This year’s Fair ºüÀêÊÓƵ will be the 42nd. But it won’t be the usual three-day festival. There won’t be any live bands or food trucks. No air show or cornhole tournament.
But there will be July Fourth fireworks framed by the Gateway Arch, and the 140th America’s Birthday Parade will roll down Market Street in the morning.
The July Fourth Fireworks Spectacular will last about a half-hour, organizers say, and spectators are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets and snacks (but no glass or alcohol) to watch from the Arch grounds.
While things are scaled back this year, Fair ºüÀêÊÓƵ organizers say they are planning a “reimagined, citywide celebration†for 2024.
Chairman Tim Meers says the committee usually starts planning for the following year’s festival on July 6. The extra planning required for 2024 — more than 100 people on 14 different committees — meant that this year’s festival would have to be smaller, he says.
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“It’s not that [this year] is on the back burner, but because we had put a lot of effort into reenvisioning things for 2024, we made the decision that we were going to truncate it down to fireworks,†Meer says.
While Meers says he has to be intentionally vague about details, he allowed that Fair ºüÀêÊÓƵ has been “enlisting talents from a wide range of organizations and organizers†in an attempt for the 2024 festival to maximally support and celebrate ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
“You can throw a great party, but what can you do for the city?†he says.
Fair ºüÀêÊÓƵ, formerly known as the VP Fair, has undergone changes over the past decade, some prompted by the pandemic. In 2022, the three-day festival was moved from Gateway Arch National Park to Kiener Plaza and Ballpark Village. In 2021, there was a fireworks display but no fair. In 2020, organizers presented a virtual program. From 2014 to 2017, during renovations at the Arch grounds, the fair was held in Forest Park.
Fair ºüÀêÊÓƵ is funded by sponsorship and direct donations — up to over $1 million in grants and gifts in previous years. This year, Meers says, fair organizers asked for what they needed, which was less than past festivals. The organization has already secured corporate donors for the 2024 event, which will require greater financial support.
While some ºüÀêÊÓƵans may be disappointed by the pared-down festivities this year, Meers says that most people he’s spoken with are hopeful for next year. He’s eager, too.
“We really look forward to ushering in a new era for ºüÀêÊÓƵ entertainment next year,†he says.
What America’s Birthday Parade • When 10 a.m. July 4 • Where Market Street, from Broadway to 17th Street; also broadcast live on KMOV (Channel 4) • How much Free • More info
What Fair ºüÀêÊÓƵ July Fourth Fireworks Spectacular • When 9:15 p.m. July 4 • Where ºüÀêÊÓƵ riverfront • How much Free • More info