Check out this list of all the events happening in the Des Moines area this weekend, July 8-10. We’ve curated the ones that we found most interesting and listed them here for you. Looking for live music this weekend? We’ve got a separate guide for that. Click here to check it out.
Disclaimer: Events are subject to change or sell out. Please contact the businesses directly to confirm availability via the links below.
Friday, July 8
FREE MUSIC + MORE: 80/35 is finally here!
- Friday, July 8 – Saturday, July 9
Des Moines’ music event of the year is finally back! Don’t miss two days packed full of great music from favorites like, Father John Misty and Charli XCX. Tickets start at $95. There’s plenty of free events happening on festival grounds as well! Check out our full guide to free activities and paid performances at the link!
BOOK AHEAD: Sunset Stand Up Paddleboarding at Easter Lake
- Classes available all weekend!
- 2830 Easter Lake Dr, Des Moines, IA 50320
Want to try something new? How about paddle boarding on Easter Lake? You have your choice of an intro to paddle boarding class or a stand up paddle boarding yoga class! We love to go at sunset when the weather is nice. Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Yoga uses specialized yoga paddleboards for a new challenge to your practice and connects you with nature, all leading to a sweet floating savasana. Not ready to try SUP Yoga? More interested in just paddling around? Choose their intro long class for the paddling basics and a leisurely paddle around the lake. It’s a great way to use $20!
OPENING: THE COLLECTIVE opening at new North Side Location
- Friday, July 8, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Saturday July 9, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Sunday, July 10, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
- THE COLLECTIVE, 3523 6th Ave Suite 101, Des Moines, IA
Help us in celebrating THE COLLECTIVE opening their new home on the north side! Check it out for all your sustainable, vegan, or bulk goods. The new shop is located on the SE corner of 6th + Euclid in the Highland Park Neighborhood. There is a small parking lot on the South end of the building, as well as all along Euclid in front of the building. THE COLLECTIVE is also on the bus route!
Saturday, July 9
Downtown Farmers’ Market
Source: Greater Des Moines Partnership
- Saturday, July 9, 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Des Moines’ Historic Court District
The Des Moines Girl team is headed down to the farmers’ market this weekend together to see what we all prefer to buy with just $30. Join us and show us what your favorites are. The weather is supposed to be perfect! New here? The Downtown Farmers’ Market an open-air street market located in the Historic Court District in Downtown Des Moines (DSM). Vendors will be set up outdoors on Court Avenue and adjacent side streets. It’s one of the best in the country!
Super Secret Brunch Club at Secret Admirer
- Saturday, July 9, 10 a.m.
- Secret Admirer, 110 SW 5th St, Des Moines, IA 50309
Only 5 left this summer! Saturday mornings at Secret Admirer are the best before or after browsing through the farmers’ market. Grab a coffee, grab a mimosa, or grab both, and then relax on Secret Admirers’ perfect patio. @wafflesandwhip is returning this Saturday for an encore. As always, @northernvessel is on the the coffee.
Global Greens Farmers’ Market
- Saturday, July 9, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- 3200 University Ave, Des Moines, IA (near Drake University)
Another extremely important market to hit up – especially if you’re near the Drake neighborhood! Shop for delicious locally-grown produce for you and your family while supporting new Iowans who have a passion for farming! Global Greens Farmers’ Market serves as a platform for former refugees to sell their produce and bolster their small farming businesses. Hosted by Lutheran Services of Iowa.
Yoga in the Park
- Southeast Lawn, Gray’s Lake Park
- Saturday, July 9, 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
The 2022 Yoga in the Park season is on! Join a local yoga instructor at 9 a.m. on the southeast lawn at Gray’s Lake Park for a practice for all skill levels. Classes will not be held in the event of rain.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical at the DM Community Playhouse
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Performances all weekend!
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Des Moines Community Playhouse, 831 42nd Street, Des Moines IA 50312
Gateway Dance Theatre’s Shakuntala: An Epic Indian Love Story
- Saturday, July 9, 7:30 p.m.
- Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4114 Allison Avenue, Des Moines, IA, 50310
Gateway Dance Theatre has spent 50 years engaging, communicating, educating, and collaborating with diverse communities to enrich lives in Des Moines. This weekend’s performance is an epic love story. It tells the story of a young woman, Shakuntala, who is raised in a secluded abbey and falls in love with a monarch, King Dushyanta, whom she meets in the forest. This classic Indian play was written in the 5th Century CE by Kalidasa, who is regarded as the greatest Sanskrit poet and dramatist. Shakuntala is considered his masterpiece. In 1789, it became the first Indian play to be translated into a Western language. Admission is FREE and open to the public. Free-will donations are welcome.
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Saturday, July 9, 8:30 p.m.
- Teehee’s Comedy Club, 1433 Walnut Street, Des Moines, IA, 50309
“The Pro-Choice Community Show is brought to you by Binx Entertainment and TeeHee’s Comedy Club! A variety of performers will be performing pro bono with 50% of ticket sales being donated to the Iowa Abortion Access Fund! For $20 you’ll receive a wristband at the door and may come and go as you please. Each performer will get up to 5 minutes on stage. At the end of the evening, we’ll open the stage up for anyone in the audience that would like to tell their story or receive a hug or rant about it all.”
Sunday, July 10
- Sunday, July 10, 9-10 a.m.
- Cowles Commons, 300 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309
We love the summer yoga options around Downtown Des Moines! Des Moines Performing Arts is offering Yoga on the Commons every Sunday morning at Cowles Commons. Each week’s practice will be held by a different instructor. Classes will be offered as a free-will donation, with all proceeds benefiting Des Moines Performing Arts.
- Sunday, July 10, 12-4 p.m.
- Revel Hotel, 11211 Hickman Rd, Urbandale, IA 50322
Come hang with us on the patio of the Revel Hotel with your puppies for live music, DSMG merch, signature cocktails, and just generally some good hangs. There will even be bites for pets and pet parents! We’re excited to meet you and have a perfect patio afternoon.
Brunch at Willow and Grand with Waffles and Whip
- Sunday, July 10, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Willow on Grand, 6011 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312
Head to Willow On Grand for its “sunday’s best” brunch series. Each event boasts unique festivities, signature cocktails, and delectable eats from local vendors. This month’s is Waffles and Whip! Tickets include cost of entry, food, and a complimentary mimosa upon arrival, with the option to “add on” the bottomless mimosa and bloody mary package for an additional charge.
Iowans for Reproductive Freedom Rally
- Sunday, July 10, 12 -2 p.m.
- Iowa State Capitol, 1007 E Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50319
Planned Parenthood and other organizations across the country, including the team in Iowa, are mobilizing and organizing in the aftermath of this decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. We will join together with allies in a show of solidarity and force against attacks on abortion access. Join for this peaceful, but important, rally.
Botanical Watercolor Workshop at Mainframe Studios
- Sunday, July 10, 2-4 p.m.
- Mainframe Studios, 900 Keosauqua Way, Des Moines, IA 50309
Create your own custom floral stationary with local illustrator Claire Sedovic. Open to all experience levels! This two-hour workshop introduces a mix of watercolor painting techniques and culminates in the creation of a custom botanical stationary set. Attendees will work from life to learn how to illustrate a variety of flora then use their skills to create a set of six hand-painted greeting cards. Every attendee will receive a matching set of envelopes and clear box to package the stationary at the end of the workshop.
