Children’s Arts Festival

2025 marked the 25th anniversary of the beloved Children’s Arts Festival. We celebrated the artistic contributions of educators and students across the SEMO region to commence Youth Art Month, which takes place every February. This year’s two-day event was a blast!

To celebrate such a special anniversary, this year’s exhibition had a Beatles theme- think Yellow Submarine, pop art, and funky 60s vibes. In addition to over 200 works of visual art from regional schools, students performed throughout Friday night to incorporate other sectors of the arts. The Music Academy Youth Orchestra, directed by Andrew Hacay, Cape Central Guitar Ensemble, under the direction of Ben Belanger, Jesse Steele of Shivelbines, and Fingerprint Urban Dance Studio, under the direction of Michael “Crank” Curry, performed for the exhibition’s opening reception.

Everyone was invited back on Saturday to continue to celebrate! The Abbey Road Warriors, a Beatles tribute band from St. Louis, joined us for an afternoon show. This truly was a family friendly concert with many kids in attendance. They danced the afternoon away and experience music of a monumental band from before their time.

The Fountain Street Quartet, under the direction of Dr. Sophia Han, opened the second show of the night. The four SEMO Strings students performed familiar hits by David Bowie, The Beatles, and more! The Abbey Road Warriors then took the stage once again for a new group of guests.

The weekend celebration also featured a “Magical Mystery Tour” scavenger hunt featuring 25 local businesses! These businesses either had their windows painted on-theme by professional artists or housed a collaborative canvas art piece. This city-wide celebration was meant to inspire students, show them that creativity is the lifelong pursuit of joy and curiosity, and to encourage them to support their local community.