15 Things to Do in St. Louis This February

Need a way to brighten the darkest days of winter? We’ve got just the ticket!

Our roundup of things to do in St. Louis this February features spirited celebrations for Black History Month, Mardi Gras and Valentine’s Day – plus, Broadway productions, country concerts, comedy festivals and art exhibitions here and there.

Funny Girl

January 23 to February 4

High-kicking onto the stage of The Fabulous Fox, Funny Girl is a love letter to the theater. Featuring one of the most iconic scores of all time – and tap choreography to boot – the sensational Broadway revival dazzles with celebrated songs, including “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star” and “People.” The bittersweet comedy follows the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice, a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage. Everyone told her she’d never be a star, but then something funny happened – she became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Times Square.

Hot Country Nights

Fridays in February

Every winter, Hot Country Nights heat up the Gateway City. This month, country artists Alexandra Kay (Feb. 2), Dylan Scott (Feb. 9), Brian Kelley (Feb. 16) and Kolby Cooper (Feb. 23) will take the stage at Bally Sports Live! in Ballpark Village.

5K Run for Your Beads

February 3

No other race is quite as fun, colorful and, well, wacky as the 5K Run for Your Beads during Mardi Gras in St. Louis. Dress in your best purple, green and gold garb as there will be a prize for the runner with the most eye-catching costume. In true Mardi Gras spirit, pit stops along the race route will be stocked with complimentary beer and Hurricanes (available for runners 21 and older). Catch your breath, take a sip and enjoy the historic scenery of the Soulard neighborhood.

St. Louis Comedy Festival

February 3

The St. Louis Comedy Festival will have you laughing all the way home. Energetic, quick-witted, sarcastic and downright hilarious, the stars of the show at Stifel Theatre include Sommore, Lavell Crawford, Bill Bellamy, Tony Roberts and Don Curry.

Taste of Soulard

February 3 and 4

On this self-guided tasting and pub crawl, you can savor the Cajun flavors that define Soulard. Passes are $35 and include one drink voucher and six food vouchers, which you can redeem at participating establishments. On Saturday, attendees can also enjoy complimentary trolley rides from one spot to the next.

Purina Pet Parade

February 4

The Guinness World Record holder for the largest costumed pet parade in the world, the Purina Pet Parade boasts thousands of festive four-legged friends strutting their stuff. As the adorable animals prance through the Soulard neighborhood, the best-dressed pets will be selected as members of the Court of the Mystical Krewe of Barkus and invited to the Coronation Pageant at Soulard Market Park, where the King and Queen of Barkus will be crowned. If you’re an animal lover, you’ll also enjoy the Tito’s Vodka Weiner Dog Derby, which begins at 1:45 p.m. on the same day. Participants will square off in Soulard Market Park to determine the “dashingest” dachshund in all the land.

HAIRSPRAY

February 8 and 9

You can’t stop the beat – HAIRSPRAY, Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon, is back on tour, and it will stop at Stifel Theatre on Feb. 8 and 9. Join 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad in 1960s Baltimore as she sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show. Can a girl with big dreams (and even bigger hair) change the world? Featuring a beloved score of hit songs, including “Welcome to the ‘60s,” “Good Morning Baltimore” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” HAIRSPRAY is “fresh, winning and deliriously tuneful,” according to The New York Times. The all-new touring production reunites Broadway’s award-winning creative team led by director Jack O’Brien and choreographer Jerry Mitchell to bring HAIRSPRAY to a new generation of theater audiences.

Owlentine & Wine

February 9 to 11

Bring your special Owlentine to the World Bird Sanctuary in February for a romantic evening of wine, chocolate and feathered friends! As you indulge, the inhabitants of the World Bird Sanctuary will amaze you. Then, you’ll get to take a stroll around the sanctuary, where you can see whooo is hanging out in the wild.

