After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the St. Louis Earth Day Festival returns to the Muny Grounds in Forest Park. Organized by the local nonprofit earthday365, the festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both April 23 and April 24. The free event aims to educate and empower the regional community for greater action toward a more sustainable future.

“There’s so much anticipation for the festival this year,” said Dr. Jess Watson, executive director of earthday365. “For those of us in the sustainability movement, this is our time to reach out to new audiences and to connect with one another, which is doubly important given the urgent challenges we face.”

The festival will include plenty of entertainment and activities for the entire family. The Main Stage will feature an array of musicians, such as Fire Dog and Sharon Bear and the Cubs. The Community Stage will offer yoga with The Collective STL, bird shows from the World Bird Sanctuary, dance performances, and more. Upper Limits will make a free rock-climbing wall available all weekend, and the Forest & Meadow Educational Tent will present classes both days.

The Earth Day Cafe will feature a variety of Green Dining Alliance sustainability-certified restaurants, and the Beer Garden will be back featuring Schlafly, Urban Chestnut, 4 Hands, and Perennial. (All earthday365 members will receive a free beer.)

Aligning with this year’s festival theme, “We are Interconnected,” earthday365 will introduce the new Sustainability Awards. The awards will provide an opportunity to recognize leadership in areas of climate, food waste, education, and environmental justice. Awards will be given out at the Opening Ceremony on Saturday, April 23, at 1 pm.

Additionally, festival attendees can take part in the Earth Day Challenge by completing two of these four activities: using alternative transportation to get to the festival, bringing their own refillable water bottle or reusable bag, eating a vegetarian or vegan meal, and/or practicing home composting. Participants can visit the Earth Day Challenge Booth to claim their free raffle ticket for a chance to win sustainable prizes, including a Big Muddy Adventures canoe adventure, an overnight at Union Station, a Missouri Botanical Garden membership package, and six months of compost porch pick-up.

With nearly 200 vendors showcasing sustainability solutions and fun engaging activities, the festival typically attracts 30,000 participants. Sponsors include Subaru, Airly, Missouri American Water, Midwest Dairy, Metro Transit, and the City of St. Louis, among many others. For more information about earthday365 and all of its programs, please visit the website.