October is a month that brings a noticeable crispness in the air and in the St. Louis area this month also features lots of food and drink celebrations. Tower Grove Park is the site of both the final Food Truck Friday of the year, as well as Harvest Festival, a one-day celebration that gives attendees samples of local restaurants, breweries, wineries and more. Other events include Ginweek St. Louis, Brew in the Lou, St. Louis Bourbon Fest, plus vegan festival VegFest is back this year, there’s also a multi-day taco festival, an apple butter festival and a lot more.
Food Truck Friday
At the final Food Truck Friday event of the year, choose from 20 food trucks offering a variety of cuisines and enjoy live music by Silver Creek Bluegrass Band. Be sure to bring your lawn chairs or picnic blankets to stay a while and enjoy the crisp fall afternoon outdoors in Tower Grove Park.
Oct. 3 – 3-7 p.m., Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, saucefoodtruckfriday.com
St. Louis Bourbon Fest
The St. Louis Bourbon Festival is more than just whiskey — it’s an experience. Held at the Lemp Grand Hall, attendees can enjoy the live music, local food trucks, cigar patios and, of course, hundreds of bourbon tastings.Tickets available online.
Oct. 3 – 6-9 p.m., Lemp Grand Hall, 1817 Cherokee St., St. Louis, stlouisbourbonfestival.com
Grove Fest
Manchester Avenue will transform into the ultimate block party for Grove Fest, a one-day event that features music, local vendors and food. The eclectic celebration is free to attend and has something for everyone, with kids activities, entertainment and music, crafts, food trucks, a variety of vendors and much more.
Oct. 4 – Manchester Avenue in the Grove, stlgrovefest.com
St. Louis VegFest
St. Louis VegFest began in 2018 and is an annual one-day event celebrating a vegan plant-based lifestyle. Attendees can find a wide variety of vegan foods and non-animal based products, as well as live music, family-friendly activities, and more. Get more details online.
Oct. 5 – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., World’s Fair Pavilion at Forest Park
Ginweek St. Louis
Ginworld is proud to host Ginweek St. Louis, the largest gin celebration in the world. The annual celebration is in its 10th year and began in 2015 at The Gin Room and has grown to a national celebration that takes place in 15 cities across the U.S. Ginweek brings together gin lovers, distillers and cocktail creatives and culminates with a Gin Festival on Sunday, Oct. 12, at Majorette, giving attendees the chance to sample hundreds of gin and cocktail tastings. Get more information and purchase tickets online.
Oct. 5-12 – Multiple locations, ginworld.com
Fest-of-Ale
Fest-of-Ale features over 20 local breweries offering beer tastings in the beautiful fall setting of the Garden. Enjoy live music, a commemorative glass and great brews.This rain-or-shine event is for 21+ only, with food available for purchase. Tickets are $40 members, $50 nonmembers and $15 Designated Drivers. Event proceeds benefit the Garden’s Outdoor Youth Corps education and workforce development program, which connects St. Louis region youth ages 16 to 24 with environmental stewardship projects, community engagement opportunities, and potential environmental careers. Advanced ticket purchases are encouraged, as this event can sell out quickly.
Oct. 10 – 6-9 p.m., Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, missouribotanicalgarden.org
Brew in the Lou
Join the 13th annual Brew in the Lou at the Lily Pond in Francis Park. Enjoy unlimited tastings from top local breweries, wineries and eateries, plus live music by Funky Butt Brass Band. Attendees can get unlimited samples from 2nd Shift Brewing, 4 Hands Brewing Co., Square One Brewery, Kansas City Bier Co., and Boulevard Brewing Co., along with local wineries like St. James Winery and Wild Sun Winery & Brewery and distilleries such as J. Rieger & Co. and Wood Hat Spirits. Food vendors range from 3 Gerards Pizza to K-bop food truck, Nonie’s Closet and STL City Eats. Don’t miss the Homebrew People’s Choice Competition and the debut of South City Eclipse, a custom Black IPA from Square One Brewery. This event is fun for the whole family, but has been known to sell out. Get your tickets online.
Oct. 11 – 1-5 p.m., Francis Park, brewinthelou.com
Taco King Taco Fest
Taco King Taco Fest is St. Louis’ must-attend celebration of all things taco, held twice a year. Stop by the St. Peters festival, a one-day event or head to the Metro East for the two-day celebration, with both events giving attendees a chance to savor the city’s best tacos, enjoy live music all day and explore local craft and food vendors and contents. The winner of the taco-eating contest will earn a $200 cash prize and the new Hot Sauce Showdown winner gets a year’s supply of hot sauce, plus judges will crown one vendor as the Best Taco Spot, with Tacos La Jefa as the previous festival champion. Taco Fest serves up unbeatable flavor and entertainment for everyone, including family-friendly fun and a VIP experience featuring exclusive tastings, cocktails and swag. Don’t miss the ultimate taco party.
Oct. 11 & 18-19, St. Peters, and Granite City, Illinois., stltacofest.com
Harvest Festival
Celebrate the changing seasons in Tower Grove Park at Sauce Magazine’s Harvest Festival. This annual event gives attendees an opportunity to try restaurants, breweries, wineries and shop at the farmers market and dozens of arts and crafts vendors. Food vendors include FretFree Kitchen and Tastachio Brands, along with food trucks Farmtruk, The Moobile, Tuk Tuk Thai, Beast Craft BBQ, Doughboys, Mr. Noodles and Cajun Seduction. Shoppers will discover a wide variety of vendors offering handmade and boutique goods, including Benton Park Prints, Beqi Clothing, Brixx & Stones, Ginger Snapped Candles, Izzy’s Barkin’ Bandanas, Macrame Mouse, Sarah Lady’s Art, Tatted Up Kat Designs, Vital Chi Wellness and many more. The live music soundtrack will kick off with Stone Sugar Shakedown from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and St. Louis’ best Grateful Dead cover band Alligator Wine will wrap up the day from 2-5 p.m.
Oct. 12 – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tower Grove Park, harvestfeststl.com
Raise the Roof with Urban Harvest STL
Urban Harvest STL is hosting an evening under the stars at its annual Raise the Roof celebration honoring the individuals who bring life to the community through their work in food, farming and the fight for food justice. Guests will enjoy an evening surrounded by the beauty of the rooftop garden, with a curated selection of seasonal dishes, opportunities to win prizes in a St. Louis-themed raffle, and the chance to hear from community and program partners. All proceeds from the event support Urban Harvest STL’s ongoing efforts to cultivate a healthier, more sustainable St. Louis for all.
Oct. 17 – 6-8 p.m., 3224 Locust St., St. Louis, eventbrite.com
Pickle Palooza
Two Men & a Garden and The Original Pickle Shot present Pickle Palooza at Sports and Social in Ballpark Village. Pickle Palooza is the ultimate destination for all things dill-icious such as pickle-flavored foods, drinks, a pickle shot ice luge and more. Enjoy live music, local pickle vendors, pickleball courts, contests and prizing, bounce houses, face painting and more. Free admission for children 12 and under. Tickets are available online, use code SAUCE to get $5 off. Tickets include your first drink.
Oct. 18 – 12-5 p.m., Sports and Social, 601 Clark Avenue, St. Louis
Kimmswick Apple Butter Festival
Located just 30 minutes south of St. Louis, the town of Kimmswick hosts its annual Apple Butter Festival each October. Attendees of this free event can shop at the town’s unique boutiques and retail stores, eat at the town’s restaurants and explore the hundreds of homemade craft and food vendor booths that line the streets during the festival.
Oct. 25-26 – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Kimmswick, cityofkimmswick.org