July 3-5

America's 250th birthday is here, and St. Louis is celebrating with one of the biggest weekends the city has ever seen.

From massive fireworks displays and drone shows to free concerts, neighborhood festivals, rooftop parties, family events, and patriotic traditions, there's no shortage of ways to celebrate Independence Day across the region. 

In this episode of This Week in St. Louis, Brice breaks down the biggest events happening all weekend long so you can make the most of your Fourth of July.

This week's highlights include:
• Celebrate 250 at the Gateway Arch featuring Ludacris, Big Wild, Miranda Lambert, Kenny Loggins, Stephen Marley, Rebirth Brass Band, America's Birthday Parade, two 1,500-drone shows, and spectacular fireworks over the Mississippi. 
• O'Fallon Heritage & Freedom Fest with carnival rides, live entertainment, concerts from LOCASH, Lauren Alaina, Kansas, and nightly fireworks. 
• St. Charles Riverfest featuring riverfront celebrations, a drone show, fireworks, and the annual parade. 
• Westport Plaza Blast Bash with live music, contests, and fireworks both nights. 
• Kirkwood Freedom Festival, Webster Groves Community Celebration, and Eureka's Independence Day festivities with parades, live music, and neighborhood fireworks. 
• Rooftop celebrations at City Museum, 360 Rooftop Bar, and UPBAR with incredible views of fireworks across the city skyline. 
• Muse's WOW Signal Tour at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre plus the Hamilton singalong experience at City Winery. 
• Barbershop Harmony Society International Convention bringing world-class performances to downtown St. Louis. 
• Six Flags Star-Spangled Nights, Grant's Farm Summer Nights, and the St. Louis Science Center Star Party for families. 
• Firecracker Run in O'Fallon finishing at CarShield Field before the Fourth of July parade. 
• Munchie Market Summer Edition at HandleBar featuring local vendors, live music, raffles, and food. 

Spot of the Week 🍳

Kingside Diner

The newest breakfast spot in the Delmar Loop serves up classic diner favorites with a chess-inspired twist. From stacked pancakes and loaded breakfast sandwiches to fresh local coffee, it's the perfect place to kick off your holiday weekend. 

Whether you're watching fireworks beneath the Gateway Arch, exploring a neighborhood festival, enjoying a rooftop party, or spending the weekend with family, there's something happening all across St. Louis this Fourth of July.

