Handmade lanterns like these will light up the Des Moines Water Lantern Festival on July 19 at Riverview Park.
So here’s a bright idea: mark your calendar for the best festivals, concerts and other events in July and August. These aren’t all of them — just the highlights.
“Light Within Ourselves: Haitian Art in Iowa”
Through Sept. 7, Des Moines Art Center. The exhibition showcases highlights from the Waterloo Center for the Arts, which houses the largest collection of Haitian art in the United States.
Firelei Baez
Through 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 crosscurrents.
Architecture on the Move
May 9, June 13, July 11, Aug. 8, Sept. 12 and Oct. 3, downtown. The Iowa Architectural Foundation leads expert-guided walking tours on the second Friday of each month. The tours start at Capital Square and follow four different routes.
Yankee Doodle Pops
July 3, Iowa State Capitol. The Des Moines Symphony kicks off its 31st annual Independence Day celebration on the west terrace, before fireworks erupt over downtown.
Independence Day
July 4, Living History Farms. Gather ’round and listen to the Declaration of Independence, compete in a pie-eating contest and root, root, root for the Walnut Hill Bluestockings in an 1870s-style baseball game.
Goodguys car show
July 4-6, Iowa State Fairgrounds. The 34th annual Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals features more than 5,000 cars that are at least 25 years old — hot rods, trucks, customs, muscle cars and classics from across the Midwest.
Jazz in July
July 8, 15, 22 and 29, Hoyt Sherman Place. Bring your blankets or lawn chairs to enjoy free outdoor concerts with musicians from around town and the Midwest. The final program will start outdoors before moving inside to the historic auditorium.
Celebration in Brass
July 9, Ankeny Northview Middle School. The annual drum and bugle corps showdown features nine teams from Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. They’ll compete for glory as the sun sets over the stadium.
“Waitress”
July 11-27, Des Moines Playhouse. A waitress at a diner feels stuck in place until she spots a way out through a pie-baking contest.
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox
July 16, Hoyt Sherman Place. This concert reimagines catchy modern pop hits in older genres, including ragtime, swing and soul. And the beat goes on.
Shakespeare on the Lawn
July 16-20, Salisbury House and Gardens. This year’s show, “A Comedy of Errors,” is the Bard’s shortest and possibly funniest play, with a pair of long-lost identical twins whose reunion causes all sorts of silly chaos.
Art of Wine
July 17, Des Moines Art Center. Sip a flight and see the sights at Winefest’s soiree at the museum.
Beaverdale Bluegrass Festival
July 19, Tower Park. The free festival showcases local bluegrass bands under the Allen Hazen Water Tower. You can buy food and drinks on-site, but it’s BYOLC: Bring your own lawn chair.
Des Moines Water Lantern Festival
July 19, Riverview Park. Festivalgoers can design lanterns and set them afloat on the lake as the evening fades into night.
Stars of Tomorrow
July 19, Drake University’s Sheslow Auditorium. See (and hear!) opera’s next generation when the 40 apprentice artists of the Des Moines Metro Opera step into the spotlight. The concert is free, but registration is required.
National Senior Games
July 24-Aug. 4, multiple venues. The biennial games take over the city with more than 10,000 athletes (ages 50 and up) in 20 sports, plus their raucous fans (of all ages).
National Balloon Classic
July 25-Aug. 2, Indianola. The festival in and above Indianola draws balloon pilots and enthusiasts from around the world for morning competitions, late afternoon exhibitions and evenings full of live music, fireworks and illuminated balloons.
“Hello, Dolly!”
July 25-Aug. 3, Urbandale High School. Well, hello, Dolly! It’s so nice to have you back where you belong: onstage in this summer’s production from Urbandale Community Theatre.
“Iowa Artists 2025: Ben Millett”
July 26-Nov. 2, Des Moines Art Center. The local artist’s quilts riff on old traditions with an eye toward bright colors, bold designs and LGBTQ themes. Curious? Skip ahead to the Inclusion section to learn more.
Des Moines Tea Festival
July 27, Des Moines Heritage Center. With more than 10 vendors, the daylong festival is steeped in culture, history and how-to tips for casual sippers and connoisseurs alike.
“Parade”
July 29-Aug. 3, Des Moines Civic Center. The national tour of the 2023 Tony-winning revival retells the early 20th century tale of a Jewish man and his wife whose lives in Georgia are upended when their neighbors accuse him of an appalling crime.
Hinterland
Aug. 1-3, Saint Charles. This summer’s lineup in the southern Iowa hills includes Kacey Musgraves, Lana Del Rey and Tyler the Creator.
Sweet Corn Festival
Aug. 9, Adel. Hungry? Mark your calendar for the 46th annual husky, silky, juicy, salty, buttery extravaganza around the Dallas County Courthouse.
dsm Restaurant Week
Aug. 15-24, across the metro. Celebrate Central Iowa’s favorite dining destinations with 10 days of chef-curated menus and deals for lunch and dinner.
Three Dog Night
Aug. 7, Hoyt Sherman Place. “Mama Told Me (Not to Come),” but I ignored her and listened to the band that racked up 21 consecutive Top 40 hits, including “Joy to the World,” “Black and White” and “Shambala,” during their heyday in the late 1960s and ’70s.
Iowa State Fair
Aug. 7-17. This year’s Grandstand lineup includes everybody from Hank Williams Jr. to Def Leppard, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pitbull, T-Pain and Kidz Bop.
Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge
Aug. 20, Des Moines Civic Center. The legendary lesbian trailblazers team up for a concert tour simply titled “Yes We Are.”
World Food & Music Festival
Aug. 22-24, Western Gateway Park. The multisensory feast that regularly ranks among USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards returns for another weekend of food and fun.
Fall Renaissance Faire
Aug. 30-Sept. 14, Sleepy Hollow. The freewheeling festival returns for three weekends of music, feasting and general merriment — joust in time for fall.
Concours d’Elegance
Sept. 7, Western Gateway Park. Classic cars — sculptures on wheels — roll into town for the annual spectacle of style and engineering around the Pappajohn Sculpture Park.
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