Event organizer Sean Hadley confirmed that Q in the Lou is canceled. The BBQ event was announced in late July, but organizers canceled it after Q’s Denver event "didn’t pan out as well as we thought it would,” Hadley said. "And leading into this event we didn’t have the support.”

What You Need To Know

  • Q in the Lou was canceled due to financial concerns

  • Those that bought VIP tickets will receive refunds

  • Organizers remain committed to revitalizing St. Louis' downtown

  • The event may return in future years

Interest in the event was much lower than organizers’ expectations and they did not sell enough VIP tickets nor acquire as many corporate sponsors as they hoped. 

Hadley confirmed Q in the Lou may return in later years as the organizers are committed to the city and making efforts to revitalize downtown. “It’s sad, it’s heartbreaking. I put in a lot of work into this the last couple months,” Hadley said.

If Q in the Lou returns, the Mayor’s office conveyed their support within a statement about the cancellation, saying:

“We’re disappointed that Q in the Lou won’t be back this year. St. Louis knows how to throw a festival. Between the Festival of Nations, which just wrapped in Tower Grove Park; City Social, which was hosted downtown earlier this year; the upcoming Taste of Black St. Louis, which will be hosted downtown; and so many others, bringing people together to celebrate our culture is one of the things we do best as a city. Should Q in the Lou try to come back next year or any year after that, they’ll have the support of the Mayor Jones administration.”

Q in the Lou also canceled their upcoming Dallas event.

"We canceled everything after Denver,” said Hadley.