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

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey everyone, welcome back to This Week in St. Louis. I'm Bryce, and if you're looking for something fun to do this weekend, you could not have picked a better week to tune in. America turns 250 this 4th of July, and St. Louis is going all out. We're talking fireworks in every direction, drone shows over the Mississippi, free concerts under the arch, parades rolling through neighborhoods all over the region, and enough going on that you could honestly fill every single hour of this long weekend and still feel like you missed something. Whether you're planning a big night out downtown, keeping it close to home with the family, or just looking for the best spot to catch some fireworks, we've got you covered. This is a big one, so 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 EV charging, Hoffman Brothers has you covered. Local, licensed, family-owned, book your service at HoffmanBros.com. Big thanks to them for keeping the lights on around here. Let's start where the biggest party is happening because this weekend all eyes are on the Gateway Arch. Celebrate 250 in St. Louis's centerpiece for America's 250th birthday, and it is massive. Friday, July 3rd and Saturday, July 4th, the grounds around the arch are completely transformed into one of the largest free 4th of July celebrations in the entire country. Friday night has a seriously stacked lineup. Gates open in the late afternoon, and when the sun goes down, Zed headlines with Ludacris and Big Wild opening things up. And that's before the 1500 drone spectacle launches over the Mississippi River, followed by fireworks. If you've never seen a drone show of that scale, it genuinely looks like the sky came alive. It's one of those things you have to see in person. Then Saturday, July 4th is the real deal. America's birthday parade steps off downtown in the afternoon, and the main stage features Miranda Lambert headlining with Kenny Loggins, Steven Marley, and the Rebirth Brass Band rounding out the lineup. There's also an antique car show, a salute the troops ceremony, Purina Dog Shows, and Invitation Village. And yes, another 1,500 drone show and fireworks to close it out. Best of all, it's completely free both days. That's a remarkable thing for even an event for this scale. And it's a genuine reason to be proud to live here in St. Louis. Just plan ahead for parking in crowds. This one draws big. Now, if the arch feels like it might be a bit too crowded for you, or you want to build your own 4th of July closer to home, there are fireworks and celebrations happening in neighborhoods all across the metro. O'Fallon's Heritage and Freedom Best is running all four days, July 1st through the 4th, out at the Ozzy Smith Sports Complex. It's got carnival rides, fair food, free entertainment, and two major concert nights, Low Cash and Lauren Elena on the 3rd, and Legendary Rock Band Kansas closing it out on the fourth. Both nights wrap up with fireworks. It's a full festival, not just a fireworks show, and it's one of the best family setups in the region. Over in St. Charles, Riverfest is back at Frontier Park on Main Street. The setting alone is worth it. You're right on the river with the gorgeous historic backdrop. This year they're adding a drone show on the third before switching to traditional fireworks on the fourth. The Riverfest Parade also kicks things off Saturday morning. If you're on the west side of town, Westport Plaza is throwing their blast bash on both the third and the fourth with live music, a cherry pie eating contest on Saturday, and fireworks both nights, presented by City of Maryland Heights. It's a great spot, free, fun, and easy to get in and out of. And then also out in Kirkwood, the Freedom Festival at Kirkwood Park is Saturday evening with food trucks opening in the early evening, live music kicking in later, and fireworks at dusk. It's free admission. Bring a long chair. And in Eureka, the Independence Day celebration at Central Avenue Spur features a live performance by Steven Woolley and the groove before a Pyro musical fireworks show at 9:30, meaning the fireworks are actually set to music. It's a really cool thing to experience. Webster Groves is doing something really sweet too. They kick things off on July 2nd with a children's pet parade. Dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, horses. If it's your pet, it qualifies. Then on the fourth, a full community parade rolls through town, followed by fireworks at Memorial Park in the evening. It's one of those neighborhood traditions that reminds you why people love living in St. Louis. If you want to celebrate the fourth with a view and a drink in hand, St. Louis has some really great options for that too. City Museum is throwing their red, white, and rooftop party on Friday the 3rd. It's a 21 and up event with access to all the rooftop attractions, a DJ, a performance by the Ready Go Dog Show, and a 360-degree view of fireworks across the entire St. Louis skyline, including the Celebrate 250 show on the riverfront. Tickets are required for this one. 360 Rooftop Bar has their star-spangled fireworks party running both nights, downtown at the Hilton at the ballpark with a prime view of the Arch Fireworks and over at Westport with views of the Blast Bash Show. Both our 21 plus events and reservations are recommended. And on Saturday, the fourth, Up Bar in the Cortex neighborhood is hosting their semi-quincentennial rooftop bash. That's a fun word to say with a DJ, great views of downtown fireworks, drink specials, and a ticketed entry that includes two complimentary drinks. It's a good option if you want something a little more laid back than the crowd at the Arch. Now, if your 4th of July tradition leans more towards a good concert, there's something for you too. Sunday night, Muse brings their Wow Signal tour to Hollywood Casino Amphitheater. This is their first tour behind a new album. And if you know Muse at all, you know their live shows are something else. Full production, massive sound, and a set list that spans their whole catalog. It's actually a great way to close out the long weekend. And for something a little more unique, City Winery is hosting Rise Up, a Hamilton tribute song sing along experience on Saturday, the fourth. It's described as a high-energy live event that fuses the music of Hamilton with the intensity of a live concert, created specifically to celebrate America's 250th birthday. If you love Hamilton, this feels like exactly the right way to spend Independence Day. Over at Stifle Theater, the Barbershop Harmony Society's International Convention is in town all week. And on Friday, July 3rd, they're putting on a special show called The Music That Made Us. The convention brings world-class vocal competitions and large-scale performances to America Center and the Dome. So if you're at all into vocal harmony, this is a once-in-a-while opportunity to see it at its highest level. If you're spending the weekend with kids, there's plenty built specifically with families in mind. Six Flags is running their Star Spangled Nights on July 2nd and 3rd. Regular park fun all day with fireworks synchronized to a patriotic soundtrack as the grand finale. It's a solid full day option if you want the rides plus the fireworks experience. Grants Farm's summer nights are running through the weekend as well. It's their ongoing Friday, Saturday, Sunday series with live music, food, complimentary beer samplings, and their drone light show. Kids three and under get in free, and it's a genuinely charming evening, no matter how many times you've been. And if you've got a budding astronomer in the family, the St. Louis Science Center's McDonald Planetarium is hosting a public star party on Friday evening, July 3rd, with telescopes set up on the ground and operators on hand to walk you through what you're looking at. It's free, educational, and honestly a beautiful way to spend a summer night before firework season kicks into full gear. For early risers, the 42nd annual Firecracker Run on the morning of the 4th is a beloved O'Fallon tradition, a 10K, 5K, and one mile fun run that finishes over home plate at Car Shield Field. Nearly 1,500 people run it every year, and participants get a t-shirt, a finisher medal, and access to a serious post-race spread. It all wraps up right before the O'Fallon parade, so you can run, eat, and then go watch the floats go by. It's a full morning. Before we wrap up the event rundown, one more thing for you. If you're looking for something a little off the beaten path, Sunday afternoon Handlebar is hosting the Munchie Market Summer Edition put on by SDL's Pot Chef. It's their fifth market featuring vendors with infused and non-infused food options, hourly raffles, games, live music, and a 420 friendly atmosphere. It's a private club event, so you'll need a ticket. But if that's your scene, it sounds like a fun and low-key way to spend Sunday afternoon. We've also got a new spot for you to check out this week, Kingside Diner in the Del Mar Loop. It's a classic diner with a chess inspired twist. And honestly, the concept just works. Think loaded breakfast sandwiches, stacked pancakes, and fresh local coffee, the kind of place where the food is straightforward and really good and the vibe makes you want to linger over a second cup. If you haven't made it out to the loop for breakfast or brunch yet, Kingside is a great reason to go. Make sure to add it to your STL bucket list. And that's your guide to one of the biggest weekends St. Louis has ever seen. America's 250th birthday. And the city is absolutely showing up for it. However, you choose to celebrate, whether you're front and center at the arch, hanging in the backyard, watching fireworks from a rooftop, or running a 10K before breakfast. We hope it's a great one. As always, if you're out there living your best STL life this weekend, tag us at STL Bucketlist so we can see where you're exploring. Thanks so much for listening. New episodes drop every week. So we'll be back next Thursday with another look at what's happening around St. Louis. Happy 4th of July, everyone. Have a safe and wonderful weekend, and we'll see you out there.