Free Live Music in St. Louis — Where to Find It Year-Round
St. Louis's free music scene is anchored by the Missouri Botanical Garden's Whitaker Music Festival — one of the country's most beloved free summer concert series — and by the extraordinary Gateway Arch National Park, which provides a spectacular backdrop for blues concerts each August. The city's Forest Park, one of the largest urban parks in America (bigger than Central Park), hosts the SLSO's free outdoor concert and various summer events, and the Soulard neighborhood sustains a blues bar culture with frequent free shows.
Neighborhoods & Venues
Forest Park is St. Louis's crown jewel and free music center. Art Hill at the west end of the park becomes the site of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's free outdoor concert each September — one of the city's most beloved annual events, drawing tens of thousands to the park's slope. The Muny, an 11,000-seat outdoor amphitheater in Forest Park, is America's largest outdoor musical theater and sets aside free seats at every performance for those who can't afford tickets — a remarkable public service.
The Missouri Botanical Garden in the Tower Grove neighborhood hosts the Whitaker Music Festival each Wednesday evening from late May through late July. The festival has featured an extraordinary range of performers and is completely free with regular paid garden admission or a low-cost concert-only ticket. It's one of the most sophisticated free concert series in the Midwest. Tower Grove Park across the street hosts its own free outdoor concerts.
Soulard, St. Louis's historic French neighborhood, has a bar district with blues music most nights of the week. Soulard Mardi Gras in February is the second-largest Mardi Gras celebration in the US, with free outdoor music throughout the neighborhood. The BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups and Hammerstone's are Soulard staples with frequent free or low-cover shows.
Best Seasons for Free Music
Summer is the core free music season: the Whitaker Festival (May–July), various Forest Park events, and the Gateway Arch Blues Festival in August. The Blues at the Arch event at Gateway Arch National Park in August is a spectacular free outdoor blues festival with the Arch as backdrop.
The fall SLSO concert at Art Hill in Forest Park is one of the city's most-attended free events. Spring brings the Tower Grove Art Festival and neighborhood events with free music. The St. Louis Jazz Festival in the spring and various Soulard events run through the winter.
How to Find Free Shows in St. Louis
The Missouri Botanical Garden's website (missouribotanicalgarden.org) lists the Whitaker Festival schedule. Forest Park Forever lists events at forestparkforever.org. Gateway Arch National Park's website (gatewayarch.com) lists free programming. St. Louis Magazine and Riverfront Times cover free show listings. The SLSO's website lists any free community concerts. Our listings page is updated daily with verified free concerts across St. Louis.