St. Louis has a calendar that defines the city as much as the Arch defines the skyline. Mardi Gras in Soulard rivals New Orleans in spirit; The Muny has played every summer since 1919; Fair Saint Louis turns the Arch grounds into the country's grandest Fourth of July. These are the events locals plan their year around — and the ones worth planning a trip to the city for.
One of the largest Mardi Gras celebrations outside New Orleans takes over the Soulard neighborhood every year in the days before Fat Tuesday. The Grand Parade — one of the nation's largest Mardi Gras parades — winds through the historic streets, floats throw beads, and the neighborhood's bars and restaurants run at full capacity for a full weekend.
St. Louis's Fourth of July celebration is one of the largest Independence Day events in the country, centered on the Gateway Arch grounds with fireworks launched from the Arch itself. Headline concerts, air shows, and family activities spread across both the Arch grounds and Forest Park. The fireworks reflection in the Mississippi River is one of the city's signature visual moments.
America's oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre has performed every summer since 1919 in Forest Park's natural amphitheater. The Muny seats 11,000 and reserves the last several rows as free seats for every performance — a St. Louis institution that has introduced generations of the city's residents to live theatre. The season runs seven productions from mid-June through August.
Consistently ranked among the top fine art fairs in the country, the Saint Louis Art Fair brings more than 130 nationally juried artists to downtown Clayton every September. The walkable streets of Clayton become an outdoor gallery, with artists presenting everything from painting and sculpture to glass and ceramics. The free festival draws tens of thousands over a single weekend.
One of the oldest continuously operating public markets in the United States, the Soulard Farmers Market has been a St. Louis institution since the 1770s. The covered market building runs Wednesday through Saturday year-round, with vendors selling local produce, meats, cheeses, flowers, and specialty foods. Saturday morning is the peak, when the full market is open and the surrounding Soulard streets are lively.
Set against the Victorian landscape of Tower Grove Park, this Saturday morning market runs from May through October with local produce, prepared foods, and artisan vendors. The park's pavilions, fountains, and mature tree canopy give the market an atmosphere the parking-lot markets of the suburbs can't match. Arrive by 9am for the best selection of local farm produce.
Historic Cherokee Street throws one of St. Louis's largest annual street festivals each spring, celebrating Cinco de Mayo with live music across multiple outdoor stages, food vendors, and the neighborhood's deep Mexican-American cultural heritage. The antique shops and murals along Cherokee provide a backdrop unlike any other festival venue in the city.
St. Louis is one of the most baseball-devoted cities in the country, and Cardinals Opening Day at Busch Stadium is a civic event that shuts down nearby offices and fills the downtown streets. The pregame party on Clark Street and the surrounding stadium district starts hours before first pitch and continues long after the final out.
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's annual season opener at Powell Hall marks the start of the cultural calendar each September. Powell Hall is widely considered one of the finest concert acoustics in North America, and the opening night gala is the city's most formal annual gathering. Single tickets to the season are available alongside the full subscription packages.