City: Des Moines, IA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
17. CAPITAL CITY GAY PRIDE CELEBRATION
City: Des Moines, IA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: This event received a major boost following the Iowa Supreme Court’s recognizing of gay marriage in April 2009. Just married signs joined the multitude of rainbow flags along the streets of the East Village. The weekend-long festival attracts thousands and showcases the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community with a parade, street fair, and musical and other performances. It has evolved from a somewhat ribald carnival into a more mainstream event, with plenty of families showing up among the revelers. Numerous vendors and information booths are on hand with all types of merchandise, including gay wedding services. Admission is free.
18. DAM TO DAM RUNNING RACE
City: Des Moines, IA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: Beginning at Saylorville Dam north of the city and winding from the cornfields to city streets and the finish line at Nollen Plaza in downtown Des Moines, this 20K race has grown from a few hundred runners at its start in 1980 to nearly 10,000 finishers, making it the biggest race of its size in the country (there’s a separate 5K race as well). Fans line the route to cheer the runners on, and there’s a blowout after-party at the finish line, with music and lots of food. In addition to locals, the race attracts elite athletes from all over the country and the world, including top distance runners from Kenya and Ethiopia. Total purses top $10,000. Registration fees vary for the two races, ranging from about $40 for the 5K to $60 for the 20K.
19. IOWA STATE BBQ CHAMPIONSHIP
City: Des Moines, IA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (641) 752-3302
Description: That cloud of smoke rising an hour northeast of Des Moines isn’t from a fire, but from a whole field of cooks vying to create the best piece of barbecued meat. Contestants arrive from all over for the competition, which takes over the small burg of Marshalltown for the weekend. Barbecue connoisseurs will enjoy sampling meats from different vendors. It’s like the world’s largest picnic with some great food.
20. 80/35 MUSIC FESTIVAL
City: Des Moines, IA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: Right around the Fourth of July this multi-day carnivalesque music fest, organized by an almost all-volunteer staff, takes over the Western Gateway, bringing an eclectic list of acts to the outdoor location. The festival has moved in its short life, but it seems settled in Western Gateway Park downtown. Yo La Tengo, Modest Mouse, Spoon, The Roots, Public Enemy, and Flaming Lips have all played the festival, as well as a long lineup of lesser-known bands. Ticket prices vary widely, depending on the number of days attending and standard tickets versus VIP packages. Numerous vendors, food and otherwise, line the festival grounds.
21. NATIONAL BALLOON CLASSIC
City: Des Moines, IA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (515) 961-8415
Address: 15335 Jewel St.
Description: Hot-air balloonists from all over descend on this small town south of Des Moines for a unique festival of flying dirigibles, which runs for about 10 days. Balloon competitions are held throughout the day, and it’s quite a sight to see massive numbers of them floating over the surrounding cornfields. Hot-air balloon rides take off early in the morning and around sunset—you’ll need to register about an hour or so before the flight. Cost is around $150. Admission to the festival itself is around $10 per car and may be free up to a certain hour. The festival runs only in the mornings and then from the late afternoon until the early evening. Fireworks shows are scheduled at night. Food is available.
22. BREWFEST DES MOINES
City: Des Moines, IA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Address: 1 Line Dr.
Description: Sample more than 350 varieties of beer at this mother of all keg parties. Since starting at a local bar a few years ago, it has mushroomed in popularity and is now held at the Iowa Cubs’ baseball stadium. Admission is $25–$30 and includes unlimited beer—there’s a steep discount for designated drivers who want to tag along with their beer-drinkin’ buddies. And plenty of drinkers do show up, with large crowds of (mainly) younger people turning out to sample the variety of brews. Advance tickets are available at the ballpark and local Hy-Vee supermarkets.
23. ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE FESTIVAL OF IOWA
City: Des Moines, IA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: Sponsored by the Society of Italian Americans, this festival succeeded Des Moines’s long-running Festa Italiana and moved a short distance north, from the city’s traditional Italian neighborhood on the south side, to downtown. Food, music, and dancing are on tap, as well as cooking demonstrations, a bocce tournament, and kids’ activities, plus, of course, food, with lots of traditional Italian specialties on offer. Free admission.
City: Des Moines, IA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Address: 3000 E. Grand Ave.
25. IOWA FARM PROGRESS SHOW
City: Des Moines, IA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (309) 586-5888
Description: A biennial event held on a 600-acre plot of land about an hour northwest of Des Moines, this show draws in nearly a quarter million visitors and features hundreds of exhibitors and long rows of tractors, combines, planters, and other farm equipment—if you’re fascinated by these massive machines, you’ll spend some happy hours here. Farmers pour in from surrounding states and around the country and the world in anticipation of the kickoff for the seed sales year, and giant agribusinesses like Monsanto and Archer Daniels Midland show off their latest strains. Admission is about $10 per adult, less for kids.
26. HY-VEE TRIATHLON
City: Des Moines, IA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: Since 2007 this competition, the only US race on the International Triathlon Union’s World Cup Circuit, has brought world-class athletes to swim, bike, and run on a course laid out in West Des Moines and Des Moines. The 2008 race was the final US qualifier for the Beijing Summer Olympics. In addition to elite competitors, plenty of amateurs take part in the event, and spectators line the streets and cluster at the finish line. There have been some dramatic photo finishes, particularly in 2009, when Canadian Simon Whitfield broke the tape a hair ahead of the next four racers and set an event record time. Registration fees vary depending on whether you are registering as an individual or as part of a team.
27. AMERICAN QUILTER’S SOCIETY QUILT SHOW & CONTEST
City: Des Moines, IA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (270) 898-7903
Description: A smorgasbord of food and drinks from all over the world that unfolds at the foot of the State Capitol, this festival is one of the last gasps of warm-weather outdoor entertainment in Des Moines before the air begins to turn cool, signaling the forthcoming arrival of winter. Sample treats from local restaurants at food stalls that line the streets, from African to Filipino to Latin American delicacies and everything in between. Several beer and wine tents help slake your thirst. Admission is free.
28. WORLD FOOD FESTIVAL
City: Des Moines, IA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Insider Pick:
Description: A smorgasbord of food and drinks from all over the world that unfolds at the foot of the State Capitol, this festival is one of the last gasps of warm-weather outdoor entertainment in Des Moines before the air begins to turn cool, signaling the forthcoming arrival of winter. Sample treats from local restaurants at food stalls that line the streets, from African to Filipino to Latin American delicacies and everything in between. Several beer and wine tents help slake your thirst. Admission is free.
29. FULL FRAME DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
City: Des Moines, IA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (515) 277-2205
Address: 4700 Grand Ave.
Description: A hodgepodge of films by American and international filmmakers is screened in the museum, everything from topical documentaries to more offbeat and experimental work (these films are intended for adults). The festival is designed to showcase the work of unseen and emerging artists. Admission is free, with different films on each day of the two-day festival.
30. DES MOINES MARATHON
City: Des Moines, IA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (515) 288-2692
Description: Over 1,000 runners set off from Nollen Plaza and through the city’s residential neighborhoods before returning to the finish line in the Des Moines Marathon, which serves as a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon. Runners expecting a nice, flat midwestern course may be in for a surprise when they hit some of Des Moines’s hills, particularly some steeper ones on the west side of the city. In addition to the marathon, several other races are held, including a half-marathon and a 5K. Spectators line the course route cheering on riders and proffering much-appreciated bottles of water. There are also events in the days leading up to the race, including a sports and fitness expo, and a big blowout party following the race—for many runners, it’s the best part of the whole event!