Chinese Culture Days showcases traditional and modern Chinese music, entertainment, fashion and cuisine in the beautiful venue of the Missouri Botanical Garden in spring.

New this year, the Changchun Acrobatic Troupe from Changchun, China, will perform jaw-dropping acrobatics at the Garden’s outdoor amphitheater. The nine-person troupe is the largest to attend the festival in several years and will be performing stunts, juggling and balancing acts, as well as more traditional Chinese entertainment such as face-changing.

Throughout the spring and summer, the Missouri Botanical Garden offers visitors more opportunities to enjoy the beautiful blooms during their extended evening hours.

Starting in April and continuing through September, the Garden will be open three hours later every Thursday evening for guests to enjoy the warm weather and explore the new flowers each week brings.

With over 18 miles of trails through 2,400 acres of diverse habitats, visitors can immerse themselves in the beauty of Missouri’s natural landscape, enjoy spring wildflowers in bloom and explore the Nature Reserve’s unique history with the guidance of a local expert.

History of the Bascom House, Thursday, March 6th, 10a.m.–12p.m.

Where to find them: Emerson Conservatory

During the cold winter months, the Orchid Show transforms the Emerson Conservatory into a beautiful display of the Garden’s extensive tropical orchid collection. This collection boasts over 5,000 individual plants and 700 unique species, of which nearly one in ten are threatened or endangered.

For more than 40 years, the Missouri Botanical Garden has produced this annual festival in conjunction with the Japanese Activities Committee, a coalition of several Japanese-American organizations that provide art, dance, food and entertainment for thousands of visitors each year.

This year, the Garden will welcome Kanariya Eiraku, an expert in the Japanese art of lone storytelling known as rakugo. Seated alone and with minimal props, Eiraku will show the audience how to weave masterfully comedic tales with multiple characters using only simple movements and voice changes.

Wednesdays are for music! Whitaker Music Festival concerts will be held outdoors on the lawn of the Cohen Amphitheater this summer at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The festival is funded by the Whitaker Foundation, which supports St. Louis arts and parks to promote common heritage, celebrate diversity and encourage vitality within the community.