St. Louis World’s Fare returns to Forest Park Labor Day weekend

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The St. Louis World's Fare Heritage Festival & Games, which pays homage to the 1904 World’s Fair, will celebrate its seventh year this coming weekend in the upper Muny lot at Forest Park. 

The free event features many local restaurants in the Sauce Magazine Food Truck Row, including Tuk Tuk Thai, Cajun Seduction, Pete’s Pops and more. The festival will feature many foods that were either first unveiled at or popularized by the 1904 World's Fair, such as the hot dog, hot dog bun and cotton candy.  

“We are featuring small to medium to larger-scale food establishments and trying to bring a variety of culturally unique cuisine to the festival to be recognized in St. Louis,” said World’s Fare President Davide Weaver.

In 1904, St. Louis played host simultaneously to the World's Fair and the Olympics, which launched St. Louis as a popular tourism spot. While today’s event is much different than the one hosted in 1904, it is a heritage festival “celebrating what did occur here in 1904 and the things that have been done that affect our lives today,” Weaver said. 

Weaver said the World’s Fare aims to educate people on the history of St. Louis. He noted that the 1904 World’s Fair helped Forest Park become known as one of the great public parks in the U.S.  

There’s also live music throughout the weekend, along with lots of family-friendly entertainment. Look for a St. Louis Car Museum display, a Ferris wheel, a pop-up skating rink, backyard games and more. 

The festival hours are 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 2; and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3, and Sunday, Sept. 4.