America's Birthday Parade, a tradition in St. Louis since 1878 (formerly known as the Veiled Prophet Parade or V.P. Parade), kicks off on July 4th at 9:30 a.m. at 20th and Market Streets. The theme for this year's parade is "The U.S. Experience." The parade route proceeds down Market Street and ends at Market and Broadway.
The year's parade features 14 marching bands from across the region, beautifully designed floats, huge, helium-filled character balloons, special performances throughout the parade and dozens of organizations representing our community and region.
More information: americasbirthdayparade.com
Learn about the parade route here.
Take your family to watch birds of prey fly right over your head, meet the wonderful bird ambassadors of the World Bird Sanctuary up close and much more.
The St. Louis African Arts Festival, held in Forest Park, celebrates the rich and diverse cultures of Africa and African people. Children's activities include storytelling, arts and crafts, mask-making and educational workshops. In conjunction with the festival, the Saint Louis Zoo will have special activities focused on a different African animal each day.
There are more than strawberries (but plenty of those too) at this festival! Kids can enjoy carnival rides, a petting farm, pony rides, the children's play area and lots more.
Families are invited to the Saint Louis Art Museum on Sunday afternoon to participate in free hands-on art activities with fun themes and to explore the galleries. Each Family Sunday focuses on a different family-friendly theme.
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.