“Hey, you guuuuys!” The Des Moines Symphony is playing “The Goonies: In Concert” on Oct. 11. Rated PG. ©2025 WBEI. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
We’ve rounded up a list of best bets for September and October, just so you can mark your calendar. But there’s no rush. Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.
Fall Renaissance Faire
Aug. 31-Sept. 14, Sleepy Hollow. The freewheeling festival returns for three weekends of music, feasting and general merriment, joust in time for fall. sleepyhollowrenfaire.com
Concours d’Elegance
Sept. 7, Pappajohn Sculpture Park. Classic cars roll into town for the annual spectacle of style and engineering. desmoinesconcours.com
“Blithe Spirit”
Sept. 12-28, Tallgrass Theatre Co. Noel Coward’s comedy about a writer who hosts an ill-fated seance comes back to life in a new local staging in West Des Moines. tallgrasstheatre.org
Cast Iron Cook-Off
Sept. 13, Living History Farms. Who will whip up the tastiest meal with surprise ingredients over an open fire or wood-burning stove? You’ll have to travel back to 1700, 1850, 1876 and 1900 to find out. lhf.org
I-Cubs Season Closer
Sept. 15, Principal Park. Kids can run the bases after the season’s last home game against those good-for-nothing Toledo Mud Hens. iowacubs.com
Jason Aldean
Sept. 19, Wells Fargo Arena (soon to be Casey’s Center). The country star brings his “Full Throttle” tour for one big night with special guests Nate Smith, RaeLynn and Dee Jay Silver. iowaeventscenter.com
Beaverdale Fall Festival
Sept. 19-20, Beaverdale. The neighborhood goes all out for its annual autumnal shindig with a carnival, parade, food stands and live music. fallfestival.org
“Bright Star”
Sept. 19-25, Des Moines Playhouse. The musical by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell tells the tale of a World War II soldier who returns home with big dreams of becoming a writer. dmplayhouse.com
Quilt Show
Sept. 25-27, Iowa State Fairgrounds. The Des Moines Area Quilters Guild’s annual show features vendors, demonstrations and more than 700 quilts that represent a gazillion hours of creative labor. dmaqg.org
Oktoberfest
Sept. 26-27, Water Works Park. Dust off your lederhosen: The celebration of all things German returns. oktoberfestdsm.com
Applefest & Medicine Shows
Sept. 27, Living History Farms. If an apple a day can’t keep the doctor away, try an old-fashioned elixir (of which the FDA does not approve). You’ll find everything to stem your seedy, hardcore cravings. lhf.org
Head of the Des Moines
Sept. 27, the riverfront north of downtown. The annual 3-mile regatta draws rowing teams from across the Midwest. desmoinesrowing.org
Eric Church
Sept. 27, Wells Fargo Arena (Casey’s Center). The country star’s “Free the Machine Tour” features the Marcus King Band. iowaeventscenter.com
Latino Heritage Festival
Sept. 27-28, Western Gateway Park. Savor sights, sounds and flavors from Central and South America during the two-day fiesta. latinoheritagefestival.org
Des Moines Symphony
Sept. 27-28, Des Moines Civic Center. The orchestra opens its 88th season (one for each key on a piano) with Tchaikovksy’s Fifth Symphony and Viet Cuong’s “Vital Sines,” featuring the Eighth Blackbird sextet. dmsymphony.org
Jonas Brothers
Oct. 5, Wells Fargo Arena (Casey’s Center). Twenty years after their first big break, Kevin, Joe and Nick are taking their “Living the Dream” tour to giddy fans across the country. iowaeventscenter.com
Il Divo
Oct. 5, Hoyt Sherman Place. The men’s vocal quartet has performed classical crossover tunes worldwide for the Summer Olympics, the FIFA World Cup and the late Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. hoytsherman.org
“The Great Gatsby Ballet”
Oct. 9, Stephens Auditorium in Ames. The World Ballet Company reimagines F. Scott Fitzgerald’s cautionary tale as a Broadway-style ballet with 40 dancers, a jazzy score, lavish sets and multimedia effects. center.iastate.edu
Valley Junction Gallery Night
Oct. 10, Fifth Street in West Des Moines. A collection of regional, national and international artwork from various galleries is on display across Historic Valley Junction for a night. valleyjunction.com
Indigenous Iowans Day
Oct. 11, Living History Farms. Learn about Iowa’s Indigenous cultures on a trip to the 1700 Ioway village, where guides lead presentations, demos and hands-on activities. lhf.org
“The Goonies” in Concert
Oct. 11, Des Moines Civic Center. The Des Moines Symphony accompanies a screening of the classic adventure movie 40 years after its debut. dmsymphony.org
iLuminate
Oct. 17, Stephens Auditorium in Ames. The dance company’s national tour returns for another glow-in-the-dark spectacle set to pop and rock hits from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. center.iastate.edu
“Buried Child”
Oct. 17-26, Des Moines Civic Center’s Stoner Theater. Iowa Stage Theatre Co. presents Sam Shepard’s play about a Midwestern farm family’s reckoning with its dark past. iowastage.org
Ghoulish Gala
Oct. 18, Salisbury House & Gardens. Head to the mansion for a night of spooky fun, food, music and a scavenger hunt. Costumes are encouraged. salisburyhouse.org
Des Moines Symphony
Oct. 18-19, Des Moines Civic Center. The orchestra plays Dvorak’s Sixth Symphony, Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto with guest soloist Lukas Vondracek, and a short rhythmic piece called “Chokfi,” which composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate based on a trickster rabbit from Chickasaw folklore. dmsymphony.org
“The Addams Family”
Oct. 19, Stephens Auditorium in Ames. In the national touring musical, little Wednesday Addams is all grown up and brings her fiance home to meet the family. Spoiler alert: He’s a perfectly nice young man. center.iastate.edu
IMT Des Moines Marathon
Oct. 19, downtown Des Moines. Runners take to the streets bright and early for the annual race that ends with a street party on Court Avenue. desmoinesmarathon.com
“A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical”
Oct. 21-26, Des Moines Civic Center. The national tour of the new jukebox musical comes to town with all the hits you know and love, including “America,” “Forever in Blue Jeans” and “Sweet Caroline.” (All together now: Bom, Bom, Bom!) dmpa.org
David Sedaris
Oct. 21, Hoyt Sherman Place. The humorist, writer and tireless touring performer returns to town to read a few of his latest essays. hoytsherman.org
Final Farmers Market
Oct. 26, Court Avenue. All good things must come to an end. The Downtown Farmers Market sells the last pumpkins and pupusas of the season. dsmpartnership.com
Yo-Yo Ma
Nov. 1, Des Moines Civic Center. The world-famous cellist kicks off the Civic Music Association’s centennial season, which you can read all about in the March/April issue of dsm. civicmusic.org
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