Memorial Day Weekend Events in St. Louis: Thursday, May 22nd through Sunday, May 25th

Highlighted Event:

Ribfest: St. Louis’ most delicious festival. The Budweiser 2014 Ribfest is the premier barbecue event in St. Louis. Amazing barbecue from local restaurants as well as award-winning barbecue masters from Texas, Chicago, Columbia, and more. In addition to BBQ, there will be plenty of beer and live music from: We Got It Covered, Metal Studz, Brandon Holland, Divide the Empire, Sable, Super Jam, and Smash Band. Admission is free.

Date: May 23-26
Time: Fri: 5-11pm, Sat & Sun: 11am-11pm, Mon: 11am-7pm
Place: Soldier’s Memorial

Thursday:

Spring to Dance Festival: A three-night dance extravaganza from 30 dance companies from across the country; three nights with a different program every night. It’s diversity of movement and style at its best with dance companies from across the Midwest and beyond performing a variety of pieces from contemporary to classical to tap and more. Each evening begins with informal, interactive performances in the lobby, continues in the Lee Theatre and concludes on the main stage. Tickets are $15.

Date: May 22-24
Time: 5:30pm
Place: Touhill Performing Arts Center – 1 University Blvd

Cocktails on the Plaza: The second annual Cocktails on the Plaza summer kick-off party! The event will be held at the Fountain Plaza, located on Park Avenue. The event will feature signature cocktails and wines, as well as appetizers from some of St Louis’ finest restaurants, wine bars and cocktail lounges. Enjoy live music and a chance to win assorted gift baskets. Event proceeds will benefit the Lafayette Square Business Association Beautification Program. $25 per person will cover unlimited cocktails and appetizers.

Date: Thursday, May 22
Time: 4:30-7:30pm
Place: Lafayette Square – Fountain Plaza

Friday & Saturday

Crawfish Boil: It’s crawfish time! This weekend, Broadway Oyster Bar will be serving up crawfish inspired dishes including a traditional Louisiana style Crawfish Boil with all the fixins. Live music including Brad Noe, Jenny Teater and the Fever & The Thin Dimes, All Roostered Up, and The Hatrick. (regular menu will also be available)

Date: Friday, May 23 & Saturday, May 24
Time: Fri: 6pm, Sat: 1pm
Place: Broadway Oyster Bar – 736 S. Broadway

Mo River Irishfest: The largest free Irish Festival in St. Louis. Enjoy live entertainment from Clabber Alley, Tempest, St. Louis Irish Session Players, Gallica, Clarkson School of Irish Dance, Irish Xiles, Duddy Breeks, Keltic Reign, and more. Children’s activities include: Irish Crafts – leprechaun maskface, painting, Pot of Gold, bead bracelets, and Irish storytellers. Enjoy traditional Irish foods as well as Gus’ Pretzels, kettlecorn, shish kabobs, and more. There will be a raffle for 2 Guinness Harps.

Date: May 23-25
Time: Fri: 5-10:30pm, Sat: 9am-10:30pm, Sun: 10am-5pm
Place: Frontier Park, St. Charles

St. Louis County Greek Festival: Enjoy authentic Greek delicacies such as lamb shank, shish-ke-bob, gyros, roasted chicken, Shrimp saganaki, Greek pastries including Baklava, Galatobouriko, Kataifi, Theples, Karithopita, and Greek cookies. Music played by authentic Greek bands and entertainment from Greek folk dance group, Kyklos-Hellenic Dance Group. Learn about Greek culture and shop a traditional Greek market with a variety of items including jewelry, clothing, paintings, books, icons, etc.

Date: May 23-26
Time: Fri, Sat & Sun: 11am-9pm, Mon: 11am-8pm
Place: Assumption Greek Orthodox – 1755 Des Peres Rd

St. Louis Bluesweek : The best Blues Festival in St. Louis happens every year on Memorial Day weekend. While the festival location has been moved from downtown to Chesterfield, the entertainment has not changed. Live music from some of the best in blues: The Brothers, Good For The Soul, Guitar Masters, Harp Attack, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Royal Southern Brotherhood, Tom Hall, Alice Spencer & the Bottoms Up Blues Gang, Big Mike Aguirre & the Blue City All-Stars, Soulard Blues Band, St. Louis Blues Kings, and Otis Clay. In addition to the music, there will be a Bunge BBQ Blast, with 35 teams competing in a Best of BBQ competition. Festival admission is free. Tickets to shows are $10 in advance or $15 day of.

Date: May 24-25
Time: 11am-10:30pm
Place: Chesterfield Amphitheater

Pork Shop: A Downtown BBQ & Garage Sale: A one-day downtown yard sale with BBQ, Schlafly beer, live music, and a pig roast. Come shop for some cool, unique items from over 50 booths, drink, eat delicious BBQ, and enjoy live music all day from Rough Shop, Trigger 5, and the Dock Ellis Band.

