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Kick off fall with a free movie in on the ball field in Vlasis Park.

Kids ages 5-12 are invited to Friday Fun Night where they'll take part in instructor-guided cake, cupcake and cookie decorating, enjoy pizza, juice, crafts and games.

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The Boy Who Snared the Sun

See a free on-stage presentation of The Boy Who Snared the Sun performed by Monkey Tales Theatre, perfect for ages 3-12.

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Des Peres Cinema Series: The Incredibles

Bring you kids to see an outdoor movie at The Lodge outdoor pool parking lot.

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Harvest Festival at Laumeier Sculpture Park

The 2017 Harvest Festival celebrates the best Autumn has to offer: delicious fall foods from St. Louis' top restaurants, a farmer's market featuring fresh local produce, locally made arts and crafts, kids' activities, live music and all of the season's splendor in Laumeier's beautiful outdoor setting.

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Parks Food Truck Fest at Laumeier

Eat to your heart's content from some of St. Louis' favorite food trucks at this special event at Laumeier Sculpture Park. Admission is free.

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Superhero Obstacle Course

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Get the Details For The Polar Express in St. Louis This Holiday Season

Christmas may be months away, but St. Louis Union Station has an early gift for everyone who loves the holidays. Due to the overwhelming popularity of The Polar Express Train Ride, St.

Rise Up Festival Celebrates St. Louis with Family-Friendly Fun

On the national stage, St. Louis isn’t always seen in best light. You know, with Toyotas disappearing into sinkholes and movie stars tweeting photos of non-postcard worthy views from the comfort of their four-star hotel rooms. But those of us in the know love St. Louis for all of its envy-inducing traits – the free, world-renowned attractions for families, its thriving arts scene, and its culturally-rich neighborhoods where mom-and-pop shops mingle with award-winning restaurants.

Blanket Fort Festival

Kids can get creative as they build blanket forts, enjoy face painting, listen to folk tales, watch puppet shows, visit the Magical Musical Forest and lots more at this free festival, which hopes to harness the creativity of many to build an interactive playscape the whole family can enjoy.

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Get Organized for the School Year with These Tips From a Pro

As God as my witness, I’ll be more organized this summer, I told myself in May. The kids will clean up after themselves every day without complaint. And I won’t buy another pair of goggles until we find the ones we lost! Lies, all lies. Now that summer is a bust, I wanted to get a head start on the back-to-school chaos. It was clearly time for an intervention.

Missouri Rice Day at GROW

Kids can learn how to grow rice and how it's processed through hands-on demonstrations and arts & crafts activities.

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End of Summer Splash Bash

Celebrate the weekend before many kids go back to school with a pool party!

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Flower Scientist

Kids can learn how a botanist works as they use tools to dissect flowers and explore how flowers benefit the world.

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DIY Fidget Spinners Workshop

Make your own custom fidget spinners from a variety of household materials at this free workshop for all ages.

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8 Essential Events for Families This August

The kids may be gearing up for back-to-school, but there's still plenty of summer fun left. Here are our top picks for family-friendly events in August around the St. Louis area:

Wildwood Summer Balloon Glow

See a beautiful balloon glow with five hot air balloons and enjoy lots of kids' activities, like the Bubble Bus and face painting at this community event that benefits the YMCA.

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CAM Art Bus at Citygarden

Kids love the CAM Art Bus! Your kids can enjoy the water features at Citygarden and a visit by the Contemporary Art Museum's Art Bus.

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Sneakers with Soul Helps Kids Go Back to School with New Shoes

Back to school shopping is an exciting annual ritual for kids of all grades – filling supply lists, getting new backpacks, clothes and shoes.

Get Back to the Farm with Family-Friendly Food Tours

In their citified or suburban lives, the closest many kids ever get to experiencing farming today is when the sprinklers start up to water the veggies in the Schnucks produce aisle.

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Things to Do

Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden

The Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden is a beloved summer tradition that presents free Wednesday evening concerts under the stars.

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Sea Lion Shows at the Saint Louis Zoo

See the Zoo's California sea lions perform acrobatic and athletic feats, including Olympic-style dives on a high-diving platform, flipper walks, frisbee tosses and plenty of surprises. While on stage with the sea lions, the Zoo's trainers explain sea lion behavior and positive-reinforcement training, in addition to the need for conserving the sea lion's ocean habitat.

