Savannah Bananas, Sept. 9, Principal Park. Photo: Amelia Berg
Symphony Pops
Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. Broadway star Michael Cavanaugh sings from the Billy Joel songbook in a free concert with the Des Moines Symphony at the Lauridsen Amphitheater in Water Works Park. The following night, singers Jason Forbach and Scarlett Stratton jump in for a program called “Dance Away with Me.” dmsymphony.org
Fall Renaissance Faire
Aug. 31-Sept. 15. The freewheeling festival returns to Sleepy Hollow for three weekends of music, feasting and general merriment — joust in time for fall. sleepyhollowrenfaire.com
Savannah Bananas
Sept. 6. America’s favorite wackadoodle baseball team returns for some rule-bending fun at Principal Park. thesavannahbananas.com
Kurt Elling and Joey Calderazzo
Sept. 6. The Civic Music Association kicks off its 99th season with Elling, the Grammy-winning baritone spans four octaves, and pianist Calderazzo at Drake University’s Sheslow Auditorium. civicmusic.org
Movies in the Park
Sept. 6. Round up the kids for a free screening of “Trolls” at Colby Park in Windsor Heights. Head back Oct. 4 for “Hocus Pocus.” windsorheights.org
“It’s Only a Play”
Sept. 6-22. At a Broadway producer’s lavish opening-night party, a handful of dramatic guests nervously await the first round of reviews in this production from Tallgrass Theatre Co. in West Des Moines. tallgrasstheatre.org
Concours d’Elegance
Sept. 8. Classic cars — sculptures on wheels — roll into town for the annual spectacle of style and engineering around the Pappajohn Sculpture Park. desmoinesconcours.com
Together Through Sound
Sept. 8. All kinds of music, art and food converge in this diverse community celebration at Riverview Park. togetherthroughsound.com
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Sept. 13. After six decades, the Grammy-winning country and roots band behind “Mr. Bojangles,” “Fishin’ in the Dark” and “An American Dream” is on a farewell tour, with a stop at Hoyt Sherman Place. hoytsherman.org
“Jersey Boys”
Sept. 13-29. Frankie Valli may have the world’s most famous falsetto, but his scrappy rise to fame with the Four Seasons is a true story. See it play out at the Des Moines Playhouse. dmplayhouse.com
Applefest & Medicine Shows
Sept. 14. If an apple a day can’t keep the doctor away, try one of Dr. Savage’s old-timey elixirs at Living History Farms. You’ll find everything to stem your seedy, hardcore cravings. lhf.org
I-Cubs Season Closer
Sept. 15. Kids can run the bases after the season’s last home game at Principal Park, against the Louisville Cardinals. iowacubs.com
Beaverdale Fall Festival
Sept. 20-21. The neighborhood goes all out for its annual autumnal shindig with a carnival, parade, food stands and live music. fallfestival.org
Latino Heritage Festival
Sept. 21-22. Savor sights, sounds and flavors from Central and South America during the two-day fiesta in Western Gateway Park. latinoheritagefestival.org
Oktoberfest Sept.
27-28. Dust off your lederhosen: The celebration of all things German returns to Water Works Park. oktoberfestdsm.com
Symphony Opener
Sept. 28-29. The Des Moines Symphony starts its masterworks season with Bruckner’s hefty Symphony No. 7 and Beethoven’s Emperor Piano Concerto, with guest soloist Olga Kern. dmsymphony.org
“Witch”
Oct. 4-13. A smooth-talking devil shows up in a quiet village to bargain for souls in this morally murky fable from Iowa Stage Theatre at the Des Moines Civic Center’s Stoner Theater. iowastage.org
Celtic Thunder
Oct. 5. Hear that rumble? Off in the distance? That’s the Irish quartet whose energetic sound and high-tech stagecraft have taken North America (and public television) by storm. Catch them live at Hoyt Sherman Place. hoytsherman.org
Santino Fontana
Oct. 5. Did you know the guy who voiced nasty Prince Hans in “Frozen” won a Tony Award for playing the title role in “Tootsie”? He’s nothing if not versatile. See for yourself when he sings with the Des Moines Symphony. dmsymphony.org
Brandon Patrick George and Aaron Diehl
Oct. 8. The flutist and pianist team up for a mix of old and new tunes in a Civic Music Association concert at Sheslow Auditorium. civicmusic.org
“Caribbean Dreams”
Oct. 11-Jan. 19. The Jamaican-born, New York-based photographer Samantha Box creates elaborate images — landscapes, still lifes, self-portraits — that explore notions of home and identity in the Caribbean, where people and cultures have mixed like the trade winds for centuries. desmoinesartcenter.org
Indigenous Iowans Day
Oct. 12. Learn about Iowa’s Indigenous cultures on a trip to the 1700 Iowa village at Living History Farms, where guides lead presentations, demos and hands-on activities. lhf.org
“Back to the Future”
Oct. 15-20. In the 2020 musical, you can hop in the DeLorean and travel back to the 1985 movie and back even further to 1955, when teenage Marty McFly meets his parents in high school. The national tour visits the Des Moines Civic Center in the very near future. dmpa.org
“Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors”
Oct. 18-Nov. 3. How ’bout dinner and a show? Eat some garlic and head to the Des Moines Playhouse for a slapsticky riff on Bram Stoker’s famous 1897 novel. dmplayhouse.com
IMT Des Moines Marathon
Oct. 20. Runners take to the streets bright and early for the annual race that ends with a street party on Court Avenue. desmoinesmarathon.com
Symphony: Brahms
Oct. 26-27. Geneva Lewis plays Brahms’ Violin Concert in a Des Moines Symphony program that includes William Grant Still’s jazzy “Serenade” and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5. dmsymphony.org
Final Farmers Market
Oct. 26. All good things must come to an end. The Downtown Farmers Market sells the last pumpkins and pupusas of the season on and around Court Avenue. dsmpartnership.com
