If you aren’t originally from the St. Louis area, it can sometimes seem as though there isn’t much to do here – or at least that’s how I felt when I first arrived to go to college in the area. So, I decided to put together a list of local events and traditions so you know what to do each month!

Winter

Blues Games

St. Louis sports have an incredibly strong fanbase, and what’s more exhilarating than an intense hockey game with an enthusiastic crowd?! It’s always a great time, and with the way the Blues have been playing lately, you’re almost guaranteed to get your money’s worth.

12 Bars

12 Bars is an annual fundraiser in which participants purchase a crewneck, the color of which indicates which charity you’re contributing to. Then, on a Saturday in December, everyone wears their crewnecks for a massive pub crawl downtown where anyone wearing a crewneck raises awareness for their charity (and gets exclusive drink deals).

Pro tip: the lines at the bars get excruciatingly long, so I recommend picking one or two bars and staying there.

Mardi Gras

Late winter-early spring in St. Louis brings one of the largest Mardi Gras celebrations in the U.S. Taking place in late February-early March each year, the festivities include 5Ks, all-you-can-drink party tents, concerts, parades and more.

This past year (2025) was one of the biggest ones yet, with performers like FISHER and John Summit headlining massive party tents.

Spring

Battlehawks XFL Games

The St. Louis Battlehawks are St. Louis’ UFL team, since we don’t have an NFL team here anymore. The fanbase and league are smaller than the NFL, but it honestly gives it a less formal and more fun vibe. They also play in the spring, so it doesn’t interfere with the NFL’s schedule. I recommend bringing friends and getting tickets just for the fun of it.

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration

I’m sure there are plenty of St. Patty’s Day celebrations around St. Louis, but the ones I can personally vouch for are the ones in Main Street St. Charles and downtown Chesterfield. The Main Street St. Charles St. Patty’s Day parade is a massive celebration with dozens of parade floats, spectators and small businesses, and it’ll surprise you how busy it gets. The streets in downtown Chesterfield get super busy, with live music and lots of small vendors selling drinks.

St. Louis Cardinals Games

Once the Blues’ season is over, head on over to Busch Stadium, grab a beer and a hotdog, take your seats and enjoy a good ballgame. Honestly, I don’t know the first thing about sports teams and whether they’re good this season or that, but I’ve heard they’ve been playing pretty good recently (lol).

If you don’t want to pay to go to the game, which I completely understand, you can head over to Ballpark Village right next to the stadium and watch the game on the massive screens they have there. In my opinion, that’s just as good as being at the game, but I’m also not the biggest sports fan. But that’s just, like, my opinion, man.

Summer

Concerts at Hollywood Casino Amphitheater

There are many concert venues in St. Louis, but one of the only open-air venues is the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater. It’s a great time in the summer when the weather is nice, and it’s often that they have some really good bands visit for a show. You can either be up close or stay further back and if it isn’t so packed you can even bring a blanket and sit on the lawn while you watch your favorite artist perform.

Farmers’ Markets

There are various farmers’ markets around St. Louis every week, including in Soulard, Tower Grove, and Kirkwood, to name but a few. Vendors from all over the city and surrounding area flock to these spots to sell their exclusive goods, and you won’t be disappointed with some of the hidden gems you’ll find at these markets.

Fourth of July Celebration/Firework Shows

Downtown St. Louis has quite the 4th of July celebration, with “America’s Birthday Parade” during the day and a firework show during the night. So bring a chair and camp out around the arch all day for hours of festivities!

(Don’t actually camp out around the arch, might not be the safest area lol.)

Pooches in the Ballpark

Every year, the St. Louis Cardinals host a “Pooches in the Ballpark” baseball game where spectators get to enjoy the ballgame with their dogs. You get to see a ton of adorable dogs, all very friendly, and if you have a dog over 6 months old, I highly recommend attending.

Shows at The Muny and The Fox

Do you love seeing a good theatre performance? Well, lucky for you, St. Louis has some great theatre venues such as their Fabulous Fox Theatre and the outdoor Muny theatre. Both announce their show schedules in the spring and host them in the summer, and both show Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. Their seasons have featured Tony-winning shows such as Hades Town, Book of Mormon, Phantom of the Opera, and many more.

So, plan a date night, a family night out, or grab a group of friends and prepare to give a standing ovation!

Soccer games at Amsterdam Tavern

This can really go under any of the summer months whenever there’s a big soccer game/tournament such as the Copa America or the Premiere League on TV. This soccer bar is a great place to watch a soccer game with tons of other passionate fans.

Fall

Oktoberfest Celebrations

The two Oktoberfest celebrations in St. Louis that I’m aware of are at Anheuser Busch Biergarten and Frontier Park in St. Charles. Anheuser Busch has a special dining experience that they offer, with plenty of traditional German food and drinks (beer).

St. Charles, on the other hand, is a massive festival with loads of food vendors and live music in the park. It’s a huge celebration lasting the whole weekend, and it’s right next to Main Street St. Charles so on the Friday and Saturday that it occurs you can flock to the Main Street bars once the festival shuts down for the night and keep the party going. It’s an excuse to dress up in a lederhosen and drink a ton of beer, and it’s always a great time.

Halloweekend Festivities

Halloween is always a blast in St. Louis, and Halloweekend often yields some of the best parties year-round. I recommend grabbing your friends, throwing on a costume and going to your favorite bar in St. Louis for a night to remember. Many bars have costume contests as well, often with cash prizes, so check if that’s something you’re interested in.

Blackout Wednesday

The night before Thanksgiving has many nicknames, but I decided to use the name that I’m more familiar with as opposed to the cruder one they use here in St. Louis.

Anyhow, going out to the bars the night before Thanksgiving is a big tradition here, so pick your favorite bar and head there for a busy night out. Good music and drink deals go together like yin and yang, and on Blackout Wednesday that combination is borderline a guarantee.

---

And there you have it, hopefully this guide helped you figure out at least a few activities to partake in during your time in St. Louis! Let me know if you have any recommendations that I should add to this list, or what you think about any of these!