, weaving, soap making, blacksmithing, cider making, candle making, and broom making. Owned and operated by Concordia Historical Institute and The Missouri Synod. In Frohna Mo off of 55, on Route 61 20 minutes north of Cape Girardeau. They also offer group tours.
Gospel Music Festival
Meramec Caverns
Stanton, Missouri
800-676-6105
http://www.americascave.com/cave.htm
Various gospel groups play over a four-day period.
Greenville Airport Open House
1374 Sky Lane
Greenville, IL 62246
Troy Walker, Manager
618-664-0926
http://www.greenvilleusa.org/airport/
Airport tours, aviation displays and fly along plane rides for fee a ($15-125 per person).
Harvest Festival and Shaw Nature Reserve
Shaw Nature Reserve
Hwy 100
Gray Summit, MO
636 451-3512
http://www.shawnature.org
Bluegrass and folk music, food by top local restaurants, farmers’ market, family games, hayride, pony ride, self-guided Nature Reserve tours
Hoedown Harvest Hoedown at Strong Tower Ranch
600 Sunshine Lane
Foristell, MO 63390
636-745-8740
www.StrongTowerRanch.org The fun begins at 3:30 with "A Tribute to Old Glory" featuring Civil War Re-Enactors on Horseback with our own STR Wranglers. Other activities include: hay rides, drama, music, exhibits, door prizes, and more. A Chili Cook-Off will add excitement and suspense to the lakeside chili supper at sunset. After dinner, enjoy a festive, outdoor evening by candlelight and campfire as we top off the event with an old-fashioned square dance under the stars. Hay rides and children's activities will be offered.
Native Harvest Exhibition
Cahokia Mounds
30 Ramey Street
Collinsville, IL 62234
618-346-5160
http://www.cahokiamounds.com
Demonstrations and exhibits on prehistoric agriculture, gathering, food processing, storage, crafts and games.
St. Louis Scottish Games
Annual Scottish Games & Cultural Festival
Forest Park
314 821 1286
http://www.stlouis-scottishgames.com/
Scottish demonstrations of games, competitions, dancing and pipe bands.
Wilderness Wagon Rides
Shaw Nature Reserve
Hwy 100
Gray Summit, MO
636 451-3512
http://www.shawnature.org Wilderness Wagon Rides - Saturday and Sunday afternoons from May 6, 2006– June 25, 2006 and September - October (weather permitting), the wilderness wagon educational narrative along 3 mile trail house loop road. Group tours are also available on the Wilderness Wagon.
WOW Wonders of the Outdoor World
National Outdoor Recreation and Conservation School
800-334-6946
http://www.mostateparks.com/WOW.htm
National comprehensive outdoor recreation and conservation educational program offered through Missouri State Parks Department. Disciplines include archery, boating, camping, fishing, hunting, natural history, nature arts and crafts, outdoor cooking, horsemanship, backpacking, caving, outdoor cooking, and photography. This is a weeklong event for children over 9 and their families.
November
Christian College Fair
at Westminster Christian Academy
10900 Ladue Road
St. Louis, MO, 63141
314-997-2901 x139
Usually held in November. Over 60 Christian colleges represented at one of the largest Christian college fairs in the Midwest.
Thanksgiving weekend kick-off
St. Louis Holiday Parade - Downtown St. Louis
Judevine Festival of Trees
December
Annual Christmas Events with Historical, Artistic, and/or Religious Content.
Light Tours
Way of Lights - Our Lady of the Snows
Celebration of Lights - O'Fallon Rotary Park
Santa's Magical Kingdom-Jellystone Park Eureka
Winter wonderland - Tilles Park
Wild Lights - St. Louis Zoo
Anheuser Busch Brewery Washington Parade of Lights
Candlelight Tours
Augusta Christmas Walk
Daniel Boone Village
Deutscheim Christmas Candlelight open house
Faust Village
Florissant Candlelight House Tour
Henry Shaw Home candlelight tour
Jefferson Barracks candlelight tour
Kimmswick Candlelight Walk
St. Charles Candlelight tour of Capitol
Caroling Events
Carols in the Park - Missouri Botanical Gardens
Ragtime Candlelight Christmas party at the Scott Joplin House
Sing Out St. Louis -Union Station
St. Charles Capitol Building - carols by candlelight
Nativity Reenactment Events
La Posada - St. Charles old Frenchtown
Journey to Bethlehem - Harvester Christian Church
Nativity Drive Thru - First Baptist Church, Wentzville
Return to Bethlehem - Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Chesterfield
Annual Concerts
Gospel Christmas Concert - Powell Hall
Handel's Messiah - Powell Hall
Holiday Brass Concert - Cathedral Basilica
(Silver Dollar City and Branson also offer a great variety of holiday events.)