Missouri History Museum marks St. Louis’ 262nd birthday with a free, two-day festival in Forest Park
A weekend built around the city’s founding date
The Missouri History Museum will host a St. Louis Birthday Bash on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, and Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, offering two days of free, public programming tied to the city’s founding anniversary. The museum is located at 5700 Lindell Blvd. in Forest Park.
Organizers have positioned Feb. 14 as St. Louis’ birthday and are using the weekend to launch what is being described publicly as a new annual festival format—one that blends live performance, hands-on activities and short interpretive talks with a marketplace of local vendors and food options.
Programming: music, storytelling, pop-up talks and hands-on activities
Event listings describe a schedule designed to keep visitors circulating across multiple museum spaces throughout the day. The overall festival hours are widely advertised as 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, with a family-focused lineup highlighted on Saturday.
Live music is slated to open Saturday morning, with the Red and Black Brass Band advertised as a kickoff performance beginning at 10 a.m.
A storytelling session is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the museum’s History Clubhouse, promoted as trilingual in English, Spanish and American Sign Language.
All-day activity descriptions include classic backyard games such as washers and cornhole, plus craft stations for items like birthday hats and neighborhood flags.
Hourly “I Am STL” pop-up talks are promoted across the day, alongside a sensory table featuring objects and symbols associated with St. Louis.
Exhibits and shopping: “Made in St. Louis” and local makers
Beyond performances and activities, the museum is promoting the weekend as an opportunity to explore existing galleries, including exhibits focused on the 1904 World’s Fair and the museum’s “Collected” galleries. A “Made in St. Louis” gallery is also highlighted in event descriptions as a focal point tied to local industry and creativity.
Listings also indicate that local makers will be invited to sell goods on-site, creating a festival-style retail component alongside pop-up food vendors expected during lunchtime hours.
Admission and advertised activities are listed as free for the weekend.
Additional scheduled feature: St. Louis trivia
A separate listing tied to the same weekend promotes St. Louis-themed trivia at the museum on Saturday, Feb. 14, with two play times advertised around midday and early afternoon.
With multiple formats running at once—performances, drop-in activities, talks, and exhibit viewing—the Birthday Bash is structured less as a single program and more as a rotating set of options intended to accommodate a wide range of ages and visit lengths.