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!

Last updated: May 2024, details subject to change

Written + Curated by: Seeta Lee, Des Moines Girl Contributor

Our Guide to Food Festivals around Des Moines

June

Iowa Craft Brew Festival

  • Saturday, June 1
  • Lauridsen Amphitheater, Water Works Park, Des Moines
  • Admission: $50+

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 Top Bun, What the Fries?, and Nina’s Tacos.

Greek Food Fair

  • May 31-June 2
  • 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. They’ve also added a few Serbian items. 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 22
  • Principal Park, Des Moines
  • Admission: $15+

The Iowa Pork Association’s second BBQ and Brew at the Ballpark serves up samples of both beer and pork. 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 22
  • Cowles Commons, Des Moines
  • Admission: $40+

A relative newcomer to the food festival scene, 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.

Des Moines Arts Festival

  • June 28-30
  • Western Gateway Park, Des Moines
  • Admission: Free

Ranking number 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

  • July 12-14
  • The District at Prairie Trail, Ankeny
  • Admission: Free to $30

What started as 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.

August

Iowa State Fair

  • August 8-18
  • Iowa State Fairgrounds, Des Moines
  • Admission: $11+

The Iowa State Fair needs no introduction. If you want a celebration of food, this is it. Last year’s new foods included a deep friend pretzel, ceviche, and salted coffee. Recent years have shown an uptick in international cuisine as well as elevated dining options. Never fear though; corn dogs aren’t going anywhere.

Sweet Corn Festival

  • Saturday, August 10
  • 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 24
  • 2300 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. Last year, Lachele’s Battle Bus and Crème, took part. Plus, the Isiserettes were there, and you never want to miss them.

World Food and Music Festival

  • Friday, Aug. 23 – Sunday, Aug. 25
  • 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. 

Iowa Wine and Cider Festival

  • Saturday, August 24
  • Jasper Winery, Des Moines
  • Admission: $40+

Ciders are in! This festival includes about twenty cideries and wineries for you to sample and sip. You can also try Jasper Winery’s ciders that they introduced in 2023. The information mentions apple cider donuts as well, and that treat is enough to draw me in.

Taste of the Junction’s Annual Multicultural Festival

  • August 29-31
  • Val Air Ballroom, West Des Moines
  • Admission: Free

This small festival is one of the few multicultural events that emphasizes businesses owned by people of color. Past food offerings included Veggie Thumper, Chayo’s Taqueria, and LeeTy Delights. It’s super casual and supports Taste of the Junction’s efforts to build up Valley Junction’s community.

September

Tai Village Festival

  • First weekend in SeptemberTai Village, Des Moines
  • Admission: Free, $5-10 cash-only parking

Way more lowkey than most festivals, Tai Village Festival is my honorable mention. This isn’t a festival spanning several streets. It’s a gorgeous celebration of culture tucked away in Des Moines’ Tai Village grounds. The food here is more like going to a family party!

Applefest

  • Saturday, September 14
  • Living History Farms, Urbandale
  • Admission: TBD

Somehow, this event has flown under my radar for the ten plus years that it has existed. And I love all things apple. At Living History Farms, Applefest celebrates the harvest by showing historical methods for cooking apples. Plus, you can buy all manner of apple goods. I was sold at the word “apple.”

Beaverdale Fall Festival

  • September 20-21
  • 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

  • September 21-22
  • 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

  • September 27-28
  • 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.

October & November

Know of any festivals we missed? Let us know!

December

Christkindlmarket

  • December 5-8
  • 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.

January

Indulge DSM

  • January 24-25, 2025
  • West End Architectural Salvage, Des Moines
  • Admission: $70+

Described as “a wine, cheese, and chocolate affair,” Indulge lets you do exactly what the name says. It’s held at West End Architectural Salvage, which means you’ll be surrounded by antiques and restored furniture that you can’t find anywhere else. But did I need to say anything beyond chocolate?

February

Pho King Cook-Off

  • Mid-February 2025
  • The River Center, Des Moines
  • Admission: $35+

Winner for the best-named food event, Pho King Cook Off is a competition for local vendors to put their pho up against other pho. Attendees get the best part: Tastings! By the end of the evening, someone is crowned the Pho King. Bonus: There are eggroll stations.

March

Wine, Food, and Beer Showcase

  • March 7, 2025
  • Des Moines Marriott Downtown, Des Moines
  • Admission: $50+

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.

April

Have a food festival in April? Drop us a line!

May

Tulip Time

  • The first Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in May
  • 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 the cost.

Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival

  • 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 corndogs, BLT manicotti, and bacon English toffee. Even the entertainment is pork-focused with lectures on the history of bacon and bands like The Pork Tornadoes. If this event partnered with the Sweet Corn Festival, it’d be the great Iowa food festival ever.

CelebrASIAN

  • Last Friday and Saturday in May
  • 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!

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.

Favorite Patios in Des Moines⛱️