Join Us for Play Day in the Park, a FREE Family Event!
ST. LOUIS (May 22, 2025) – Play Day in the Park, the annual free family event that celebrates the importance of play, is taking place from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 31 at Forest Park in the parking lot of the McDonnell Planetarium at the Saint Louis Science Center. The location of the event has changed due to damage sustained in the Park by the May 16 tornado.
The event will also include STL Summer Adventure, a community reading and exploration summer program powered by St. Louis County Library and St. Louis Public Library.
“We are truly grateful to the St. Louis Science Center, for hosting this event that is now more important than ever,” said Beth Fitzgerald, President of The Magic House. Play Day in the Park has become a wonderful kickoff to the summer for families from all over the region. We are so appreciative of being able to still provide this event that will bring joy and community connection to children and families; it is especially important at this time with so many families in our region impacted by the tornado, many who live close to Forest Park.”
This year’s Play Day in the Park will include an opportunity for families to donate small, unopened toys (no electronics) and unopened packs of diapers that will be distributed to areas impacted by the tornadoes.
Play Day in the Park is a collaboration of over 20 not-for-profit organizations all committed to the importance of play in children’s lives, Studies have shown that there is a growing concern that a key component of child development is disappearing from children’s lives: Play. Play helps children develop social skills, critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills and it also supports positive mental health. Play Day in the Park hopes to encourage families to take a break from screentime and play together while gaining ideas and resources to encourage interactive play throughout the summer.
Children will be to participate in a variety of fun and engaging activities from outdoor art to parachute games, from giant blocks to intriguing STEM Lab explorations. The Bubble Bus will be there and kids who attend and sign up for the STL Adventure will receive a free book.
Participating organizations include: the Saint Louis Zoo, Missouri Botanical Garden, The Magic House, Gateway Region YMCA, St. Louis Area Scouts, Saint Louis Science Center, DASA, St. Louis Art Museum, Missouri History Museum, St. Louis Arc, Jackson Pianos, Missouri Department of Conservation, the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, The Muny, Youth in Need, and YWCA St. Louis Head Start, who will provide fun, playful experiences.
Play Day in the Park is led by The Magic House, Forest Park Forever, St. Louis Public Library, and St. Louis County Library and is sponsored by the Eric & Evelyn Newman Foundation.
For more information, visit:
Play Day in the Park
About The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum The Magic House is a not-for-profit participatory museum that provides hands-on learning experiences that spark imagination, pique curiosity, enhance creativity and develop problem-solving skills within a place of beauty, wonder, joy, and magic. Serving more than 550,000 visitors annually, The Magic House opened in 1979 and has 55,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits. In 2019, the Museum opened an all-new satellite makerspace in the City of St. Louis on Delmar Boulevard, located between the Central West End and the Delmar Loop.
To stay up-to-date with The Magic House, visit www.magichouse.org and follow the club on Facebook and Instagram.
About Forest Park Forever
Forest Park Forever is a private nonprofit conservancy that partners with the City of St. Louis to restore, maintain and sustain Forest Park as one of America’s great urban public parks for a diverse community of visitors to enjoy, now and forever.
In addition to maintaining the 1,300-acre Park in partnership with the City, Forest Park Forever raises funds for and helps manage capital restoration projects called for in the Forest Park Master Plan; delivers experiential educational opportunities to teachers, students and adults; and provides information and guides for the Park’s 15.5 million annual visitors.
Not part of the Zoo-Museum Tax District, Forest Park Forever is supported by private donations from throughout the community, including its 6,100 members, 1,900 volunteers and many leading community and corporate partners. * Updated #s
About St. Louis County Library
St. Louis County Library is the busiest public library in Missouri. We provide the resources and services to enrich individual minds, enhance lives and expand perspectives. In 2024, SLCL circulated over 11 million items including books, DVDs, eMedia, video games, periodicals and CDs. The Library District consists of 20 branches, all of which have undergone significant upgrades as part of the Your Library Renewed campaign. SLCL partners with community organizations around St. Louis to address a wide variety of issues including literacy, food insecurity, and the digital divide. In 2025, SLCL was awarded the prestigious Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, from the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and Library Journal. The award recognizes the powerful synergy that results when a library works closely with both its local government and its community. To learn more visit www.slcl.org.
About St. Louis Public Library
The St. Louis Public Library (SLPL) has 15 locations throughout the city and welcomes over 1.2 million visitors each year. With a collection of more than 4 million books and items, the Library serves over 135,000 active cardholders and provides high-speed wireless internet access to nearly 2 million people annually. SLPL also offers extensive digital resources, including computer access, Wi-Fi hotspots, computer classes and online learning opportunities. Additionally, it features digital makerspace labs called Creative Experience at three of its locations–Barr, Central and Julia Davis. The Library is committed to providing learning resources and information services that enhance and improve the lives of individuals, families and the community as a whole.