\n
Once again, the region has affirmed its standing as a top-tier arts and culture destination, thanks to a rich tapestry of experiences. Music, theater, fashion and festivals all converged to showcase St. Louis as a cultural force with something to say. We\u2019ve had the privilege of a front-row seat to what the region offered throughout 2025-and we\u2019ve gathered a few of our favorites. The blessing and the curse of a scene this vibrant is that there\u2019s far more greatness that we can fit within the pages of this section. But we\u2019ve done our best.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A few of Zaria\u2019s favorite things<\/strong><\/p>\nFrom theaters to arenas, stadiums, festival stages and intimate venues, artists \u2013 and the producers to make these events possible \u2013 are pushing the St. Louis entertainment scene to new heights.<\/p>\n
A prime example is Music at the Intersection (MATI). Thanks to title presenter the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RAC) and the Steward Family Foundation, St. Louis hosted a music festival that rivaled any destination-festival staple-while still centering homegrown and St. Louis-based talent. Alongside Weedie Braimah, Keyon Harrold, Marcus Baylor of The Baylor Project and others, national acts like Leon Thomas, Lucky Daye, Common Pete Roc and Patti LaBelle lit up the MATI 2025 stages.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\nLeon Thomas and Lucky Daye were among the standout national performers.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\nLeon Thomas. The 5th Annual Music at the Intersection Music Festival and Arts Conference had the Grand Center Arts District bustling this weekend. More than 100 artists across 19 stages shared their talents thanks to the world-class festival presented by the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. Photo by Taylor Marrie | The St. Louis American.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThomas brought his psychedelic guitar and cuts from his \u201cMUTT\u201d album. He let the rawness show on \u201cDancing with Demons\u201d and \u201cVibes Don\u2019t Lie,\u201d stirring the crowd with a fusion of rock, rap and R&B. Earlier in the festival, two-time Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Lucky Day delivered a rousing performance despite technical difficulties. He moved effortlessly through favorites from his LP \u201cAlgorithm\u201d and gave classic R&B energy with his Grammy-winning single \u201cThat\u2019s You.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And while MATI showcased the breadth of St. Louis\u2019 musical ecosystem, the city\u2019s live-show momentum was evident on stages across the region.<\/p>\n
Although an unfortunate incident brought her show to an early end, the production value and performance quality of Glorilla\u2019s The Glorious Tour stop at The Factory in March left a lasting impression. Glorilla delivered a dynamic set featuring hits like \u201cLET HER COOK\u201d and \u201cHOLLON,\u201d and she surprised the crowd by bringing out Chicago\u2019s own Queen Key for \u201cHell Woods 2.\u201d She managed to perform her verse on Tyler, the Creator\u2019s \u201cSticky\u201d and \u201cHOW I LOOK\u201d before a series of altercations cut the show short, stopping just before she could finish her signature track \u201cWHATCHU KNOW ABOUT ME.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\nT-Pain turned things up at The Factory a few months later when he brought is TP20 Tour to town in October. The early-2000s nostalgia and his pristine showmanship made for a night to remember as he celebrated two decades of hits.<\/p>\nT-pain at The Factory on 20\/24\/25. Photo By Taylor Marrie | The St. Louis American.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHe wasn\u2019t the only artist marking a 20-year milestone with St. Louis. Chris Brown delivered an unforgettable experience at The Dome at America\u2019s Center with Breezy Bowl in September. The entire Dome was screaming, chanting and singing as he sang and danced through two decades of chart-toppers. His confidence radiated through songs like \u201cSweet Love,\u201d \u201cBack to Sleep\u201d and \u201cNew Flame.\u201d And he stunned the crowd with a sultry performance of his double-platinum hit \u201cTake You Down.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Brown\u2019s Dome takeover came just a few months after Kendrick Lamar and St. Louis-born SZA brought the house down with their sold-out Grand National Tour stop in June.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Honorable mentions: Kash Doll at the Hawthorne, Clipse at The Factory and SLSO\u2019s presentation of \u201cA Celebration of Hip Hop.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\nKenya\u2019s picks<\/strong><\/p>\nSince Zaria focused mostly on concerts, I will highlight other programming that served as a reminder of the culture richness of our region \u2013 Black culture in particular.<\/p>\n
