Festival of Nations returns to Tower Grove Park Aug. 24 and 25 (2024)

St. Louis’ annual international cultural showcase is a must for local food lovers

By Iain Shaw // August 20, 2024

Festival of Nations returns to Tower Grove Park on Aug. 24 and 25, celebrating the food, music and culture of St. Louis’ diverse communities. The eagerly anticipated annual event is expected to be attended by more than 100,000 people across Saturday and Sunday and will feature more than 200 vendors and artists representing the food and culture of more than 75 countries.

The festival is put on each year by the International Institute of St. Louis(IISTL) and claims to be the largest annual multicultural celebration in the St. Louis region. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24, and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 25. Attendance is free, with performances on multiple stages and food, beverages and other items available for purchase from vendors stationed along the park’s roadways. The festival spreads out across a large section of Tower Grove Park between Center Cross Drive and Grand Boulevard: Detailed maps and parking information can be found on the festival website.

Piper Palm House will be converted to a “VIP Oasis” for the weekend, offering an elevated Festival of Nations experience with perks including access to an air-conditioned lounge area, private restrooms, a shaded patio, yard games and a viewing area for the main stage. VIP Oasis passes are available here.

Festival of Nations is one of the Sauce team’s favorite events of the year, and naturally we look forward to the food first and foremost, from arepas and tacos to jollof rice, pad thai, fufu, shaved ice desserts, funnel cake and much more. If you’ve never been before, take it from us: This is a truly unique opportunity to sample food from every corner of the world, and to appreciate the fact that we have such an array of culinary traditions available to us right here in St. Louis.

Some of the food vendors have brick-and-mortar restaurants or food trucks, some don’t, but all are bringing something special to Tower Grove Park for one weekend only. A comprehensive list of vendors (food, beverage, retail and more) is availablehere, but the lineup includes: A Taste of Balkan, Axxait, Abby’s Filipino, Amaizing Arepa Bar, Angel’s Fruits, Anis Hyderabad House, Babushka’s Polish Foods, Bad Bella Bakery, Brasilia, Dat Bayou Concession, Drunken Fish, El Campeon, El Molino del Sureste, Enrique’s Place, Fufu ‘n Sauce, Goshen Coffee, Gunash, Himalayan Yeti, Honey Bee Tea, House of Jollof, Hyderabadi Zayakha, Kain Tayo Filipino Cuisine, Kimchi Guys, Levels Nigerian Cuisine, Maize and Wheat, Meskerem and more.

Alex Henry of Sureste and El Molino del Sureste said he grew up attending Festival of Nations, with Belizean food a recurring highlight for his family (the Belizean stall will be back again this year). “Before we opened our restaurants that was typically the closest we could get to Yucatecan cuisine,” he said. “Growing up in the ‘90s having been recent transplants from Mexico, it was one of the few opportunities to get cuisine that was much more like what we were used to at home, even if not exactly,” said Alex’s brother and co-owner at Sureste and El Molino, Jeff Henry, adding that the festival also introduced him to flavors, music and cultures he had never experienced before.

Jeff Henry said he’ll be going straight to Majeed Mediterranean Restaurant’s stall and also looked forward to trying food from Levels Nigerian Cuisine. Alex’s tips included Bosnian cuisine from A Taste of Balkan and Himalayan Yeti’s Nepalese cuisine.

“It makes me feel like I’m in somewhere like New York City,” said Indo and Sado chef-owner Nick Bognar. “There’s just so much that I’ve never seen or heard of before, and it’s just fun to walk around and check it out and talk to people … I always learn something about some other country that I didn’t know.” Bognar’s game plan for good eating at Festival of Nations: Go early, and get ready to wait in line – don’t avoid the stalls that have long lines, because that’s probably where some of the best food is at. Instead, grab some food you can easily walk with – an empanada or a flatbread, for example – and that you can munch on while you wait. “Last year I had some wonderful Filipino barbecue from Kain Tayo,” Bognar said. A Jamaican braised oxtail dish was another highlight. “It was spicy, just super full of flavor, really bold flavors over rice and beans,” he said.

