EXPLORE: Events
By Sofia Legaspi Dickens
Festivals, concerts, fairs, fun runs, art exhibits and so much more
May
Through May 21: “A Bright New Boise” by Iowa Stage Theatre Company at the Des Moines Civic Center; iowastage.org
Through May 21: “TINA: The Tina Turner Musical” at the Des Moines Civic Center; dmpa.org
Through May 29: Wild Lights Festival at the Blank Park Zoo. 7:30-10 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday weekly, plus Memorial Day. blankparkzoo.com/wildlights
Thursdays through Aug. 3: Summer Concert Series from 6-9 p.m. at Jasper Winery, 2400 George Flagg Parkway, Des Moines; jasperwinery.com; polkcountyheritagegallery.org
Through June 16: “Freedom of Expression” exhibition curated by Jill Wells at the Polk County Heritage Gallery, 111 Court Ave., Des Moines; polkcountyheritagegallery.org
Through Aug. 27: “Rembrandt and His World” exhibition at the Des Moines Art Center, 4700 Grand Ave, Des Moines; desmoinesartcenter.org
May 17, June 14, July 19, Aug. 16, Sept. 20: Petal and Plate, an evening culinary series at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, 909 Robert D. Ray Drive, Des Moines; dmbotanicalgarden.com
May 19: Sip and Stroll through the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, 909 Robert D. Ray Drive, Des Moines; dmbotanicalgarden.com
May 19-20: Greenbelt Music Festival off the Greenbelt Bike Trail in Clive; greenbeltmusic.com
May 20: Pedal for Paws, an 18-mile bike ride with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, 5452 N.E. 22nd St., Des Moines; arl-iowa.org/events
May 20: PIGTAILS at Prairie Trail, a 48-mile women-specific bike ride starting and ending in Ankeny; pigtailsride.com
May 20, June 10, July 8, July 22, Aug. 19, Sept. 16: Cars and Coffee from 8-11 a.m. at the REI parking lot, West Des Moines; carsandcoffeedsm.com
May 20-21: Spring Fling Renaissance Faire at Sleepy Hollow, 4051 Dean Ave., Des Moines; sleepyhollowrenfaire.com
May. 21: Jazz and big band classics at Des Moines Community Orchestra’s spring concert, 2 p.m., Sheslow Auditorium, 2507 University Ave., Des Moines at Drake University; desmoinescommunityorchestra.org
May 26-27: CelebrAsian of all things food, drink, music, dance and culture at Western Gateway Park, Des Moines; iowaasianalliance.com/celebrasian
May 26-27: John Wayne Birthday Celebration in Winterset; johnwaynebirthplace.museum
May 27: Decoration Day at Living History Farms, 11121 Hickman Road, Urbandale, reenacting America’s early Memorial Day traditions; lhf.org
May 28: SpringFest with the Central Iowa Blues Society, at Lefty’s Live Music, 2307 University Ave., Des Moines; cibs.org
Last Sundays of the month, May - August: Music in the Park concert series at Haines Park, Third Avenue S.E., Altoona; facebook.com/musicintheparkhainespark
May 31 - June 3: Iowa Quilt Festival in Madison County; iowaquiltmuseum.org
June
JUNE 15-16: Summerfest in Bondurant; facebook.com/BonduMensClub
Fridays and Saturdays in June: Adventureland Summer Concert Series in Altoona; adventurelandresort.com
Fridays, June 2 - July 21: Chill on the Hill concert series at Copper Creek Lake Park, 4390 E. University Ave., Pleasant Hill; pleasanthillchamber.org
June 2-18: “Native Gardens” at the Des Moines Playhouse; dmplayhouse.com
June 2-4, 9-11: “Matilda the Musical JR.” with Class Act Productions in Altoona; captheatre.org
June 3: National Trails Day. Volunteer with Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation at Yellow Banks Park, 6801 S.E. 32nd Ave., Pleasant Hill; inhf.org/events
June 3: Celebrate Bondurant at Bondurant City Park; facebook.com/BondurantChamber
