Fall festivals* abound this month, including a decades-long tradition at one of St. Louis’ most beautiful places, as well as a first-of-its kind music fest in Grand Center. Plus, a theatrical world premiere on The Rep stage!
*Due to the ongoing concerns about COVID-19, be sure to check each event’s web page to learn more about specific health and safety protocols and requirements.
WHAT: JAPANESE FESTIVAL
WHEN: Various times, Sept. 4 to 6
WHERE: Missouri Botanical Garden
A Labor Day weekend tradition returns to the Missouri Botanical Garden: The Japanese Festival is back for its 44th year with sumo wrestling, martial arts demonstrations, dance performances, authentic food, and candlelight walks in the Japanese Garden.
The three-day weekend is held in collaboration with several local Japanese-American organizations in one of the largest Japanese gardens in North America. Festivities begin Saturday morning at 10 a.m. with a performance by the St. Louis Osuwa Taiko drummers and St. Louis Okinawa Eisa. Three sumo wrestlers will demonstrate their craft twice a day (2 and 4 p.m. on Saturday; noon and 4 p.m. on Sunday and Monday). Plus, an array of other family friendly activities such as martial arts demonstrations, anime under the stars, an Okashi cosplay fashion show and a tea demonstration are scheduled throughout the weekend. A Toro Nagashi ceremony will be held Saturday and Sunday evening at 8 p.m., with lanterns lit and set afloat on the lake to honor the spirits of the dead. Lanterns will be available for purchase on site.
$16 adults, $5 children ages 3 to 12 ($8 members, free for member children); mobot.org/japanesefestival
WHAT: MUSIC AT THE INTERSECTION
WHEN: Sept. 10 to 12
WHERE: Various venues throughout Grand Center
Headliners Lalah Hathaway, Gregory Porter and Roy Ayers are among the more than 60 national, regional and local acts performing at the three-day event, a first-of-its-kind music festival for St. Louis. Concerts will take across six venues in the Grand Center Arts District in midtown, including The Big Top, The Grandel, The Open Air VIP Tent at the Dark Room, Fabulous Fox Theatre, The Sheldon and Jazz St. Louis. A complete concert schedule is available on the official event website.
Tickets are available as all-weekend or single-day passes. VIP tickets includes premium seating at the Fox Theatre, parking and VIP bar service. In addition, Music at the Intersection is offering a livestream ticket that allows for virtual viewing of all 10 shows at the Fox Theatre, including concerts by festival headliners.
$160 for all-weekend, three-day pass ($300 VIP); Friday day pass $55 ($90 VIP); Saturday or Sunday day pass $70 ($120 VIP); $25 for weekend livestream ticket; metrotix.com
WHAT: DREAMING ZENZILE
WHEN: Various times, Sept. 10 to Oct. 3
WHERE: Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the world premiere of “Dreaming Zenzile,” based on the life of Miriam Makeba. The production stars Grammy-nominated international music sensation Somi Kakoma as Makeba, a South African performer and civil rights activist who called attention to apartheid in her homeland.
Somi, as she is known in the jazz world, has built a career of transatlantic storytelling and is the first African woman ever nominated in any Grammy jazz category. Somi wrote and stars in the musical, which takes the audience to Makeba’s final performance where she raises the conscience and the consciousness of a people. The performance includes a live jazz band playing original music and reinterpretations of Makeba’s extensive catalog.
Under the direction of Lileana Blain-Cruz, the rolling world premiere production will journey from St. Louis to the McCarter Theatre to Arts Emerson to a New York City collaboration with the Apollo Theater, National Black Theatre and New York Theatre Workshop, all in partnership with Octupus Theatricals.
$29 to $99; repstl.org
WHAT: HOP IN THE CITY FESTIVAL
WHEN: Noon to 5 p.m., Sept. 18
WHERE: Schlafly Tap Room in downtown St. Louis
This year’s Hop in the City features exclusive festival beer, food trucks and live music with a few changes to accommodate COVID-19 safety. In the past, the ticketed event provided festival-goers access to tasting samples of Schlafly’s beer styles on site. This year, the event is free with no tickets required. Instead, attendees will purchase their preferred beers from 14 beer styles in individual servings.
Live music from local bands Alligator Wine, Funky Butt Brass Band and We Are Root Mod will be on hand. Food available for purchase includes offerings food trucks throughout the festival grounds, such as Tuk Tuk Thai, Sugarfire 64 Smoke House, Balkan Treat Box and Poptimism, as well as the Schlafly Tap Room’s full menu inside the restaurant.
Free (food and drinks available for purchase); schlafly.com/events/hopinthecity
