15 Things to Do in St. Louis This June

Festival season is fast-approaching, and St. Louis has an electrifying lineup of concerts, performances and community celebrations that will leave you with barely a moment to rest.

For a complete list of upcoming events in St. Louis, check our events calendar.

Whitaker Music Festival

May 29 to July 31

The Missouri Botanical Garden is an idyllic place to listen to live music, and on Wednesday evenings throughout the summer, the garden hosts free, open-air concerts as part of the annual Whitaker Music Festival. To date, more than one million people have participated in the cherished St. Louis tradition, which promotes common heritage, celebrates diversity and encourages vitality within the community. Visitors can bring their own picnics, and food, beer, wine and sno-cones will be available for purchase.

St. Louis Shakespeare Festival

May 29 to August 25

Meet us in St. Louis’ most beautiful parks for theater productions designed to reach hearts. The 2024 season of the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival brings a funny, lusty production of As You Like It to Forest Park for Shakespeare in the Park from May 29 to June 23. Further into summer, TourCO will take a larger-than-life production of The Tempest on the road, performing in 24 parks in Missouri and Illinois from July 30 to Aug. 25. The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival is “free forever to everyone always.” No reservations required.

Strawberry Festival

June 1 and 2

Take a day trip to Kimmswick, Missouri, for the annual Strawberry Festival. At more than 125 stalls, strawberries will inform delicious drinks, dishes and desserts. There will also be craft booths, home and garden vendors, bounce houses, a petting zoo and pony rides for people of all ages and interests.

Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup Series

June 2

Enjoy Illinois 300 brings the cars and stars of the NASCAR Cup Series to World Wide Technology Raceway on the first weekend of June. In addition to the rip-roaring race, NASCAR weekend includes the Confluence Music Festival, the JJK 5K to benefit the Jackie-Joyner Kersee Foundation and other spectacular fan enhancements.

Marooned

June 6 to 23

Circus Flora, a theater company that performs at The Big Top in the Grand Center Arts District, will celebrate its 38th season with Marooned, a thrilling tale of survival. Inspired by the allure and mystery of deserted islands, Marooned will transport audiences to a world of adventure, discovery and enchantment. In this production, you’ll witness the resilience and ingenuity of Circus Flora performers as they navigate the challenges of the unknown.

Central West End Cocktail Party

June 8

Many people claim that the first cocktail party on record was held in the Central West End in 1917, with Mrs. Julius S. Walsh, Jr. hosting in her home at 4510 Lindell Blvd. Every year, the St. Louis neighborhood pays tribute to the important anniversary by celebrating in style. This year, expect aerial performers, fire dancers, unicyclists and music by Marquise Knox, The Grooveliner, Monkh and Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes among cocktails and cotton candy at the event.

Juneteenth Celebration in the Delmar Loop

June 15

Juneteenth is an essential commemoration of freedom. To reflect and celebrate, the Delmar Loop will host a special event featuring an energizing 5K run/walk in the morning, a fair with art, retail, food and drink vendors in the afternoon and a spectacle with live music and a car show in the evening.

UFL Championship Game

June 16

The 2024 season of the St. Louis Battlehawks is underway, and the UFL is bringing the championship game to The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis! “Selecting the location of the championship game is about more than the stadium; it’s about the community and the fanbase that surrounds it,” UFL president and CEO Russ Brandon said in a recent press release. “That’s why we’re proud to bring our championship to St. Louis – a city that has loved and embraced spring football from the start.” After you secure your tickets, check out our insider’s guide to St. Louis Battlehawks games.

The Muny

June 17 to August 25

For more than 105 years, The Muny has filled Forest Park with the sounds of Broadway. Open from June through August, the outdoor theater attracts out-of-town professionals as well as local talent for memorable musicals beginning with As You Like It, the very first production ever mounted at what would become The Muny. For its 106th season, The Muny will delight audiences with Les Misérables (June 17 to 23), Dreamgirls (June 27 to July 3), Disney’s The Little Mermaid (July 8 to 16), Fiddler on the Roof (July 19 to 25), Waitress (July 30 to Aug. 5), In the Heights (Aug. 9 to 15) and Cole Porter’s Anything Goes (Aug. 19 to 25). Attending a performance at The Muny with family and friends is a staple of St. Louis summers. The shows are enchanting, electrifying and empowering, and every night, there are free seats available on a first-come first-served basis, so everyone can experience the magic of live theater.

King Hedley II

June 19 to July 14

Founded in 1976, The St. Louis Black Repertory Company is committed to producing, reimagining and commissioning work written by Black playwrights, creating opportunities for new voices. In June, the theater company will stage King Hedley II by August Wilson. Peddling stolen refrigerators in the hopes of opening a video store one day, King Hedley, an ex-convict, toils with self-worth throughout the production. Themes such as earning and spending, killing and dying are woven into the 1980s installment in Wilson’s renowned cycle of shows about the Black experience in the U.S., and King Hedley II draws on characters portrayed in Seven Guitars to illustrate how shadows of the past can darken the present.

Third Fridays: Wine & Dine

June 21

As St. Louis heats up, so do Third Fridays at Third Degree Glass Factory. On June 21, you can wine and dine in the Delmar Maker District while enjoying glassblowing demonstrations by professionals. If you want to try your hand at the craft, snag a $65 ticket to make your own cheese knives and cutting boards.

Pond-O-Rama

June 22 and 23

In its 24th year, the St. Louis Water Garden Society’s annual tour features amazing ponds and water gardens in the St. Louis metro area owned and maintained by its members. As a society, it has also maintained the lily ponds at the Jewel Box in Forest Park for more than 34 years. Its members work from May through October to plant and maintain the lily ponds, and Pond-O-Rama supports that effort. The water garden tour will take place on June 22 and 23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, and tickets are $20 for both days.

Alma’s Way: Welcome to My Neighborhood

June 22 to January 20

The Magic House is excited to debut Alma’s Way: Welcome to My Neighborhood, an immersive exhibit developed and fabricated by the children’s museum in collaboration with PBS KIDS and Fred Rogers Productions, which will travel around the country after it leaves St. Louis. The exhibit is based on the new animated series, Alma’s Way, created by actor and writer Sonia Manzano, who positively impacted generations of children as Maria on Sesame Street. Visitors will be transported to Alma’s colorful Bronx neighborhood, where they can explore a bustling, multicultural bodega, a local community center with a Bomba Dance Studio, Alma’s father’s pet clinic, a subway and a park, as well as Alma’s family duplex where her extended Puerto Rican family lives and plays. Alma loves finding solutions and solving problems, and young visitors will too!

Pedal and Paddle

June 23

Outdoor enthusiasts – this is the tour for you! Join Big Muddy Adventures for a full day of biking and paddling in St. Louis this summer. Every eight-hour trip features a different route, highlighting the bounty of adventure throughout the region. Lunch is included, and all the necessary gear is supplied. No paddling experience required.

Grand Pride Parade

June 30

The Grand Pride Parade, which travels down Market Street through downtown St. Louis, is the culmination of the spirited PrideFest celebrations that happen at the end of every June to coincide with the Stonewall Riots, which occurred in New York City on June 28, 1969, in response to a police raid of the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village. The historic uprising served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the U.S. “PrideFest is always a good time,” Jordan Braxton, an educator and advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, says. “Last year, the festival drew more than 325,000 people to downtown St. Louis, and this year, we’re expecting a similarly sized crowd – plus, the same great energy!”