November 30 | Noon to 4pm
2nd Annual Soulard Holiday Walk
Soulard Business Association is inviting neighbors and visitors to celebrate the holidays in Soulard – and get to know area businesses – during its 2nd Annual Soulard Holiday Walk on Saturday, November 30 from 12-4pm. Participants can enjoy Victorian holiday carolers, festive refreshments, marshmallow roasting and holiday shopping (with additional activities like face painting and photos with Santa for the young… and young at heart!). A courtesy shuttle will be running to help attendees move across the neighborhood with ease and enjoy all the various stops. The event is free, family-friendly and perfect for all ages.
November 30 is Small Business Shopping Day – a day to show support for small businesses everywhere, including the unique businesses that help make Soulard the great neighborhood it is! SBA hopes to annually make this day a festive, local way to begin your celebration of the holiday season.
Pick up a passport at any shuttle stop location, and get your stamps to win a deluxe Soulard gift basket. Participants will receive one entry for each business visited.
Bring your camera to snap a photo with the carolers for your holiday cards! Additionally, photographers will be on hand to take photos with Santa at several area businesses. Adults can enjoy shopping for holiday gifts offered by Soulard’s unique specialty stores, salons, massage studios, yoga studios, Farmer’s Market, and more. Many participating businesses will feature free refreshments and special offers. Various restaurants and bars will be participating as well, with marshmallow roasts, smores, hot chocolate and specials.
From 12-2pm, Santa will greet his admirers. Letters and wishes to Santa will be accepted at Island Life Yoga & Nutrition, Medusa’s Salon – Soulard and Morgan Ford Spas.
From 1-3pm, The Kingsbury Place Carolers will be performing at various locations, including:
- 1:00pm – Soulard Farmers Market Grand Hall
- 1:25pm – Island Life Yoga & Nutrition
- 1:50pm – Medusa’s Salon – Soulard / Labelle Histoire
- 2:15pm – 1400 Russell Apartments
- 2:40pm – Morgan Ford Massage & Spa – Soulard
(Free) shuttle stops, taking you across Soulard:
Soulard Farmers Market • The Sweet Divine • Bastille/Joanie’s To Go
Island Life Yoga & Nutrition • Medusa’s Salon – Soulard • La Belle Histoire
1400 Russell • Morgan Ford Massage & Spa – Soulard • Nadine’s • Protagonist Cafe
Before the event, check back here for the most up-to-date routes, schedules and list of participants. The Soulard Holiday Walk is coordinated by the Soulard Business Association Retail and Service Committee!
Soulard Parlor Tour
It’s time again for one of St. Louis’s most beloved and longstanding holiday traditions. The 44th annual Soulard Holiday Parlour Tour invites guests to take a historic walk through time, exploring neighborhood homes decked in their holiday best. The annual event will be held on Saturday, December 7 from 10am – 4pm and Sunday, December 8 from 10am – 3pm.
Nestled between the Anheuser-Busch brewery to the south, and the Farmers Market to the north, Soulard is the oldest surviving, active and walkable neighborhood west of the Mississippi River. Soulard’s diversity in architecture reflects its living history. This Federal Historic District is full of beautifully restored 19th Century red brick Victorian homes, Federal-style townhouses dating from the mid to late 1800s, alley houses, and unique half-flounder houses.
During the Parlour Tour, guests will travel between featured homes on heated shuttles as local guides regale attendees with facts and stories about Soulard’s architecture, history and tight knit resident community. Guests will also get to meet with homeowners and hear first-hand accounts of rehab and restoration efforts, as well as what it’s like to live in historic Soulard today.
The 44th annual Soulard Holiday Parlour Tour kicks off with festivities at the tour center (Gene Slay’s Girls & Boy’s Club of St. Louis, at 2524 South 11th St.), including a holiday bazaar, food and music. Individual tickets are $28 in advance and $35 the day of the event. Advance reservations are encouraged for a preferred tour time slot, as this event will sell out.
The Soulard Restoration Group is a non-for-profit resident organization that strives to promote, preserve and enhance the historic character of the Soulard neighborhood. SRG works to improve the quality of life for all members of the community. The Holiday Parlour Tour is one of SRG’s biggest fundraisers, and donations help beautify and maintain the historic nature of the area. Visit www.soulard.org for more info, events and neighborhood happenings – and follow Soulard on social media: www.facebook.com/stlsoulard, www.twitter.com/stlsoulard and www.instagram.com/stlsoulard.
January 6
12th Night
Each year, the 12th night after Christmas marks the beginning of the Mardi Gras season. The night kicks off with our Board of Directors converging in a cozy corner of Soulard to decide whether to order the commencement of Mardi Gras, while local leaders, politicians and krewes petition with their best performances and bribes of liquid refreshment.
The board votes after a heated and often raucous debate, and then makes the official proclamation that we will have yet another Mardi Gras season in Soulard. So far throughout the decades that we’ve hosted Mardi Gras, the board has voted unanimously in favor of Mardi Gras, luckily for us.
After that, our collection of party pros and dignitaries marches throughout the Soulard neighborhood, crowning that year’s Mardi Gras Rex and then christening and raising the Mardi Gras flag to fly proudly over the Soulard neighborhood throughout the Mardi Gras season.
Doors open at 5:00 pm, petitioning begins at 5:15 pm and the procession starts at 6:40pm … Bud Light Party Centre in Soulard Market Park. This is a free event and there will be a cash bar open to the public in the Bud Light Party Centre. Visit www.stlmardigras.org/events/12th-night for more information.