Date: Saturday, May 24
Time: 9am-5pm
Place: Schlafly Tap Room – 2100 Locust

Great Food Truck Race in St. Louis: The Great Food Truck race is stopping through St. Louis this Saturday. The four competing trucks include: LA-based Middle Feast, Lone Star Chuck Wagon, Let There Be Bacon, and Beach Cruiser. They will each be competing at a different location this weekend. So far Middle Fest has announced they will be at 4 Hands Brewery at noon for the Cask & Food Trucks event. Lone Star Chuck Wagon will be at Heavy Riff Brewing Company at 6413 Clayton Ave at noon. The other two trucks haven’t announced their locations yet, but follow them on Twitter to keep track.

Date: Saturday, May 25
Time: Noon
Place: Follow #GreatFoodTruckRace on Twitter for locations

African Arts Festival: The 23rd annual festival to celebrate the rich contributions of Africa and the African Diaspora. Stroll through the African marketplace and enjoy the sweet smell of incense and handmade soaps while perusing the vendors’ brightly colored jewelry, and textiles. Join in activities such as: art, dance, jewelry making, drumming, authentic hair braiding, and mask-making. Stop by the main stage for reggae and belly dancing, or bring the kids to the Children’s Village for mask-making, puppetry and percussion workshops. Don’t miss the jerk chicken, rice and beans, and heady ginger punch sold from vendors just outside the pavilion.

Date: May 24 – 26
Time: Sat: 10am-8pm, Sun: 11am-8pm, Mon: 10am-6pm
Place: World’s Fair Pavilion – Forest Park

Flicks and Foodies: A free outdoor movie series under the Gateway Arch! Enjoy a night of music from Letter To Memphis, film, and food from food trucks. The fun begins at 7pm, with music and food, followed by an action-packed classic western (rated PG) to show underneath the Arch on a giant projection screen at sunset. This month, Outlaw Josey Wales, will be shown. The event is free. Food truck food and beverages available for purchase.

Date: May 24
Time: 7-10pm
Place: Gateway Arch

Sunday

Family Fun Day at Ballpark Village: Once a month Ballpark Village will be shutting down Clark Street for fun family activities. This Memorial Day weekend, enjoy the first of many to come! Have fun with the family with activities such as rock climbing wall, face painting, bounce houses, reptiles, fire trucks, live music, balloon artist, arts & crafts, and more. Admission is free, but some activities will require a ticket which is a $1 donation to Stray Rescue of St. Louis.

Date: Sunday, May 25
Time: 1-5pm
Place: Ballpark Village – Downtown

Howl at the Moon Summer Party: Get ready to rock your socks off as dueling piano players rock music from Bryan Adams’ Summer of ’69 to Calvin Harris’ Summer to summer tracks that don’t include the name summer! Take a breath of fresh air and prepare yourself for sundresses, picnics, and saltwater taffy. Enjoy awesome Memorial Day specials including $3 Miller Lite Bottles, $4 Skyy & Flavors, and $22 86oz Rum Runner Buckets.

Date: Sunday, May 25
Time: 7pm
Place: Howl at the Moon – Ballpark Village

The STL250 Celebration at Eclipse: Eclipse Restaurant and Moonrise Hotel are throwing an amazing birthday celebration for St. Louis’ big 250! The party will consist of six rooms manned by some of this city’s most famous and experienced mixologists. Each room will step through time as we celebrate different time periods of St. Louis’ past and into its future. Listen to the mastered blues and jazz performances of local pianist, Curt Landes, in the Gaslight Square Room, take part in an homage to The World’s Fair with a Serendipity waffle cone, experience the latest in molecular mixology with BC Kitchen’s Justin Cardwell, and so much more. There will be period costumes, live painting by local artists, Budweiser Clydesdales, and more. There is no cover. Go VIP for $45 and get an all-inclusive specialty drink bracelet.

Date: May 25
Time: 6pm
Place: Moonrise Hotel – 6177 Delmar

Memorial Day – Monday, May 26

STL Symphony Gypsy Caravan: Since 1973, the St. Louis Symphony Volunteer Association has presented one of the largest antique, craft and flea markets in the Midwest, raising money support of the STL Symphony. Gypsy Caravan vendors come from 20 states and sell something for everyone: antiques, collectibles, crafts, jewelry, furniture, clothing, imports, yard art and more! Ticket prices are: $20 for early bird (7-9am) or $10 GA (9am-5pm).

Time: 7am-5pm
Place: St. Charles Family Arena

Belleville Memorial Day festivities: Downtown Belleville is hosting a Memorial Day parade at 10am. It starts at Cathedral and 2nd Street to 3rd and West Main down East Main and Mascoutah Ave to Walnut Hill Cemetery with ceremonies concluding at the cemetery. Afterward, head over to Eckert’s for a Memorial Day festival complete with outdoor festival foods, live music, carnival rides, and fun activities for kids.

Time: 10am
Place: Downtown Belleville and Eckert’s

Alton Memorial Day Parade: Celebrate Memorial Day by experiencing the oldest consecutive running parade in the entire nation. The first one was held in 1868, just three years after the end of the Civil War. Celebrate the history of Pie Town, Upper Alton and those that served our country. Bring your lawn chairs and line the streets to show your support and join in on the fun. Stick around after and check out a local winery, the Great Rivers Museum, eat at a local restaurant, and enjoy the sites.

Time: 10am
Place: College & Washington

Mills Properties