May 29 - 31

Summer weekends in STL are officially back. ☀️🎶⚾

The weather’s finally warming up consistently, patios are packed again, outdoor concerts are back, baseball season is in full swing, and this weekend feels like the true kickoff to summer around St. Louis.

From massive game-day energy downtown to outdoor festivals, live music, theater, food events, family activities, nightlife, and neighborhood events, there’s something happening all across the city this weekend.

In this episode of This Week in St. Louis, Brice breaks down everything happening around town — whether you’re planning a packed weekend, looking for family-friendly events, catching a concert, or just trying to get outside and enjoy the city.

This week’s highlights include:

• Food Truck Friday at Tower Grove Park with local food trucks, live music, and one of the best summer atmospheres in STL.
• Summer Nights at Grant’s Farm featuring live music, tram rides, and their returning drone show.
• SciFest at the Saint Louis Science Center with outdoor STEM activities, animals, aviation, and hands-on exhibits.
• Shakespeare in the Park: The Tempest in Forest Park.
• Cardinals vs. Cubs weekend at Busch Stadium featuring Friday Night Live and a Jordan Davis postgame concert.
• Battlehawks football at The Dome plus Kids Day activities.
• Kali Uchis at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre and a 2000s Rave at Delmar Hall.
• Killers of Kill Tony at The Factory and Golden Girls Drag Brunch at Helium Comedy Club.
• Hadestown at The Fabulous Fox and TEDxStLouis at the Missouri History Museum.
• Roman Empire Trivia Night at SLAM and the Missouri Bridal & Wedding Expo downtown.

This Week’s Flavors of the Lou 🍳

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Edition:
• St. Louis Kolache
• The Biscuit Joint
• Hartford Coffee Company

Spot of the Week 🌮

Chico Malo from Good Hospitality is opening a brand-new Mexican fine dining restaurant in The Grove — and it’s already shaping up to be one of the most anticipated restaurant openings of the summer.

Whether you’re heading downtown for the Cardinals, relaxing in Forest Park, checking out live music, or just finding your next great meal, this weekend is packed with ways to get out and explore STL.