Bud Light Grand Parade

February 10

Attracting tens of thousands of merrymakers, the Bud Light Grand Parade is the crown jewel of the Soulard Mardi Gras season – and the largest parade outside of the Big Easy. Approximately 130 Krewes spend months building their floats, hoping to win prizes as well as bragging rights at the parade. In addition to the floats, the parade features marching bands and, of course, millions of beads flying through the air. Beginning at 11 a.m. at Busch Stadium, the Bud Light Grand Parade makes its way to the heart of Soulard and ends where the King of Beers is brewed: the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. For tips on where to stay, where to eat and what else to do during the annual celebration, check out our Mardi Gras guide.

African American History Trolley Tour

February 10 and 24

Join the guides at Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum for a two-hour trolley tour. During the tour, you’ll hear stories about fascinating figures in Black history, including Rev. John Berry Meachum, who established the Freedom School aboard a steamboat anchored in free territory in the middle of the Mississippi River in 1847. Laws of the time forbade the education of Black children, but the reverend’s ingenious floating school found a way around them. You can see Meachum’s gravesite as well as other highlights of the cemetery’s grounds and monuments on the African American History trolley tour.

Fly

February 14 to March 10

Premiering Off-Broadway in 1997, this one-person dramatic comedy received three AUDELCO awards for excellence in Black theater. Now, The St. Louis Black Repertory Company will perform Fly as part of its 47th season. The story centers on an African American man who believes he will receive the power to fly during a special celestial event. As he prepares for the miraculous moment on a rooftop in Brooklyn, he shares the comic, dramatic and tragic experiences that have pushed him to the edge of reality.

Matisse and the Sea

February 17 to May 12

Matisse and the Sea is the first exhibition to examine the significance of the sea across Modernist artist Henri Matisse’s career, which included artwork in coastal locations on the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Pacific. Marine imagery was an important catalyst for Matisse’s artistic experimentation – most notably in the Saint Louis Art Museum’s own iconic painting Bathers with a Turtle. The exhibition includes imagery ranging from Matisse’s early panoramic marine views in the South of France to his late paper cutouts, representing life beneath the waves, which were inspired by his visit to Tahiti in 1930. It offers an opportunity to explore the artist’s travel across his career as well as the global influences that informed his art, particularly African sculptures and masks.

Lift Every Voice: A Black History Month Celebration

February 23

Join the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the IN UNISON Chorus for a one-of-a-kind celebration of Black History Month. Led by conductor Kevin McBeth, the IN UNISON Chorus, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2024, is dedicated to the performance and preservation of Black American musical expression. This concert will take place at Stifel Theatre on Feb. 23.

Kahlil Robert Irving: Archaeology of the Present

February 23 to July 29

In this exhibition at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis–based artist Kahlil Robert Irving will exhibit new sculptures, videos and found objects that together consider our relationship to the city street as a place and a concept. For Archeology of the Present, Irving situates his sculptures and other items within a large plywood platform. Some works, such as a painted industrial ceramic pipe, rise from the platform, standing above viewers like a large pillar or column. A brick wall similarly emerges from the floor, while ceramic tiles made to resemble textures from the street sink into the platform.

These street sculptures, as Irving calls them, are made from hand-pressed stoneware tiles, speckled with white ceramic, whose mottled surfaces are meant to resemble asphalt. Initially inspired by the mosaic floors of Hellenistic Antioch, Irving’s tile sculptures present a wholly contemporary topography integrated with enameled reproductions of urban refuse: air fresheners, newspapers, cardboard and the like. Two video works will also be set into the structure. Depicting both the street and the sky, they aim to invert expectations of the sky as a place of possibility and the ground as one of necessity.

Company

February 27 to March 10

Phone rings. Door chimes. In comes Company! Winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, Company is brilliantly conceived, striking like a lightning bolt. It’s Bobbie’s 35th birthday party, and all her friends keep asking, “Why aren’t you married? Why can’t you find the right man? Isn’t it time to settle down and start a family?” As Bobbie searches for answers, she discovers why being single, being married and being alive in the 21st century could drive a person crazy. The revelatory new production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s groundbreaking musical comedy is at once boldly sophisticated, deeply insightful and downright hilarious. See it for yourself at The Fabulous Fox.

Looking for other ways to experience the arts in St. Louis? See our guide to making your trip to St. Louis a masterpiece.