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’ve had the privilege of a front-row seat to what the region offered throughout 2025-and we’ve gathered a few of our favorites. The blessing and the curse of a scene this vibrant is that there’s far more greatness that we can fit within the pages of this section. But we’ve done our best.
A few of Zaria’s favorite things
From theaters to arenas, stadiums, festival stages and intimate venues, artists – and the producers to make these events possible – are pushing the St. Louis entertainment scene to new heights.
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.
Leon Thomas and Lucky Daye were among the standout national performers.
Thomas brought his psychedelic guitar and cuts from his “MUTT” album. He let the rawness show on “Dancing with Demons” and “Vibes Don’t Lie,” 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 “Algorithm” and gave classic R&B energy with his Grammy-winning single “That’s You.”
And while MATI showcased the breadth of St. Louis’ musical ecosystem, the city’s live-show momentum was evident on stages across the region.
Although an unfortunate incident brought her show to an early end, the production value and performance quality of Glorilla’s The Glorious Tour stop at The Factory in March left a lasting impression. Glorilla delivered a dynamic set featuring hits like “LET HER COOK” and “HOLLON,” and she surprised the crowd by bringing out Chicago’s own Queen Key for “Hell Woods 2.” She managed to perform her verse on Tyler, the Creator’s “Sticky” and “HOW I LOOK” before a series of altercations cut the show short, stopping just before she could finish her signature track “WHATCHU KNOW ABOUT ME.”
T-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.
He wasn’t the only artist marking a 20-year milestone with St. Louis. Chris Brown delivered an unforgettable experience at The Dome at America’s 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 “Sweet Love,” “Back to Sleep” and “New Flame.” And he stunned the crowd with a sultry performance of his double-platinum hit “Take You Down.”
Brown’s 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.
Honorable mentions: Kash Doll at the Hawthorne, Clipse at The Factory and SLSO’s presentation of “A Celebration of Hip Hop.”
Kenya’s picks
Since Zaria focused mostly on concerts, I will highlight other programming that served as a reminder of the culture richness of our region – Black culture in particular.
I will start where things ended for me this year, with the Jazz St. Louis and Saint Louis Dance Theatre presentation of “Gaslight Dreams.” The stunning artistic expansion of Duke Ellington and William Strayhorn’s jazz interpretation of “The Nutcracker” that premiered last year was even better the second time around.
Speaking of classical music, the grand re-opening of Powell Symphony Hall – as part of the all-new Jack C. Taylor Music Center – was among 2025’s 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.
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’t-miss St. Louis staple that celebrates Black culture through music, fashion and – of course – locs, coils, curls, ‘fros, braids, fades and twists.
The 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.
Zaria gave a well-rounded recap of the 2025 concert scene, but I do want to mention the sold-out STL stop of Jeezy’s TM 101 20th Anniversary Tour at Stifel Theatre. The rapper’s groundbreaking trap classic was upcycled with a full orchestra – 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’s staging of August Wilson’s “Radio Golf” was a demonstration of their capacity to bring the genius of Wilson’s words to life like few other companies in the country – or around the world. Their take on the final work from Wilson’s 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’s acclaimed plays depicting Black life in each decade of the twentieth century.
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis also presented an impressive St. Louis premiere of “The Brothers Size” by Tarell Alvin McCraney as part of its Steve Woolf Studio Series. Saint Louis Art Museum’s “Roaring: 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 – 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.
The Missouri History Museum explored the origins of Baker and countless others with “Mill Creek: Black Metropolis.” The expansive 5,000-square-foot exhibition details the legacy of the historically Black community. The exhibition is on display through July 12, 2026.
Honorable mentions: Dance St. Louis’ presentation of Collage Dance Collective, “To STL With Love: Celebrating Hip Hop in St. Louis” presented by the Kranzberg Arts Foundation and curated by Kris Blackmon and the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis world premiere of “This House” by Ruby Aiyo Gerber and Lynn Nottage with music by Ricky Ian Gordon.
Living 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.
