The St. Charles Jewish Festival returns this month to celebrate Jewish life and culture in a new venue. On Sunday, Aug. 25, the festival will run from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Lewis & Clark Boat House parking lot located at 1050 S. Riverside Drive in St. Charles, near the south end of Frontier Park.

Last year’s festival at the Foundry Arts Centre drew more than 3,000 visitors, the most in its three-year history. The Chabad Jewish Center of St. Charles County, which organizes the event, anticipates this year’s attendance could be larger. It looked for a bigger venue with more parking and found the perfect location at the parking lot adjacent to the Lewis & Clark Boat House.

As in previous years, the festival will highlight Jewish music and food. The planned musical artists include Chasidic rock duo Rogers Park Band, the Caravan Quartet and recording artist Tali Yess. Kosher food provided by Chicago-based Zelda’s Catering will be available for purchase. Baked goods, specialty spice blends, Judaica and jewelry will also be available in a new St. Charles Jewish Festival feature, an Israeli shuk open-air marketplace, according to Rabbi Chaim Landa, co-director of the St. Charles Chabad.

“It will be very cool,” Landa said. “There will be fruits and vegetables and Israeli candies. People will actually purchase shekels when they come into the shuk, and we’ll only do transactions in shekels. It will be a completely immersive experience.

A variety of children’s activities are planned, including bubble machines and giant wands, crafts and a petting zoo.

An estimated 6,000 Jews live in St. Charles County. With a total population of 406,000, the area is Missouri’s third-most populous county. Nearly 70% of St. Charles residents identify as Christian. The St. Charles Jewish Festival allows Jewish St. Louisans from across the region to celebrate Jewish culture and helps share its unique aspects with non-Jews.

“This is the biggest Jewish event in St. Charles,” Landa said. “It’s really an opportunity for the people of St. Charles to support us. When people stop me on the street or in a city meeting, and they say, ‘We support you, we’re thinking of you—let us know how we can do more,’ this is an opportunity to do that.”

Bassy Landa, co-director of the St. Charles Chabad, echoed her husband’s comments about the goodwill generated by the festival.

“It has been a difficult year for the Jewish nation, and people want to be together,” she said. “This is a joyful opportunity for our county to celebrate our diversity and support our growing St. Charles Jewish community.”

Security will be provided for the festival. Tickets are free, and require registration, which is available here.