Events
There’s something happening here. All the time.
Events in St. Joseph are as unique as we are. From festivals to outdoor concerts and major sporting events, there’s always something happening. Across the city, from season to season, you’ll find events for kids, families and a great night out.
FESTIVALS AND CONCERTS
We’re quite the festival city, and here’s a snapshot why: Check out Pony Express Pumpkinfest for the Great Pumpkin Mountain, art, music and culture set against this famous historic landmark museum. The Southside Festival and Northside Festival feature parades, barbecue, arts and crafts and carnivals. St. Patrick’s Mexican Festival, the Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival and Juneteenth Celebration draw visitors from around the region. Check out Bluegrass Battles Hunger, an annual fall showcase of bluegrass talent to benefit our local food bank. If classical music is your style, check out St. Joseph’s own symphony, performing throughout the year at area theaters and churches. Dozens of concerts at Felix Street Square downtown, the Shoppes at North Village and Parties on the Parkway will keep your calendar full of good times here in our town.
SPORTING EVENTS
We’re ready to cheer on the home team any time in St. Joseph. Every August, visitors and locals gather at the newly constructed indoor facility at MWSU for Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp. College sports fans take their seats at numerous MWSU athletic events throughout the year. In winter, catch an ice skating performance or a hockey game at Bode Ice Arena. And in summer, get ready for a laid-back good time at the St. Joseph Mustangs wooden bat baseball games. Races and 5ks fill up the Parkway across every season, and almost every weekend in summer and fall you’ll find families at the youth soccer complex or area baseball fields.
THEATER EVENTS
For a smaller city, our theater events are big time. Full-scale musicals, comedies and dramatic productions take the stage at the historic 1927 Missouri Theatre year-round (check out the schedule at Performing Arts Association or Robidoux Resident Theatre). Our dinner theater, Ruby Theatre, offers an up-close acting experience in a unique setting. During the summer, kids enjoy the $1 movies at Hollywood 10 as part of the Canned Film Festival, along with several outdoor movie showings at the East Hills Library or the Wyeth-Tootle Mansion. Children’s theater productions from both Robidoux Resident Theater and CAP St. Joe offer budding talent the center stage throughout the year.
HOLIDAYS
The holidays in St. Joseph are definitely special. At Christmas, our Holiday Park lights at Krug Park are a major attraction. Thousands of guests from across the region and locals cruise through this holiday wonderland, with distinct and detailed features you just can’t find anywhere else. The Sugarplum Festival and Breakfast with Santa fills the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, and you can’t miss the sparkle on so many faces at the Felix Street Square holiday lighting ceremony. During October, get your tickets early for the Mount Mora Cemetery’s “Voices from the Past” walking tour. In November, join area business and community leaders at the annual Mayor’s Thanksgiving Dinner. When 4th of July comes around, park your chair at Phil Welch Stadium for a spectacular show right after the Mustangs baseball game.
Holiday Park has been a family favorite in St. Joseph for generations. Santa and his sleigh that used to top the Mead building now fly through Holiday Park, which brings back memories of me as a kid. Driving slowly to see the lights and displays has given our kids an exciting chance to sit in the driver’s lap and honk the horn in the Castle tunnel. Now they stick their head through the sun roof and we have a funnel cake before we go.
Shawn Kobzej