I will start where things ended for me this year, with the Jazz St. Louis and Saint Louis Dance Theatre presentation of \u201cGaslight Dreams.\u201d The stunning artistic expansion of Duke Ellington and William Strayhorn\u2019s jazz interpretation of \u201cThe Nutcracker\u201d that premiered last year was even better the second time around.<\/p>\nCredit:<\/span> Photo by Taylor Marrie | St. Louis<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSpeaking of classical music, the grand re-opening of Powell Symphony Hall \u2013 as part of the all-new Jack C. Taylor Music Center \u2013 was among 2025\u2019s biggest cultural highlights. After a two-year rehab and expansion, the new and improved space opened its doors in September. The breathtaking venue is one worthy of the Grammy Award-winning St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, which calls it home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another September highlight for 2025 was Frizzfest. As usual, the event turned Tower Grove Park into a celebration of Blackness. Hat started as a lovefest for textured hair has expanded and evolved into a can\u2019t-miss St. Louis staple that celebrates Black culture through music, fashion and \u2013 of course \u2013 locs, coils, curls, \u2018fros, braids, fades and twists.\u00a0<\/p>\nThe Hair Show at Frizz Fest in Tower Grove Park on 9\/20\/25. Photo by Taylor Marrie | The St. Louis American.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe House of Soul shut Washington Avenue down with its Juneteenth Celebration Block Party. The event felt equal parts family reunion, day party, music festival and fashion show.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zaria gave a well-rounded recap of the 2025 concert scene, but I do want to mention the sold-out STL stop of Jeezy\u2019s TM 101 20th<\/sup> Anniversary Tour at Stifel Theatre. The rapper\u2019s groundbreaking trap classic was upcycled with a full orchestra \u2013 and Black St. Louis hip hop heads came out dressed to the nines and created a vibe that nearly defies explanation. Black theatre productions had more than one moment in the sun for 2025. The Black Rep\u2019s staging of August Wilson\u2019s \u201cRadio Golf\u201d was a demonstration of their capacity to bring the genius of Wilson\u2019s words to life like few other companies in the country \u2013 or around the world. Their take on the final work from Wilson\u2019s century cycle presented the nuance of emotion and rhythm of language that warranted a certificate of authenticity, and offered a new appreciation for the least staged of Wilson\u2019s acclaimed plays depicting Black life in each decade of the twentieth century.\u00a0<\/p>\nThe Repertory Theatre of St. Louis also presented an impressive St. Louis premiere of \u201cThe Brothers Size\u201d by Tarell Alvin McCraney as part of its Steve Woolf Studio Series. Saint Louis Art Museum\u2019s \u201cRoaring: Art, Fashion and the Automobile in France, 1918-1939 gave an astonishing look at the cutting-edge technology and design elements of vehicles of the day \u2013 and made a moment within the exhibition for Josephine Baker, the St. Louis daughter who became a global icon and a national treasure in France.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Missouri History Museum explored the origins of Baker and countless others with \u201cMill Creek: Black Metropolis.\u201d The expansive 5,000-square-foot exhibition details the legacy of the historically Black community. The exhibition is on display through July 12, 2026.<\/p>\n
Honorable mentions: Dance St. Louis\u2019 presentation of Collage Dance Collective, \u201cTo STL With Love: Celebrating Hip Hop in St. Louis\u201d presented by the Kranzberg Arts Foundation and curated by Kris Blackmon and the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis world premiere of \u201cThis House\u201d by Ruby Aiyo Gerber and Lynn Nottage with music by Ricky Ian Gordon.<\/em><\/p>\nLiving It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.<\/em><\/p>\n\n
Related<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.stlamerican.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Once again, the region has affirmed its standing as a top-tier arts and culture destination, thanks to a rich tapestry of experiences. Music, theater, fashion and festivals all converged to showcase St. Louis as a cultural force with something to say. We\u2019ve had the privilege of a front-row seat to what the region offered throughout […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2219324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2219323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Best-in-show-2025-St-Louis-American.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2219323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2219323"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2219323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2219325,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2219323\/revisions\/2219325"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2219324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2219323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2219323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2219323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}