Tag @STLBucketList if you check anything out — we love seeing your adventures. 💛

🎙️ This Week in St. Louis is presented by Hoffmann Brothers, proudly serving St. Louis for over 40 years. From heating and cooling to plumbing and electrical, they help keep homes running smoothly all year long.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey everyone, welcome back to This Week in St. Louis. I'm Bryce from STL Bucket List. And if you're trying to figure out what to do around St. Louis this weekend, I've got you covered. This weekend really feels like the unofficial kickoff to summer in St. Louis. The weather's finally starting to feel consistent. Patios are packed again. Outdoor concerts are back. Baseball season is fully in motion. And it just feels like the city is waking back up after a weird stretch of rain and unpredictable weather. And I feel like this is also one of those weekends where there's a really good mix of things happening. You've got the big crowds and major events if you want something high energy, but there's also a lot of low-key outdoor stuff, markets, performances, and random neighborhood events where you can just kind of wander around and enjoy the city. There's really a little bit of everything this weekend: sports, live music, food, events, theater, family stuff, nightlife, and a ton of happening outdoors. Here's a look at what's happening around St. Louis. Let's get into it. This week in St. Louis is presented by Hoffman Brothers, trusted by St. Louis families and businesses for over 40 years. Whether it's your AC, water heater, plumbing, or even UV charging, Hoffman Brothers has you covered. Local, licensed, family-owned, book your service at HoffmanBros.com. Big thanks to them for supporting local stories like this one. All right, starting off with some of the bigger outdoor events happening this weekend because there are a lot of them. One of the most popular recurring summer events officially back this weekend is Food Truck Friday over at Tower Grove Park on Friday evening. If you've never been, this is basically exactly what it sounds like: a huge lineup of local food trucks all gathered in the park with live music, drinks, and really just a really good community atmosphere. It's one of those events where you can show up with a blanket or lawn chair, hang out for a few hours, and just casually try a bunch of different food. And the nice thing about Food Truck Friday is that it doesn't feel overly structured. You can make it full Friday night plan or just stop by for a bit before going to get dinner or drink somewhere else. Be sure to check out our newest apparel line, Rooted when you go. Tower Grove Park always feels packed for these one summer starts. So if sounds like something you're kind of interested in, I definitely recommend getting there earlier rather than later. Another big outdoor event happening all weekend is the summer nights out at Grants Farm. They're bringing back their summer drone show, and apparently this year's version is even bigger and longer than before. So you can go out there, take the tram ride through the park, grab food and drinks, listen to live music, and then in the night with the drone show. Grants Farm has done a really great job lately of making these events feel fun for both kids and adults. It's definitely family friendly, but it still feels enjoyable if you're going with friends or doing a more casual date-night situation. And because it's spread out over the weekend, you've got a few chances to catch it. If you're looking for something a little more active Friday night, St. Louis Music Park is hosting Sunset Yoga. This is one of those events that feels very similar in St. Louis coded outdoor yoga, music venue atmosphere, sunset timing. It's definitely more of a chill, reset your brain kind of an evening. Even if you're not somebody who regularly does yoga, these outdoor classes are usually pretty approachable and relaxed. Then on Saturday, one of the bigger free family events happening is SciFest, the great outdoor expo at the St. Louis Science Center. This really sounds cool because it's not just one exhibit or one activity. They're doing hands-on STEM activities, live animals, astronomy demonstrations, aviation exhibits, nature education, outdoor science experiments, and presentations all throughout the day. It feels like one of those events where kids could spend hours there without getting bored. And because it's at the Science Center, you can easily make an entire day out of it. Another outdoor event happening Saturday night is the Sappington House Summer Concert Series. This weekend's concert features Greensboro doing country rock, and it's one of those bring your own lawn chair kind of evenings. These smaller outdoor community concerts are really underrated. Sometimes they end up being way more fun than giant expensive concerts because everybody's just relaxed, hanging outside, and enjoying the weather. And if your weekend plans are leaning more artsy and theatrical, Forest Park is once again hosting the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival. This year's production is The Tempest, and performances are happening all weekend long in Shakespeare Glen. If you've never gone to Shakespeare in the park here, even if you're not somebody who's super into theater, it's really one of the best St. Louis summer experiences. You bring a blanket, snacks, drinks, sit outside in Forest Park, and watch a live performance as the sun goes down. Feels very classic St. Louis summer, and the fact that it's free makes it even better. There's also a lot happening on the sports side this weekend, too. The Cardinals are back at Bush Stadium all weekend taking on the Chicago Cubs, which always brings a different energy to downtown. And really, Cubs weekends at Bush are always busy, whether you love that rivalry or hate it, definitely creates a bigger atmosphere around Ballpark Village and in downtown in general. Friday night is probably the biggest game day experience of the weekend because they're doing Friday night live with live music and specials around the stadium before the game. And then there's also a Jordan Davis post-game concert afterward. So even if you're not a huge baseball person, this is one of those nights where going downtown still feels like an event. Then Sunday is Kids Sunday at Bush Stadium. So if you've got younger kids or family in town, that's probably the best game to