FestFinder tracks 5 outdoor festivals, fairs, and community gatherings in Des Moines, Iowa. From major touring music festivals to neighborhood block parties, this is the most complete year-round calendar of public events for the metro.
Des Moines has built a reputation as a year-round festival city. a deep bench of local breweries, food trucks, and family farms shows up to support every major event, and that energy carries directly into the events calendar. Major festivals draw weekend visitors from across Iowa and surrounding states, while smaller community gatherings give residents a steady drumbeat of public programming throughout the year.
Festival categories represented
The strongest categories on the Des Moines calendar are Film Festivals (1), Food and Drink (1), Cultural and Heritage (1), State and County Fairs (1), Community Gatherings (1). Each of those category pages on FestFinder includes the full list of related events nationwide if you are willing to travel further afield.
When to visit Des Moines
The busiest months for festivals in Des Moines are June, August, April. Visitors planning a single trip will get the most out of those weekends. Off-peak months are still active — every month of the year has at least one community gathering on the calendar.
Where festivals are held
Most public events in Des Moines are concentrated in a small number of well-equipped venues: a downtown park or plaza for community programming, a fairgrounds or speedway complex for the largest multi-day festivals, and a riverfront or waterfront stretch for music and food events. Read the venue line on each event page below for the specifics. Public transit, rideshare, and a handful of festival shuttles cover the gap between hotel districts and the festival footprint on event weekends.
Plan your trip
Pair an event in Des Moines with a stop at one of the neighboring cities listed in the sidebar — most are within a half-day drive — for a true festival weekend. If you are visiting from out of state, the closest international airport is usually the most convenient point of entry, and rental cars are advisable outside the central event district.