Here’s your go-to guide for Des Moines metro food festivals! Judging by the crowds, Desmoinians love nothing more than a food festival. Fortunately, there are a bunch to keep us noshing throughout the year. Bring your best walking shoes and your stretchy pants!
Updated by: Madison Stano, Des Moines Girl Contributor
Last updated: April 2025, details & events subject to change. New events to release information at a later date.
Guide to Food Festivals Around Des Moines
May
Tulip Time
- Thursday, May 1 – Saturday, May 3
- Downtown Pella
- Admission: Free, varies per activity
Tulip Time just might be the first sign of festival season. This nearly 90-year-old event celebrates all things Dutch including parades, traditional Dutch clothing (yes, clogs too), and tiny pancakes known as poffertjes. Some events cost $, but the sights are free! Dutch letters, however, are worth every penny.
Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival
- Saturday, May 3
- Varies Agriculture Building, Iowa State Fairgrounds, Des Moines
- Admission: $29+
Possibly one of our most famous food events, the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival demonstrates their reverence of bacon with menu items like double bacon wrapped corn dogs, BLT manicotti, and bacon English toffee. If this event partnered with the Sweet Corn Festival, it’d be the greatest Iowa food festival ever.
CelebrASIAN
- Friday, May 23 & Saturday, May 24
- Western Gateway Park, Des Moines
- Admission: Free
From curries to tteokbokki, Celebrasian highlights the vast Asian American and Pacific Islander diaspora. You can enjoy DJs or traditional dances, fashion shows, and so much food that you won’t know where to start or stop. Pace yourself on this one!
June
Iowa Craft Brew Festival
- Saturday, June 7
- Lauridsen Amphitheater, Water Works Park, Des Moines
- Admission: $50+
Celebrate 15 years of the Iowa Craft Brew Festival! Drink up at the Iowa Craft Brew Festival, enjoying unlimited samples from over 70 Iowa breweries. Make sure you grab a few bites too! At least eight local food trucks will serve up eats including Graze Craze charcuterie, Mala’s Kitchen, and Nina’s Tacos.
Greek Food Fair
- Friday, June 6 – Sunday, June 8
- St. George Greek Orthodox Church, Des Moines
- Admission: Free
What started as a small fair in a church parking lot is now overflowing into the street! In addition to favorites like baklava and gyros, the Greek Food Fair introduces locals to savory eats like Loukaniko, or pork sausage, and tiropita, or feta wrapped in phyllo dough. There’s a good chance you’ll see a street dance while waiting in line for loukoumathes, which are the crown jewel of this festival.
BBQ and Brew at the Ballpark
- Saturday, June 21
- Principal Park, Des Moines
- Admission: TBA
The Iowa Pork Association’s BBQ and Brew at the Ballpark serves up samples of both beer and pork, made from fellow Iowans like you! Enjoy a barbecue competition, participate in games, and listen to live music while soaking up the sun in the Iowa Cubs parking lot.
Cajun Fest Boil and Brew
- Saturday, June 14
- The Hall DSM
- Admission: $45+
Cajun Fest Boil and Brew gives Desmoinians all you can eat crawfish. If the bugs of the sea aren’t your thing, there’s also jambalaya, beignets, and corn because no seafood boil is complete without corn. Enjoy live music, and a sense of community centered around a mutual love for cajun cuisine.
Des Moines Arts Festival
- Friday, June 27 – Sunday, June 29
- Western Gateway Park, Des Moines
- Admission: Free
Ranking #5 in USA Today’s “10 Best Art Festivals in the Country”, the Des Moines Arts Festival doesn’t seem like it’s about food. But culinary arts are a thing too! There are two food courts and a “curated craft beer tent,” which shows the Arts Festival takes food as seriously as creativity.
July
Summerfest
- Friday, July 11 – Sunday, July 13
- The District at Prairie Trail, Ankeny
- Admission: Free to $30
What started as a single-day pizza fest in Ankeny is now Summerfest, a four-day, family-friendly party. There’s now a carnival, a parade, a stage for live music, fireworks, and oh yeah, food! Vendors aren’t listed yet, but Ankeny favorites are sure to be there. This year, join the Ankeny community in celebrating 150 years of Ankeny! (P.S., we also heard the Iowa-famous Pork Tornadoes will be in attendance… 😉 )
August
Iowa State Fair
- Thursday, August 7 – Sunday, August 17
- Iowa State Fairgrounds, Des Moines
- Admission: $11+
The Iowa State Fair needs no introduction. If you want a celebration of food, this is it. Past new food contest winners have included a bacon cheeseburger egg roll, deep fried bacon brisket mac-n-cheese grilled cheese, chicken egg salad with fry bread, and so much more. Recent years have shown an uptick in international cuisine as well as elevated dining options. Never fear though; corn dogs and Barksdale bucket o’ cookies aren’t going anywhere.
