What's on in St. Louis, United States through the year

Peak crowds — Soulard Mardi Gras, Garden Glow

• Rule

  Arch tram timed tickets

  1 Jan – 31 DecBook early

  The ride to the top of the Arch is sold as a timed slot and the summer and holiday-weekend trams go days ahead. The museum underneath is free and needs no ticket at all. Source ↗

• Festival

  Soulard Mardi Gras

  6 Jan – 9 Mar · usuallyCarnivalCrowded

  The second-largest Mardi Gras in the country, built around the Grand Parade through Soulard on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday and a pet parade a fortnight earlier. It is February and it is outdoors. Source ↗

Still on: Garden Glow (20 Nov – 4 Jan (usually)), Ice storms (15 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

Busy — Soulard Mardi Gras

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Arch tram timed tickets (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Soulard Mardi Gras (6 Jan – 9 Mar (usually)), Ice storms (15 Dec – 28 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — Soulard Mardi Gras, Spring break in United States

• Hazard

  Severe storm season

  15 Mar – 15 Jun · usually

  Spring is when the warm Gulf air meets the cold front over the Mississippi valley, and the region sits at the eastern edge of tornado country. Watches are routine; the sirens are not. Source ↗

Still on: Arch tram timed tickets (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Soulard Mardi Gras (6 Jan – 9 Mar (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Nature

  Botanical Garden spring bloom

  1 Apr – 5 May · usuallyCherry blossom

  The Missouri Botanical Garden's Japanese garden, one of the largest in the west, runs cherry and then azalea and iris through April. It is the oldest botanical garden in the country still operating.

• Hazard

  Spring river flooding

  1 Apr – 30 Jun · usuallyFlood seasonClosures

  Snowmelt and spring rain up two river systems meet here, and the Arch grounds, Laclede's Landing and the riverboat docks go under in the bad years. The floodwall keeps the city dry; the riverfront is not behind it. Source ↗

Still on: Arch tram timed tickets (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Severe storm season (15 Mar – 15 Jun (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Arch tram timed tickets (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Severe storm season (15 Mar – 15 Jun (usually)), Botanical Garden spring bloom (1 Apr – 5 May (usually)), Spring river flooding (1 Apr – 30 Jun (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Summer heat and humidity

  15 Jun – 5 Sep · usuallyExtreme heat

  The river valley traps humidity and the heat index runs well above the thermometer for weeks. Forest Park is a morning walk in July, and the Arch grounds have no shade at all. Source ↗

Still on: Arch tram timed tickets (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Severe storm season (15 Mar – 15 Jun (usually)), Spring river flooding (1 Apr – 30 Jun (usually))

Peak crowds — Fair Saint Louis, Summer break in United States

• Festival

  Fair Saint Louis

  1–6 Jul · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedClosures

  The Fourth of July fair on the Arch grounds by the river: free concerts, an air show and fireworks over the Mississippi. Downtown parking is gone by mid-afternoon. Source ↗

Still on: Arch tram timed tickets (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Summer heat and humidity (15 Jun – 5 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Japanese Festival, Summer break in United States

• Festival

  Japanese Festival

  30 Aug – 8 Sep · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  Three days at the Botanical Garden over Labor Day weekend, running since 1977 and one of the largest of its kind in the country. Evening taiko in the Japanese garden is the reason to go. Source ↗

Still on: Arch tram timed tickets (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Summer heat and humidity (15 Jun – 5 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Japanese Festival, Great Forest Park Balloon Race

• Festival

  Great Forest Park Balloon Race

  14–22 Sep · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  A Friday-night balloon glow and a Saturday race from Forest Park, free, with seventy balloons and a six-figure crowd on the grass. The most-attended single-day balloon event in America. Source ↗

Still on: Arch tram timed tickets (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Summer heat and humidity (15 Jun – 5 Sep (usually)), Japanese Festival (30 Aug – 8 Sep (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

• Nature

  Fall colour

  15 Oct – 10 Nov · usuallyAutumn colour

  Forest Park and the Missouri river bluffs turn from mid-October, and the Ozark hills two hours south peak at about the same time. October is the best month of the St Louis year.

Still on: Arch tram timed tickets (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Peak crowds — Garden Glow, Thanksgiving break in United States

• Festival

  Garden Glow

  20 Nov – 4 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  The Botanical Garden lights its paths and lakes for six weeks from late November, timed entry, and the December weekends sell out. Winter Wonderland in Tilles Park is the drive-through version. Source ↗

Still on: Arch tram timed tickets (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Fall colour (15 Oct – 10 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Garden Glow, Winter / Christmas break in United States

• Hazard

  Ice storms

  15 Dec – 28 Feb · usuallyExtreme coldClosures

  The city sits on the freezing-rain line most winters, and an ice event does more damage here than snow: power out for days, the interstates closed and flights cancelled at Lambert. Source ↗

Still on: Arch tram timed tickets (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Garden Glow (20 Nov – 4 Jan (usually))