Use
Forest Park has more than 12 million visitors per year, surpassing the number of annual visitors to both Busch Stadium and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial combined. The park has a diverse patronage, including tourists and local visitors, visitors to park institutions, and special event patrons, with roughly one third of patrons living within ten miles (16 km) of the park, another third between 10 and 30 miles (48 km), and another third living beyond 30 miles (48 km) from the park. 88 percent of park visitors drive to the park, while the remaining 12 percent are split between public transit and walking or bicycling to the park. The park has eleven multi-modal access points, listed below by the edge of the park:
- East: Clayton Avenue (outbound), Barnes Hospital Drive, West Pine Boulevard
- West: Forsyth Avenue, Wells Drive (inbound)
- North: West Pine Boulevard, Union Drive, Cricket Drive, Debaliviere Place
- South: Tamm Avenue, Hampton Avenue
With about 60 percent of users entering the park, the Hampton Avenue entrance is the most commonly used; this has led to traffic congestion issues that have become more problematic in recent years. To remedy the problem, traffic has been redirected away from the Hampton park entrance and trolley buses have been used to shuttle patrons.
Forest Park is home to several annual St. Louis cultural or entertainment events, including the Great Forest Park Balloon Race (a hot air balloon competition), LouFest Music Festival (August 27–28, 2011), the Shakespeare Festival (a summer theater production), the St. Louis Earth Day Festival, and the St. Louis African Arts Festival. The annual St. Louis Wine Festival, Beer Heritage Festival, and St. Louis Micro-Fest (a microbrewery showcase festival) also are hosted in Forest Park. In winter months, the Jewel Box greenhouse hosts a poinsettia show with holiday decorations. Forest Park also hosts athletic events, such as the St. Louis Pace Series (an annual track event), the Midnight Ramble (a nighttime bicycling event), and a variety of run-walk fundraisers. On Art Hill in early September, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra offers a free outdoor concert. In addition, the Saint Louis Art Museum sponsors free outdoor film showings in the summer on the hill.
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