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Music & Movement

Saturday, July 4, 2026

Explore songs, finger plays, music and more during this free Music & Movement class for ages 0-6.

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Wacky Wednesday at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Wednesday, July 8, 2026

See spectacular performances and fun & educational demonstrations by kid-favorite entertainers like Babaloo and Oh My Gosh Josh and Mad Science.

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Toddler Time at The Magic House

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Visit The Magic House for Toddler Time, a special early-morning program for toddlers. Children age 1-4 can take part in exhibits and exclusive interactive activities designed just for little ones. There are new themes every week!

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Kids Unleash Their Creativity at Hands-On Summer Art Camps

Your creative child may have numerous opportunities throughout the school year to express themselves through art projects and other hands-on art experiences, but what about summer? When the classroom is closed, what do you do? Send your child to an artistically engaging summer camp, of course!

Dinoroarus Comes Roaring Back at the Saint Louis Zoo

The Dinoroarus exhibit will bring prehistoric fun back to the Saint Louis Zoo this summer with 20 lifelike dinosaur animatronics and sculptures on the Zoo's Historic Hill.

Travel Back in Time Every Friday at the Missouri History Museum’s Free Summer Family Fun Series

There comes a point every summer when all that “free time” isn’t so fun anymore. Your kids are bouncing off the walls, it’s too hot to hit the playground, and every activity seems to come with a big price tag. That’s when the screens come out, and parents find themselves counting down the minutes to bedtime. Thankfully, when Friday rolls around each week, your family can experience a mini summer getaway through history – no travel required.

Summer STEM Camps Create Hands-On Fun + Immersive Learning for Kids & Teens

Want your child to learn about subjects in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), and have fun doing it? Help them further understand the inner workings of what's all around them by enrolling them in a STEM-fueled summer camp. You may be surprised at the wide variety of highly-acclaimed summer camps in the St. Louis area that put new and exciting twists on STEM concepts, creating hands-on fun for kids with the benefit of introducing them to some of the latest technologies in AI, engineering, coding and more.

Your Guide to Free Outdoor Family Movies this Summer

Seeing a movie at the theater is a magical experience, but when summer rolls around, it’s time to get outside and enjoy free movies under the stars! Free family movie nights abound across the St. Louis area, so grab your kids, a blanket or lawn chairs, and get ready for some cinematic fun. Here's where to find them:

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One hour a week. It doesn't sound like much. But ask any Olympia parent, and they'll tell you - one hour a week has a way of changing everything. Maybe it's the moment your toddler sticks their first landing and looks up with that enormous grin. Maybe it's watching your school-age kid tackle something hard and realize they can do it. Maybe it's your teen finding a place where they truly belong.

Those moments add up, week after week. At Olympia Gymnastics, we've been creating those moments for St. Louis families for 47 years. Our coaches don't just teach skills, they show up for your kids. They get to know them, celebrate their wins, and cheer loudest on the hard days. One hour. Big Impact. Olympia Gymnastics + Ninja | 9 locations across the St. Louis area. LEARN MORE

Our Summer Camp Guide at stlcamps.com is the fastest and easiest way to find the perfect summer camps for your kids! We feature camps for ages 18 months to 18 years of age, and for every interest you can imagine. Our guide is searchable for your child's age, camp location, type of camp, camp dates, and even extended care availability. Whether your child is into sports, arts, robotics, coding, outdoor adventures, musical performance, climbing or just about anything else, you'll find it at stlcamps.com! Book your child's camp sessions now! GET STARTED

Visit the Missouri History Museum on Fridays in June and July for their Summer Family Fun Series! Enjoy a variety of free family activities, including crafts, performances, food, movement, and more! All activities are tied into Museum exhibits and St. Louis history, and focus on a different theme each week. This summer kids and families can learn about Juneteenth, celebrate America’s 250th birthday, explore Vietnamese culture in STL, and discover the wonders of the Mighty Mississippi!

Storytelling in the Museum programs are part of the fun this year, with themes that match the rest of the day’s activities. Don’t forget, the History Clubhouse is open for play and exploration! In this hands-on family gallery, kids can travel back in time to the World’s Fair, Cahokia and more as they learn about the history of the city they call home. Appropriate for ages 2–12. Fridays, June 5-July 31, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more detailed information on each day’s activities, visit the Museum’s website.

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