“Food is one of the first things that comes to mind when we think of cultural celebration, so we always do our best to have authentic vendors that span across a multitude of countries,” said Arrey Obenson, president and CEO of the IISTL in a statement. “This year, we are introducing more experiential vendors like roller skating withSkate Cultureand open mic withPoetic Justiceto Festival of Nations that give guests more of an interactional element."

The lineup of musical performers includes headline acts likeMai Lee,Mannywellz,Lisa Ramey,Mali Music,Brooklyn Saint,Nalediand more, with performances from local cultural groups includingSt. Louis Modern Chinese School,St. Louis Cultural Flamenco Society,Dizzy Atmosphereand more. The full lineup of performers is available here.

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Festival of Nations returns to Tower Grove Park Aug. 24 and 25 (2024)

FAQs

Festival of Nations returns to Tower Grove Park Aug. 24 and 25? ›

ST. LOUIS — Festival of Nations is the largest multicultural food and music festival in the country! And it returns this weekend to Tower Grove Park. 80+ countries are represented across more than 100 vendors, dozens of stage performances and interactive experiences Aug. 24–25, 2024.

What are they building in Tower Grove Park? ›

Tower Grove Park is starting construction on a new project that will transform the east end of the park into an educational and cultural destination. The restoration project will expose a historic stream that has been buried for more than 100 years.

How long is Tower Grove Park? ›

how big is tower grove park? The Park is 289 acres, and is the second-largest in the city of St. Louis (Forest Park is 1,300 acres). It is 1.45 miles long and 0.3 miles wide.

When did Tower Grove Park open? ›

Officially opened to the public in 1872, Tower Grove has been characterized as the largest and best preserved 19th-century Gardenesque style city park in the United States.

Who donated Tower Grove Park? ›

The 285-acre tract in the south central part of the city, along with the adjacent Missouri Botanical Gardens, was a gift to the City of St. Louis by merchant philanthropist Henry Shaw (1800-1889), who was largely responsible for its design.

How many pavilions are in Tower Grove Park? ›

Environment and facilities. The park features 32 pavilions of picturesque design, most dating from the Victorian era.

Does Tower Grove Park have restrooms? ›

“We will continue to make Tower Grove Park welcoming for everyone. The new restrooms will provide inclusivity and accessibility for park users,” said William Reininger, Executive Director.

How old is the Grove park? ›

Is Tower Grove a city? ›

Tower Grove East is a neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri.

What is the history of Tower Park? ›

Anna Nagar Tower Park was built in 1968 as part of the World Trade Fair. The park was built by B. S. Abdur Rahman and was inaugurated by former Vice-President V. V. Giri in the presence of the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu C. N.

When did Tower Park open? ›

Tower Park is a leisure and retail park, located at Mannings Heath, in Poole, Dorset, England. It was one of the first complexes of its kind in Europe when it opened in 1989.

Who built the Grove Park? ›

Early History

Grove Park has a rich history that dates back to its early development. Originally known as Fortified Hills, the neighborhood was established in the 1920s and 1930s by Dr. Edwin Wiley Grove and his Grove Park Development Company.

What are they building at the Grove Wesley Chapel? ›

The retail chain is focusing on developing larger locations, with one set for Pasco County. A second Target is on its way to Wesley Chapel.

What are they building in Exposition Park? ›

The building is primarily composed of steel, glass and concrete along with wood, geofoam, fiberglass-reinforced polymer and plaster. The $1-billion Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is rising in Exposition Park. The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art was designed by renowned architect Ma Yansong of MAD Architects.

What are they building in China Grove NC? ›

Macy's, Inc. (NYSE: M), the iconic American retailer, will invest more than $584 million to build its first automated fulfillment center in the Town of China Grove, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. Once fully operational, the company says it plans to employ 2,800 new jobs in Rowan County.

What are they building in downtown Sunnyvale? ›

March 29, 2021, the Planning Commission approved a new seven-story office building with ground-floor retail. The ground floor will have 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. It will also have 500,000 square feet of office space. The project is currently under construction.

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