Kame Ogido inspects seaweed near her home in Japan in this portrait David McLain shot for National Geographic. The photographer will discuss his globe-trotting career on May 1 at the Des Moines Civic Center. Photo: David McLain
“Corn-Fed Jazz: The Next Generation”
May 1, Drake’s Turner Jazz Center. The Turner Center Jazz Orchestra plays tunes by homegrown jazz composers and arrangers who follow in the footsteps of Bix Beiderbecke, Glenn Miller, Herbie Hancock and other Hawkeye State legends. turnercenterjazzorchestra.org
Photographer David McLain
May 1, Des Moines Civic Center. The filmmaker and longtime National Geographic photographer shares images and lessons from his worldwide travels in a show-and-tell talk called “The Blue Zones: Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity.” dmpa.org
Valley Junction Farmers Market
May 1-Sept. 25, Fifth Street in West Des Moines. Head out any Thursday for fresh produce, prepared food and live music around the corner at Railroad Park. valleyjunction.com
Downtown Farmers Market
May 3-Oct. 25, Court Avenue. The market opens with clang-clang-clang of the ceremonial cowbell and continues every Saturday morning through the growing season. dsmpartnership.com
Cinco de Mayo
May 3, Fifth Street in West Des Moines. The annual fiesta celebrates the Valley Junction’s past and present connections to Latino culture with live entertainment and plenty of delicious food. valleyjunction.com
Des Moines Choral Society
May 3, St. Ambrose Cathedral. The choir celebrates its 45th season with a program that features the prolific composer and conductor Rene Clausen. dmchoral.org
Ring in Peace
May 4, Iowa Judicial Branch Building. Take a turn ringing the massive Japanese Bell of Peace and Friendship during a second annual ceremony for world peace. ringinpeace.com
Des Moines Vocal Arts Ensemble
May 4, Plymouth Church. The choir closes its season with “A Celebration of Psalms,” including Bernstein’s landmark “Chichester Psalms” from 1965. dmvae.org
“& Juliet”
May 6-11, Des Moines Civic Center. The musical reimagines a happier ending for Shakespeare’s tragic heroine, with a book by David West Read (a writer for “Schitt’s Creek”) and a pop score with hits like “Since U Been Gone” and “Hit Me Baby One More Time.” dmpa.org
Flamy Grant
May 8, Temple Theater. The award-winning North Carolina drag queen who broke through with her 2022 album “Bible Belt Baby” sings, dances and shares a few surprises in Capital City Pride’s speaker series. capitalcitypride.org
Abbie Sawyer
May 9, Temple Theater. The local singer-songwriter who often performs with the Diplomats of Solid Sound, Night Lights and NOLA Jazz Band takes a solo turn in the inaugural Made in the Midwest series from Des Moines Performing Arts. dmpa.org
Market to Market Relay
May 10, Jefferson to Des Moines. Teams of runners cover the 75 miles, step by step, from Jefferson’s Mahanay Bell Tower to downtown Des Moines. markettomarketrelay.com
Des Moines Community Orchestra
May 11, Drake’s Sheslow Auditorium. Conductor Carl Johnson wraps up his 24th and final season on the podium, conducting a few of his all-time favorite finales. desmoinescommunityorchestra.org
Greenbelt Music Festival
May 16-17, Horizon Events Center in Clive. The annual indoor-outdoor shindig features live music with games, food, drinks and fun right off the Clive Greenbelt Trail. greenbeltmusic.com
Des Moines Symphony
May 17-18, Des Moines Civic Center. The orchestra wraps up its regular season with Respighi, Mendelssohn and Saint-Saens’ Second Piano Concert, featuring guest soloist George Li. dmsymphony.org
Valley Junction Arts Festival
May 19, Fifth Street in West Des Moines. The juried arts festival hosts more than 50 artists from Iowa and farther afield. valleyjunction.com
CelebrAsian
May 23-24. The city’s best-named festival (from the folks behind the annual Pho King Cook-Off) livens up Western Gateway Park with music, dancing, cultural exhibits and food. So. Much. Tasty. Food. iowaasianalliance.com
Decoration Day and Baseball
May 24, Living History Farms in Urbandale. Learn about the post-Civil War origins of Memorial Day during a ceremony and procession, followed by a game of 1870s baseball. lhf.org
Dam to DSM Half Marathon
May 31, Saylorville to downtown. The 46-year-old race formerly known as Dam to Dam starts on the Saylorville Dam and finishes with a well-earned party at Cowles Commons. damtodsm.com
“Hamilton”
June 3-15, Des Moines Civic Center. A little song-and-dance show about the American Revolution — maybe you’ve heard of it? — takes another shot in Central Iowa, just about 250 years after the real story that inspired it. dmpa.org
PrideFest
June 6-8, East Village. Capital City Pride’s flagship weekend unfurls a whole rainbow of music, dancing, drag royalty, a 5K run/walk/sashay and not one but two parades — one for people, another for fabulously dressed pets. capitalcitypride.org
“Torch Song”
June 6-15, Des Moines Civic Center’s Stoner Theater. For Pride month, Iowa Stage Theatre revives Harvey Fierstein’s award-winning show about a New York drag queen who wants nothing more than a husband, a child and a pair of decent bunny slippers. iowastage.org
Circuit Court Day
June 7, Living History Farms in Urbandale. Reenactors as lawyers, witnesses and a judge present real Iowa court cases from the 1870s. Visitors sit on the jury and get to see whether their verdicts match the real ones. lhf.org
Iowa Craft Brew Festival
June 7, Water Works Park. A full day of beer, cider, food trucks and music. You get the idea. iowacraftbrewfestival.com
Emancipation Day
June 14, Living History Farms in Urbandale. Even though Iowa entered the Union as a free state in 1846, the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 still reverberated here, where many Black Iowans had formerly been enslaved. Learn more during a day to commemorate Juneteenth. lhf.org
Firelei Baez
June 14-Sept. 21, Des Moines Art Center. The Dominican artist whose installation made from emergency tarps was part of last year’s “Hurricane Season” exhibition gets the whole Meredith Gallery to herself this time, showcasing work that explores anthropology, geography, folklore and other Afro-Caribbean cross-currents. desmoinesartcenter.org
AACTFest
June 25-28, Hoyt Sherman Place. The biennial festival of the American Association of Community Theatre includes dozens of public performances from companies across the country. The festival’s official host is the Des Moines Playhouse, one of the oldest and largest community theaters in the country. aact.org
Des Moines Arts Festival
June 27-29, Western Gateway Park. Hundreds of artists from across the country exhibit their creative work, surrounded by live music, hands-on activities and more. desmoinesartsfestival.org
Des Moines Metro Opera
June 27-July 20, Blank Performing Arts Center in Indianola. The company’s festival season features three fabulous fables: Janacek’s “Cunning Little Vixen,” Wagner’s “Flying Dutchman” and Stravinsky’s “Rake’s Progress.” dmmo.org
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