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Ride Metro to the Veiled Prophet Parade in Downtown St. Louis and to Fair Saint Louis in Forest Park
Metro transit is a great way to get to the Veiled Prophet Parade in downtown St. Louis on Saturday, July 2, and to the Fair Saint Louis celebration in Forest Park on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (July 2-4). MetroLink and MetroBus make it convenient to enjoy all of the fun and festivities without worrying about road construction, blocked streets, traffic jams and parking.
Veiled Prophet Parade
MetroLink is an easy way to get to the 2016 Veiled Prophet Parade in downtown St. Louis on Saturday, July 2. Parade-goers can park their vehicles at any of 20 free Metro Park-Ride lots in Missouri and Illinois and ride to the Union Station, Civic Center, and Stadium Stations which are all just a few blocks away from the parade route on Market Street. The Park-Ride lot at the Forest Park-DeBaliviere Station will be closed July 2-4.
MetroLink will be operating on a weekend schedule on Saturday, July 2, and both eastbound and westbound trains will be arriving and leaving in downtown St. Louis every 10 minutes. Metro will also have extra security and Metro Ambassadors will be handing out fans to parade-goers at Union Station, Civic Center and Stadium MetroLink Stations the morning of the parade.
MetroBus is another great option to reach downtown St. Louis. Parade-goers can ride on any of 13 MetroBus routes to 18th & Clark Streets near Union Station, and walk a few blocks north to the parade route. With Market Street being closed for the parade, there will be some MetroBus reroutes but parade-goers will still be able to get within a few blocks of Market Street for the parade. The detours are listed at metrostlouis.org in the Rider Alert section.
Fair Saint Louis
Metro will provide additional MetroLink service on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (July 2-4) to accommodate the thousands of fairgoers expected to attend the Fair Saint Louis celebration in Forest Park. Prior to 6 p.m. every day of the fair, MetroLink will operate 10-minute service between the Fairview Heights Station and the Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink Station, with 20-minute service elsewhere on the Red and Blue Lines. Additional trains will be put into service each night of the fair starting at 6 p.m. until after the fireworks conclude. That means after 6 p.m., MetroLink will provide 10-minute service on the Red Line from the Lambert Terminal #1 Station to the Fairview Heights Station. Also 10-minute service will be provided on the Blue Line between the Shrewsbury Lansdowne I-44 Station and the Fairview Heights Station after 6 p.m. Passengers will see normal 20-minute service between the Fairview Heights Station and the Shiloh-Scott Station after 6 p.m. on July 2, July 3 and July 4.
Fairgoers taking MetroLink are encouraged to use one of two designated stations to access Fair Saint Louis. To minimize wait times and to speed up the process of getting large crowds back home after the fireworks end each night, Blue Line passengers are encouraged to head to the Skinker MetroLink Station, and Red Line passengers are encouraged to go to the Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink Station. Both stations are approximately a half-mile from fairground entrances.
MetroBus is another option for fairgoers. Many MetroBus routes connect with MetroLink, and the #2 Red, #16 City Limits and #90 Hampton MetroBus routes have stops near Forest Park. The #3 Forest Park Trolley will not be in service for the duration of the fair, July 2-4.
Metro employees and public safety officers in conjunction with contracted police officers will be working hard to safely and efficiently transport fairgoers during and after the fair. Trains will be crowded, especially after the fireworks shows each night, so passengers are asked to be patient and respectful of others. No eating, drinking or smoking (including e-cigarettes) is allowed on Metro vehicles or on Metro property. For those bringing strollers on the MetroLink, please be prepared to fold them up before boarding the train. Alcohol and firearms are prohibited on Metro vehicles and Metro property, and no alcohol or coolers are allowed at the fair. Pets are not permitted on Metro vehicles, except for service animals.
Free Park-Ride Lots
Metro customers can park at any of 20 free Park-Ride lots at MetroLink stations in Missouri and Illinois. A total of more than 10,000 free parking spaces are available. Large numbers of free parking spaces include the North Hanley MetroLink Station with 1,700, Fairview Heights Station with 850, Emerson Park Station with 800 and Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 Station with 800. Please note that the Park-Ride lot at the Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink Station will be closed during the fair.
Transit Schedules
MetroLink will operate on the normal weekend schedule July 2-4. Extra trains will be put into service after 6 p.m. on those dates to accommodate Fair Saint Louis attendees. MetroBus will operate on the normal weekend schedules on July 2 and July 3, and will operate on a Sunday schedule on July 4.
Purchasing Tickets
Metro employees and ticket agents will be at high volume MetroLink stations along the system to assist fairgoers all three days. For only $5 for a round trip, fairgoers can ride MetroLink to Fair Saint Louis. To help reduce delays in their return trips, passengers are encouraged to purchase two one-ride tickets and to validate one ticket before boarding the train to the fair and to validate the other ticket when boarding MetroLink for the ride home.
Plan Your Trip
To plan your trip on Metro to the Veiled Prophet Parade or Fair Saint Louis, download the Metro On The Go App to your mobile device, use the Trip Planner on metrostlouis.org or contact Metro Transit Information at 314-231-2345 or 618-271-2345, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Transit information office will be closed on July 4.
About Metro
Metro is the operator of the St. Louis region’s public transportation system, which includes the 87 vehicle, 46-mile MetroLink light rail system; 399 MetroBus vehicle fleet that operates on 78 MetroBus routes in Missouri and Illinois; and Metro Call‑A‑Ride, a paratransit fleet of 122 vans. Metro is an enterprise of Bi-State Development (BSD), which also owns and operates St. Louis Downtown Airport and its surrounding industrial business park; the Gateway Arch Riverboats, as well as operates the Gateway Arch Revenue Collections Center and Gateway Arch trams. BSD also operates the Bi-State Development Research Institute and the St. Louis Regional Freightway.