June 3: Iowa Trail Run Series through Ledges State Park, 1515 P Ave., Madrid; iowatrailruns.com
June 3: Iowa Craft Brew Festival at Water Works Park, 2201 George Flagg Parkway, Des Moines; iowacraftbrewfestival.com
June 3: Dam to DSM returns for its 44th year, taking half-marathon runners from the Saylorville Dam to downtown Des Moines; damtodsm.com
June 3: Family Fest from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Johnston Town Center; cityofjohnston.com
June 3-4: Iowa State Fair Flea Market at 4-H Exhibits Building; iowastatefairgrounds.org
June 3-4: Des Moines Con celebrating comics, film and all things nerdy at Hy-Vee Hall, Des Moines; desmoinescon.com
June 3 to Sept. 10: “Underneath Everything: Humility and Grandeur in Contemporary Ceramics” exhibition at the Des Moines Art Center, 4700 Grand Ave., Des Moines; desmoinesartcenter.org
Sundays, June to August: Levitt Amp Music Series from 6-9 p.m. in Earlham City Park. No concert July 4. facebook.com/LevittAMPEarlham
June 6-11: “Dear Evan Hansen” at the Des Moines Civic Center; dmpa.org
June 7-9: World Pork Expo at Iowa State Fairgrounds, 3000 E. Grand Ave.; worldpork.org
June 7-11: Iowa Senior Games for ages 50 and older. West Des Moines; iowaseniorgames.org
June 8-10: Governors Days festival at Grimes South Sports Complex; governorsdays.com
June 8-10: “Cages or Wings” PRIDE cabaret with Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus at Temple Theater, Des Moines; dmgmc.org
June 9: Summer Stir, a traveling cocktail party hosted by CITYVIEW downtown Des Moines, 5 to 9 p.m. summerstirs.dmcityview.com
June 9: Friday Night Live concert with Trainwreck in Indianola; indianolachamber.com/friday-night-live
June 9-11: Pride Fest in the historic East Village, Des Moines; capitalcitypride.org/pride-fest
June 9, July 14, Aug. 11, Sept. 8, Oct. 6: Architecture on the Move, architect-guided walking tours of downtown Des Moines. Check in 5-5:30 p.m. at the atrium of Capital Square; iowaarchfoundation.org
June 9-18: “The One-Act Play that Goes Wrong” with Ankeny Community Theatre; ankenycommunitytheatre.com
June 9-23: Juneteenth Week with several events across the metro; iowajuneteenth.org
June 10: Emancipation Day: A Juneteenth Event at Living History Farms, 11121 Hickman Road, Urbandale; lhf.org
June 10: Waukee Palooza from 5-10 p.m. at Kinship Brewing Company 255 N.W. Sunrise Drive, Waukee; waukeepalooza.com
June 11: IRONMAN triathlon through Des Moines; ironman.com/im-des-moines
June 11, 18, 25, July 2: Music Under the Stars, a free concert series starting 7 p.m., West Capitol Mall, 1007 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines; musicunderthestars.org
June 13, July 11, Aug. 8, Sept. 12: Tunes in the Trees summer concert series, 5-8 p.m. at Iowa Arboretum, Madrid; iowaarboretum.org/events
June 15-18: Green Days festival at Terra Park in Johnston; johnstongreendays.org
June 15, July 20, Aug. 24, Sept. 14: Nash Nights, a summer country concert series at The District at Prairie Trail, Ankeny; thedistrictpt.com
Thursdays, June 15 through Sept. 28: Music in the Garden, a summer music concert series at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, 909 Robert D. Ray Drive, Des Moines; dmbotanicalgarden.com
June 16: Impractical Jokers comedy show on The Drive Drive Drive Drive Drive Tour at 7:30 p.m.; iowaeventscenter.com
June 16-18: Bevington Bluegrass Festival at Briar Patch Amphitheater 2103 Warren Ave., Bevington; briarpatchamphitheater.com
June 16-22: Art Week Des Moines highlighting local artists in spaces across the metro. artweekdesmoines.com
