Refreshed Kiener Plaza hosts one last free Oktoberfest Thursday before Blues–Bruins

Downtown’s front yard is back in full swing. Kiener Plaza has reopened after months of upgrades, and this Thursday, Oct. 29, is the last chance to catch Urban Chestnut Brewing Co.’s free Der Biergarten Oktoberfest there, 4–7 p.m. Fans who show up in Blues gear get $1 off beers before the Blues host the Boston Bruins at 7 p.m. at Enterprise Center.

The plaza work, a nearly $2.7 million project, began Feb. 9 as a partnership of the City of St. Louis, Gateway Arch Park Foundation and Great Rivers Greenway, paid for with Prop P dollars managed by Great Rivers Greenway, St. Louis Public Radio reported. The plaza was last renovated in 2017 under the CityArchRiver project. New shade structures and shade trees now cover the table and seating area outside the visitor services building. New pavers and an underground water collection system replace the loose decomposed granite near the visitor center and bike racks. The oval lawn across from the Old Courthouse has been regraded and leveled, with upgraded irrigation and drainage for the turf and new cherry trees. Added electrical panels and light poles bring more power for events and more light after dark. SWT handled the landscape architecture and Ideal Landscape Group built it.

Kiener Plaza and the Old Courthouse seen from the Gateway Arch

“It’s essentially the living room of downtown St Louis, and we need to make sure that it is the best that it can be,” Gateway Arch Park Foundation executive director Ryan McClure told STLPR.

Urban Chestnut has been filling that living room with a beer garden every Thursday in October. The lineup includes Zwickel, the brewery’s Bavarian lager; O-Katz Oktoberfest Märzen; and Fest Bier, a pale lager with notes of bread crust and toast. There’s also Bushelhead hard cider, Squirrel Werks hazy IPA, nonalcoholic drinks and wine, with Gus’ pretzels and other happy-hour snacks, communal seating and games, per Greater St. Louis, Inc. “We’ve got this brand new, beautiful space at Kiener Plaza, and to us, it’s such an honor to be thought of to be able to come in so early on into that space being reopened and to be able to bring it to life,” said Kimberly Thro, Urban Chestnut’s field marketing manager.

Next up for the plaza is Winterfest, back for its 11th season Nov. 21 through Jan. 3. Opening night pairs the Winterfest 5K with the Ameren Missouri Festival of Lights: a tree lighting at 5:45 p.m., a drone show at 6:30 p.m. and fireworks at 7 p.m. This year adds a new curling cafe alongside the skating. Winterfest runs Thursday and Friday 4–8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday noon–8 p.m. Kiener Plaza is a short walk south of Wash Ave; see archpark.org for details.

This week in music

BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups reopens Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, at 700 S. Broadway, just south of downtown, with the Matt “The Rattlesnake” Lesch Band playing the first show in the renovated club from 8 p.m. to midnight. Tickets are $20 main floor and $10 general admission, plus tax, with advance sales expected to start Oct. 27. Opening weekend continues with St. Louis Blues Royalty on Friday and a Halloween house party with Marquise Knox on Saturday at 9 p.m. Info: bbsblues.com

This week in art

Andrew B. Weil of RearView Heritage Consulting gives the October Steedman Library Lecture, “Fortified St. Louis: The Defensive Architecture of a Strategic American City and Environs, 1175–1865,” on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, 6:30–8 p.m., in the auditorium of Central Library, 1301 Olive St., in the Wash Ave neighborhood. The talk is presented by SAH STL and St. Louis Public Library and will also be livestreamed. On Saturday, Oct. 31, guided tours of Cass Gilbert’s 1912 Beaux-Arts library start at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. Details: slpl.bibliocommons.com

From the ‘gram

Live, work & play on Wash Ave. It’s all within walking distance in downtown St. Louis.

📸: @stlbucketlist

https://www.instagram.com/washington_avenue/p/DYIF8e5xEHt/

Sources

Andrea Y. Henderson, “A newer lighting system, more trees and better drainage are on the way to St. Louis’ Kiener Plaza,” St. Louis Public Radio, Feb. 10, 2026: https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2026-02-10/lighting-trees-drainage-st-louis-kiener-plaza

City of St. Louis, Gateway Arch Park Foundation and Great Rivers Greenway, “Kiener Plaza in Downtown St. Louis to Begin Park Improvements Starting February 9” (press release), Feb. 5, 2026, via archpark.org

Greater St. Louis, Inc., “Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. brings Der Biergarten Oktoberfest to Downtown St. Louis throughout October,” Sept. 28, 2026: https://greaterstlinc.com/newsroom/urban-chestnut-brewing-co-brings-oktoberfest-to-the-heart-of-downtown-st-louis/

Greater St. Louis, Inc., “Urban Chestnut to offer a Blues home game beer discount at free Oktoberfest in Kiener Plaza Oct. 22 and 29,” Oct. 19, 2026: https://greaterstlinc.com/newsroom/urban-chestnut-to-offer-a-blues-home-game-beer-discount-at-free-oktoberfest-in-kiener-plaza-oct-22-and-29/

Gateway Arch Park Foundation, Winterfest: https://www.archpark.org/events/winterfest

St. Louis Blues schedule, NHL.com: https://www.nhl.com/blues/schedule

Jeremy D. Goodwin, “Once more, with feeling: BB’s blues club returns to St. Louis,” St. Louis Public Radio, Oct. 16, 2026: https://www.stlpr.org/arts/2026-10-16/bbs-blues-club-returns-st-louis

BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, music calendar and reopening release: https://www.bbsblues.com/music.html ; https://www.bbsblues.com/news.html

St. Louis Public Library, Steedman Library Lecture and Central Library Architectural Tours: https://slpl.bibliocommons.com/events/69656d2791e4576f847c2cb2 ; https://www.slpl.org/central-library-tours/