Concerts, Movies, Children’s Art, Theater, Opera & More Planned for City Park This Summer

Fun activities for all ages are once again planned for City Park in downtown Edwardsville over the next several months, courtesy of the Edwardsville Parks & Recreation Department’s Arts in the Park program. This free, annual series features concerts, movie nights, children’s art, theater, opera and other family-friendly occasions.

“Edwardsville is such a vibrant place to be in the summer, and City Park is central to it all,” Mayor Art Risavy said. “Our Parks & Recreation Department never stops thinking of wonderful free options to entertain and delight people of all ages year after year.”

Arts in the Park gets underway in City Park (101 South Buchanan Street in Edwardsville), with back-to-back activities June 13 and 14. Friday, June 13, the first of six weeks of Friday night concerts will begin with the Steve Ewing Band performing at 8PM on City Park bandstand. On Saturday, June 14, the Children’s Arts in the Park program led by the Edwardsville Arts Center will take place outside in City Park from 9-10:30AM. Any cancellations due to weather or other issues will be announced on the Edwardsville Parks & Recreation Department’s Facebook page.

A new entry to the 2025 Arts in the Park series is 62025 Day, which marks the once-a-century occasion when Edwardsville’s ZIP code and the calendar date align. It will be celebrated in City Park Friday, June 20, beginning at 5:30PM with picnic in the park opportunities and food trucks, a commemorative overhead group photo at 6:20PM + 25 seconds, a charity pie-eating contest at 6:45PM to benefit the Glen-Ed Pantry, and free yard games in the park. The finale of 62025 Day will be a Friday night concert with Mike Sonderegger and his dueling pianos at 8PM on the City Park bandstand. A charity raffle for gift cards and items from more than a dozen 62025 businesses also will take place, with all proceeds benefiting the Glen-Ed Pantry. More details on 62025 Day are available at: www.cityofedwardsville.com/62025

The Friday night concerts continue June 27, July 11, July 18 and July 25 at 8PM in City Park. Other performers include LustreLights, Blue Suede Crew, Hudson and the Hoo Doo Cats and Dirty Muggs.

The Edwardsville Arts Center’s children’s art activities will feature a fun theme during each 90-minute session starting at 9AM Saturday mornings. Scheduled dates include June 14, 21 and 28, and July 12, 19 and 26. Another returning favorite is the monthly Movies in the Park series. Bring a blanket or chair and catch a movie under the stars in City Park one Saturday each in June, July, August and September. The fun begins Saturday, June 28, with a showing of Hercules. The July 26 movie will be Jumanji; the August 23 movie will be the live-action version of 101 Dalmatians; and the September 20 movie will be the musical sensation Wicked. Movies start at dusk; start times are adjusted accordingly and listed on the Parks & Recreation Department’s Facebook page and website.

Shakespeare in the Park’s traveling caravan will again appear in Edwardsville’s City Park, this year with A Midsummer Night's Dream. This free theatrical performance is scheduled for 6:30PM Friday, August 22. Opera Edwardsville also will be back in City Park with both a children’s show – The Merry Band of Edwardsville at 10AM and 1PM Saturday, July 12, in the Edwardsville Public Library – and a bandstand performance on Friday night, September 5.

Rounding out the summer are concerts from the Edwardsville Municipal Band and the Edwardsville Symphony. The municipal band’s summer concerts began June 5, and continue at 7:30PM on Thursdays through August 21. The Edwardsville Symphony performs once a month in City Park on Sundays through September. Upcoming dates include June 29, July 27, August 24 and September 21. A special pre-concert guest performs at 6:30PM, followed by the symphony at 7PM.

Arts in the Park programs are made possible by the city's Parks & Recreation Department and partner groups with the generous support of local sponsors. Find details at: www.cityofedwardsville.com/artsinthepark