June 17: Authors on the Riverwalk at Hampton Inn & Suites, Des Moines Downtown; authorsontheriverw.wixsite.com/aotrw
June 17: Bacoon Ride for lovers of biking and bacon along the Raccoon River Valley Trail, starting in Waukee; bacoonride.com
June 17: Cajun Fest at Cowles Commons, downtown Des Moines; cajunfestiowa.com
June 17: 2023 Leprechaun Open with the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Central Iowa at Toad Valley Golf Course, 237 N.E. 80th St., Pleasant Hill; friendlysonsiowa.com
June 17: SpiceFest hosted by the Iowa International Center at Exile Brewing, 1514 Walnut St.; iowainternationalcenter.org
June 18: The Doobie Brothers 50th Anniversary Tour at 7:30 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines; iowaeventscenter.com
June 19 - Aug. 11: Iowa Exhibited Jurored Show; reception June 22, 6-8 p.m. at the Polk County Heritage Gallery, 111 Court Ave., Des Moines; polkcountyheritagegallery.org
June 22: Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show with special guests Marty Stuart and Allen Stone at 7 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines; iowaeventscenter.com
June 22-24: I Stand for Jesus Crusade at Iowa State Fairgrounds, 3000 E. Grand Ave.; istandforjesuscrusade.com
June 23-25: Des Moines Arts Festival at Western Gateway Park, Des Moines; desmoinesartsfestival.org
June 23-25: “The Wolves” with the Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre at Tallgrass Theater, West Des Moines; dmyat.org
June 23-25: Des Moines Challenge disc golf tournament; desmoineschallenge.com
June 27 - July 2: “Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations” at the Des Moines Civic Center; dmpa.org
Tuesdays, June 27 to Aug. 1: Nights in the Heights concert series, 7 p.m. at Colby Park, Windsor Heights; windsorheights.org/523/Events
June 30 - July 2: Goodguys 32nd Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals (a.k.a. America’s Favorite Car Show) at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, 3000 E. Grand Ave.; good-guys.com/hln
June 30, July 2, 7, 11, 13, 15, 23: “Carmen” by Bizet with the Des Moines Metro Opera at Simpson College, Indianola; desmoinesmetroopera.org
July
July 21: Summer Stir, a traveling cocktail party hosted by CITYVIEW at the historic East Village from 5 to 9 p.m. summerstirs.dmcityview.com
July 1: Independence Day at Living History Farms, 11121 Hickman Road, Urbandale. Parade, family fun and games, and a game of historic baseball played by the Walnut Hill Bluestockings; lhf.org
July 1: Dude Perfect’s Panda-Monium Tour at 7 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines; iowaeventscenter.com
July 1-4: Celebrate America at Adventureland Resort; adventurelandresort.com
July 1, 9, 14, 22: “Bluebeard’s Castle” by Bartok with the Des Moines Metro Opera at Simpson College, Indianola; desmoinesmetroopera.org
July 3-4: Celebration of Independence at Centennial Park in Waukee; waukee.org/777/Celebration-of-Independence
July 2-4: Urbandale 4th of July celebration; urbandale4thofjuly.org
July 4: Afroman performs at Briar Patch Amphitheater, 2103 Warren Ave., Bevington; briarpatchamphitheater.com
July 6: Béla Fleck bluegrass concert at 7:30 p.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines; hoytsherman.org
July 7-8: 80/35 Music Festival at Western Gateway Park, Des Moines; 80-35.com
July 7-9: Ankeny SummerFest at The District at Prairie Trail; ankenysummerfest.com
July 8: Fortune Feimster comedy show at 7 and 9:30 p.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines; hoytsherman.org