Sweet Corn Festival
- Friday, August 8 & Saturday, August 9
- Downtown Adel
- Admission: Free
Sure, there’s a parade, a car show, a pageant, and a 5K. But let’s be real: This is Iowa, and we do not mess around with sweet corn. In addition to shucking more corn than you’ll ever be able to eat, you can also enjoy several local food vendors offering everything from licorice to, well, corn!
Ingersoll Live
- Saturday, August 23
- 2800 Block of Ingersoll Avenue, Des Moines
- Admission: Free
Ingersoll is becoming the foodie hub of Des Moines, and this free event features some of the area’s best. Enjoy some Ingersoll classics like Lucky Lotus, Lachele’s, Panka & more. Or if you need a lil’ caffeine boost to get you in the spirit, grab a cup o’ joe from Chain & Spoke or Zanzibar’s.
World Food and Music Festival
- Friday, August 22 – Sunday, August 24
- Western Gateway Park, Des Moines
- Admission: Free
The Festival is one of the largest festivals in DSM, drawing an attendance of approximately 90,000. The Festival features over 50 food vendors that represent over 25 countries and culinary regions, all of which are considered small businesses. It was also voted #6 for “Best City Food Festival Across the Nation”, according to USA Today!
Iowa Wine and Cider Festival
- Saturday, August 23
- Jasper Winery, Des Moines
- Admission: TBA
In the past, this festival included about twenty cideries and wineries for you to sample and sip. You can also try Jasper Winery’s ciders that they introduced within the past year. Stay tuned- more details to come!
Taste of the Junction’s Annual Multicultural Festival
- Saturday, August 30
- West Des Moines, 401 Railroad Pl, West Des Moines, IA 50265
- Admission: Free
This small festival is one of the few multicultural events that emphasizes businesses owned by people of color. It’s super casual and supports Taste of the Junction’s efforts to build up Valley Junction’s community. Enjoy live music, an outdoor food court (obvi), drinks, a kid’s zone, and more! Lawn chairs are recommended.
September
Applefest
- Saturday, September 27
- Living History Farms, Urbandale
- Admission: $20
At Living History Farms, Applefest celebrates the harvest by showing historical methods for cooking apples, and educating and feeding attendees with apple delights (pie, cake, butter, you name it!). Plus, you can enjoy a good ol’ game of historic baseball along with historic medicine shows.
Beaverdale Fall Festival
- Friday, September 19 & Saturday, September 20
- Downtown Beaverdale, Des Moines
- Admission: Free
What’s not to love about Beaverdale? Their Fall Festival is much like other neighborhood and city celebrations. However, so many of Des Moines’ local food vendors live in Beaverdale that this festival is a little different. Much like Beaverdale itself. It’s a great way to prepare for autumn and see summer out.
Latino Heritage Festival
- Saturday, September 27 & Sunday, September 28
- Western Gateway Park, Des Moines
- Admission: $5
One of the biggest festivals, the Latino Heritage Festival’s organizers point out that it is “the only two-day Latino Heritage festival in the state.” With as much as they pack into this event, I don’t know how it’s not a week long. There’s a ton of music, a lot of dancing, and at least 25 food vendors. Obviously, there’s special attention to Latinx cuisine, and the variety there is remarkable.
Oktoberfest
- Friday, September 26 & Saturday, September 27
- Lauridsen Amphitheater, Water Works, Des Moines
- Admission: TBD
There’s a biergarten. There are sausages. There’s polka dancing. And there’s schnitzel. If you wanted something else from an Oktoberfest celebration, I’m not sure what to tell you. Oh yeah. Beer. Oktoberfest has over a dozen beers on tap and canned.
December
Christkindlmarket
- Thursday, December 4 – Sunday, December 7 & Thursday, December 11 – Sunday, December 14
- Principal Park, Des Moines
- Admission: Free
As Des Moines heads into winter, we see fewer festivals. So, Christkindlmarket is a unique, fun, and growing event to enjoy the winter holidays. Vendors often sell European fare including stollen, mulled ciders, perogies, and pfeffernuss. You can also warm up with hot chocolate, which is one of my favorite ways to enjoy winter.
March
Wine, Food, and Beer Showcase
- Friday, March 6, 2026
- Des Moines Marriott Downtown, Des Moines
- Admission: TBA
With about three dozen food and beverage vendors, the Des Moines Metro Opera’s annual fundraiser is a fantastic way to sample while supporting the arts. This year’s food included Whatcha Smokin’ BBQ and Brew, Foundry Distilling, Co., and Food of Sivid. Options have proven plentiful!
Soul Food Festival
- First Saturday of every March
- Forest Avenue Library, Des Moines
- Meals: $7
Forest Avenue Library’s festival includes an opportunity to sit down, enjoy homemade soul food, and buy extra helpings. It’s a small but delicious way to support public libraries while getting your hands (and mouth) on cornbread.
Want to enjoy food al fresco all the time?
Check out our patio guide for our favorite patio picks in Des Moines with a small business focus.
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