aim for. The Battlehawks are also home Friday night, taking on the Dallas Renegades at the Dome. Battlehawks games really continue to be one of the most fun sports atmospheres in the city. This weekend is also their Kids' Day game. So there'll be youth-focused activities and giveaways happening throughout the night. If you've never experienced a Battlehawks crowd before, it's worth doing at least once. Also happening this weekend, the Blues are hosting their summer sale over at Enterprise Center. So if you're somebody who loves sports merch or collecting equipment, they're doing discounted jerseys, hoodies, hats, player gear, and a bunch of other stuff throughout the weekend. It's definitely more of a stopby event than an all-day activity. But if you're already downtown or you're just a big blues fan, it's worth checking out. All right, moving into live music and nightlife because this weekend is packed. If you want something more laid back and scenic Friday night, Defiance Ridge Vineyards, it's hosting Grand Illusion, which is a sticks tribute band. There's wine, good weather, live music, and views of the Missouri countryside. For something completely different, Delmar Hall is hosting a 2000s Ray Friday night. They're playing early 2000s hits all night, and these themed rave nights usually end up being packed. Also Friday night, Atomic by J Mo is hosting an atomic block party featuring O'Tale and Friends. This is definitely one of the more music-happy events of the weekend for people who are really into jam bands and live musicianship. Then on Saturday night, Callie Ukas is coming to Hollywood Casino Amphitheater. This is definitely one of the biggest concerts happening this weekend. So if you're planning to go, expect it to be busy. And if concerts aren't really your thing, but you still want to have a fun night out, Updown STL is hosting their adult prom night Saturday. It's basically prom for adults, themed drinks, music, photo booths, arcade games, and people dressing up. If your weekend plans, lean more towards live entertainment and performances, there's a really strong comedy lineup happening right here, too. Starting with comedy, the factory is hosting Killers of Kill Tony on Friday night. The Kill Tony universe has become huge over the past few years, and this show brings several of the regular comedians from the podcast together for a full stand-up set. So if you're into more modern podcast style comedy, this is probably one of the bigger comedy shows happening this month. Meanwhile, over at Helium Comedy Club on Saturday, they're hosting a Golden Girls Drag Brunch. It's campy over the top, themed around the Golden Girls, and hosted by Widow Von Doo from RuPaul's Drag Grace. This feels like the kind of event where people fully commit to the bit and everybody ends up having a great time. On the theater side, Hades Town is continuing its run at the fabulous Fox. And if you haven't seen Hades Town yet, this is one of those productions people are rave about. So if you're trying to do one bigger theater outing this season, you should add this one to your list. Stages St. Louis is also opening the 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee this weekend. And this show is really one of the funniest musicals out there. It's awkward, chaotic, weird in the best way, and audience members can actually get selected to participate in the spelling bee during the show. Then over at the Loretto Hilton Center Opera Theater of St. Louis, presenting the light in the piazza. It's romantic, emotional, and visually beautiful. And if you're looking for something more educational and thought-provoking Saturday night, TED X St. Louis is hosting their Edge of Possible talks at the Missouri History Museum. This year's topics range from microplastics to accessibility to neuroscience and sleep research. And finally, there are a few more niche events happening this weekend that really deserve a mention because they're very different from each other. City Winery is hosting a chef and winemaker dinner focused on Sauvignon Blanc versus Cabernet Savignon. It's a multi-course dinner with pairings and guided tasting notes throughout the evening. So this is definitely feels more like a slower-paced date night or special occasion kind of an event. Meanwhile, at the St. Louis Art Museum, they're hosting a Roman Empire trivia night. It's tied to their Roman art exhibition, but the trivia also includes pop culture and modern references connected to Roman history. And then they're also screening Marie Antoinette at Slam Cinema this weekend. So if you want a quieter, arts-focused evening, you could really make an entire museum night out of those events. Also happening Sunday. If you're wedding planning right now, the Missouri Bridal and Wedding Expo is happening downtown at America Center. If you're a bride-to-be, expos like this can help because you knock out a bunch of vendor meetings all at once instead of trying to coordinate everything separately. All right, before we wrap up, it's time for the flavors of the Lou. And this week we're talking bacon, egg, and cheese. First up, St. Louis Calachi. If you've never had a breakfast colachie before, this is a good place to start. It's quick, easy, really filling, and perfect if you need something on the go during a busy week morning. Then there's the biscuit joint. This is definitely more of a sit down and recover from the week kind of breakfast, very comfort, food heavy in the best way. And then Hartford Coffee Company. This one's a little more low-key if you want coffee, breakfast, and a slower start to the morning. So if you're craving bacon, egg, and cheese this weekend, those are a few solid spots around St. Louis to check out. Head to our Instagram at STL Bucketlist for the full lineup. And before we get out of here, we've got a new spot for you to check out. Chica Malo from Good Hospitality is opening a new Mexican fine dining restaurant located in the grove. Keep an eye out for their opening date because you'll definitely want to add this to your STL bucket list. All right, that's everything happening around St. Louis this weekend. As always, if you end up checking out anything from this episode, tag at STL Bucketlist because we love seeing where everybody ends up. And don't forget to follow STL bucket list for even more events happening throughout the week. Thanks for listening. Have a great weekend, and we'll see you out there.