July 8, 15, 21: “Driving While Black” by Kander/Gumbel with the Des Moines Metro Opera at a Des Moines venue, TBD; desmoinesmetroopera.org
July 8, 16, 18, 21: “The Love for Three Oranges” by Prokofiev with the Des Moines Metro Opera at Simpson College, Indianola; desmoinesmetroopera.org
July 12: Stars of Tomorrow concert with the Des Moines Metro Opera at Sheslow Auditorium, 2507 University Ave., Des Moines at Drake University, Des Moines; desmoinesmetroopera.org
July 12-16: Dallas County Fair in Adel; dallascountyfair.com
July 14-15: Four Seasons Festival in Polk City; fourseasonsfestival.com
July 14-15: Waukee Arts Festival at Centennial Park in Waukee; waukeeartsfestival.org
July 14-20: Marion County Fair in Knoxville; knoxvilleraceway.com/Pages/Marion-County-Fair
July 14-20: Jasper County Fair in Colfax; jaspercofair.com
July 14-30: “Little Shop of Horrors” at the Des Moines Playhouse; dmplayhouse.com
July 15: Bags Tournament with the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Central Iowa at Sully’s Irish Pub, 860 First St., West Des Moines; friendlysonsiowa.com
July 15: Bondu Blues & Brews Festival at the Bondurant Regional Trailhead; cityofbondurant.com
July 15: Walker Hayes concert at Iowa Events Center, Des Moines; iowaeventscenter.com
July 15: #IMOMSOHARD: Ladies Night with comedians Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley at 7:30 p.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines; hoytsherman.org
July 15: Water Lantern Festival at Riverview Park, 710 Corning Ave., Des Moines; waterlanternfestival.com
July 15: Polo on the Green hosted by Variety - the Children’s Charity of Iowa at Powder River Ranch, Cumming; poloonthegreen.com
July 15: Moonlight Classic, a nighttime bike ride through downtown Des Moines for children’s mental health; orchardplace.org/moonlight-classic
July 15-21: Polk County Fair at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, 3000 E. Grand Ave., in Des Moines; polkcountyfairiowa.com
July 19-23: Madison County Fair in Winterset; madisoncountyfair.net
July 19-23: Story County Fair in Nevada; sc-fair.com
July 20, 22: “The Falling and the Rising” by Redler/Dye with the Des Moines Metro Opera at Freedom Center, Camp Dodge; desmoinesmetroopera.org
July 20-23: Boone County Fair in Boone; boonecountyfairia.com
July 21-22: Clive Festival at Greenbelt Landing; cityofclive.com/parkandrecreation/programs_and_events/clive_festival.php
July 22: “An Evening with Kelli O’Hara” with the Des Moines Symphony at Des Moines Civic Center; dmsymphony.org
July 22-29: RAGBRAI, the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, coming through Des Moines July 25-26; ragbrai.com
July 22-30: “The Drowsy Chaperone” with Urbandale Community Theatre at Urbandale High School; urbandaletheatre.com
July 25-30: “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” with DMACC Ankeny Theatre; dmacc.edu/theatre/ankeny
July 26-31: Warren County Fair in Indianola; warrencofair.com
July 27-29: Guthrie’s River Ruckus, a country music festival at Guthrie County Fairgrounds; guthriesriverruckus.com
July 28-30, Aug. 4-6: Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” with Carousel Theatre of Indianola; carouseltheatre.org
July 28 - Aug. 5: National Balloon Classic at Memorial Balloon Field, Indianola; nationalballoonclassic.com
July 29: Diana Krall jazz concert at 8 p.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines; hoytsherman.org
August
Aug. 3-4: Over the Edge fundraiser. Participants get the chance to rappel the Wells Fargo Arena; iowaeventscenter.com
Aug. 4: Kansas performs their “Another Fork in the Road” tour at 7:30 p.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines; hoytsherman.org
Aug. 4-6: Hinterland Music Festival at Avenue of the Saints Amphitheater, 3357 St. Charles Road, Saint Charles; hinterlandiowa.com
Aug. 4-6: Pufferbilly Days celebrating the railroad history of Boone; boonecountychamber.com/pufferbilly-days
Aug. 4-13: “Twelfth Night” with Ankeny Community Theatre; ankenycommunitytheatre.com
Aug. 10-20: Iowa State Fair, the best state fair, iowastatefair.org
Aug. 12: Sweet Corn Festival in Adel; adelpartners.org/sweet-corn-festival
Aug. 14 - Sept. 29: Molly Wood Photographs exhibition; reception Aug. 19, 6-8 p.m. at the Polk County Heritage Gallery, 111 Court Ave., Des Moines; polkcountyheritagegallery.org
Aug. 15: The Wallflowers concert at 8 p.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines; hoytsherman.org
Aug. 18-27: “Shrek: The Musical” with Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre at Stoner Theater, Des Moines; dmyat.org
Aug. 25: An Evening with the Avett Brothers at 7 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines; iowaeventscenter.com
Aug. 25-26: Savannah Bananas at Principal Park, Des Moines; thesavannahbananas.com/ontheroad
Aug. 25-27: World Food & Music Festival at Western Gateway Park in Des Moines; dsmpartnership.com/worldfoodandmusicfestival
Aug. 26: 5K Beer Run with the Iowa Brewery Running Series at 515 Brewing Company 7700 University Ave., Suite C, Clive; breweryrunningseries.com/iowa
Aug. 26: Ingersoll Live block party from 3-10 p.m. in Des Moines; theavenuesdsm.com
September
Sept. 1-2: Taste of the Junction, a multicultural festival in Historic Valley Junction; tasteofthejunction.org
Sept. 2: Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper on their Freaks on Parade Tour, with special guests Ministry and Filter at 6 p.m., Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines; iowaeventscenter.com
Sept. 2-3: Kids Fest at Adventureland Resort, Altoona; adventurelandresort.com
Sept. 2-4, 9-10, 16-17: Fall Renaissance Faire at Sleepy Hollow, 4051 Dean Ave., Des Moines; sleepyhollowrenfaire.com
Sept. 8-24: “Once” at the Des Moines Playhouse; dmplayhouse.com
Sept. 10: Des Moines Concours d’Elegance car show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pappajohn Sculpture Park, 1330 Grand Ave., Des Moines; desmoinesconcours.com
Sept. 15: The Mavericks concert at 7:30 p.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines; hoytsherman.org
Sept. 15-16: Beaverdale Fall Festival; fallfestival.org
Sept. 15-16: Wild Cat Country Fest, music lineup to be announced. Quarry Springs Park, Colfax; wildcatcountryfest.com
Sept. 15-24: “Persuasion” by Iowa Stage Theatre Company at the Des Moines Civic Center; iowastage.org
Sept. 17: Applefest at Living History Farms, 11121 Hickman Road, Urbandale; lhf.org
Sept. 17: 5K Beer Run with the Iowa Brewery Running Series at Big Grove Brewery, 555 17th St., Des Moines; breweryrunningseries.com/iowa
Sept. 17: Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Car Show with the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Central Iowa at Mugsy’s, 1225 Copper Creek Drive Suite A, Pleasant Hill; friendlysonsiowa.com
Sept. 21-23: Des Moines Area Quilters Guild Quilt Show in the 4-H Exhibits Building, Iowa State Fairgrounds, 3000 E. Grand Ave.; dmaqg.org
Sept. 22: Des Moines Art Center 2023 Gala, Des Moines Art Center, 4700 Grand Ave., desmoinesartcenter.org
Sept. 22-23: Oktoberfest along Fourth Street, downtown Des Moines; oktoberfestdsm.com
Sept. 23-24: Iowa’s Latino Heritage Festival in Des Moines; latinoheritagefestival.org
Sept. 24: Iowa Trail Run Series through Jester Park, Granger; iowatrailruns.com
Sept. 24: Iowa Blues Challenge with the Central Iowa Blues Society at Lefty’s Live Music, 2307 University Ave., Des Moines; cibs.org
Sept. 24: 5K Beer Run with the Iowa Brewery Running Series at Firetrucker Brewery, Ankeny; breweryrunningseries.com/iowa
Sept. 29: Lauren Daigle on “The Kaleidoscope Tour” at 7 p.m., Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines; iowaeventscenter.com
Sept. 29 - Oct. 1: Iowa’s Largest Arts and Crafts Show in the Varied Industries Building, Iowa State Fairgrounds, 3000 E. Grand Ave.; iowastatefairgrounds.org
Sept. 30: Fall Fest at Polk City’s town square; gopolkcity.com/fallfest
Sept. 30: DMACC 5K Walk/Run at DMACC Ankeny Campus, 2006 S. Ankeny Blvd.; dmacc.edu/alumni/5K
Festivals, concerts, fairs, fun runs, art exhibits and so much more
May
Through May 21: “A Bright New Boise” by Iowa Stage Theatre Company at the Des Moines Civic Center; iowastage.org
Through May 21: “TINA: The Tina Turner Musical” at the Des Moines Civic Center; dmpa.org
Through May 29: Wild Lights Festival at the Blank Park Zoo. 7:30-10 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday weekly, plus Memorial Day. blankparkzoo.com/wildlights
Thursdays through Aug. 3: Summer Concert Series from 6-9 p.m. at Jasper Winery, 2400 George Flagg Parkway, Des Moines; jasperwinery.com; polkcountyheritagegallery.org
Through June 16: “Freedom of Expression” exhibition curated by Jill Wells at the Polk County Heritage Gallery, 111 Court Ave., Des Moines; polkcountyheritagegallery.org
Through Aug. 27: “Rembrandt and His World” exhibition at the Des Moines Art Center, 4700 Grand Ave, Des Moines; desmoinesartcenter.org
May 17, June 14, July 19, Aug. 16, Sept. 20: Petal and Plate, an evening culinary series at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, 909 Robert D. Ray Drive, Des Moines; dmbotanicalgarden.com
May 19: Sip and Stroll through the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, 909 Robert D. Ray Drive, Des Moines; dmbotanicalgarden.com
May 19-20: Greenbelt Music Festival off the Greenbelt Bike Trail in Clive; greenbeltmusic.com
May 20: Pedal for Paws, an 18-mile bike ride with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, 5452 N.E. 22nd St., Des Moines; arl-iowa.org/events
May 20: PIGTAILS at Prairie Trail, a 48-mile women-specific bike ride starting and ending in Ankeny; pigtailsride.com
May 20, June 10, July 8, July 22, Aug. 19, Sept. 16: Cars and Coffee from 8-11 a.m. at the REI parking lot, West Des Moines; carsandcoffeedsm.com
May 20-21: Spring Fling Renaissance Faire at Sleepy Hollow, 4051 Dean Ave., Des Moines; sleepyhollowrenfaire.com
May. 21: Jazz and big band classics at Des Moines Community Orchestra’s spring concert, 2 p.m., Sheslow Auditorium, 2507 University Ave., Des Moines at Drake University; desmoinescommunityorchestra.org
May 26-27: CelebrAsian of all things food, drink, music, dance and culture at Western Gateway Park, Des Moines; iowaasianalliance.com/celebrasian
May 26-27: John Wayne Birthday Celebration in Winterset; johnwaynebirthplace.museum
May 27: Decoration Day at Living History Farms, 11121 Hickman Road, Urbandale, reenacting America’s early Memorial Day traditions; lhf.org
May 28: SpringFest with the Central Iowa Blues Society, at Lefty’s Live Music, 2307 University Ave., Des Moines; cibs.org
Last Sundays of the month, May - August: Music in the Park concert series at Haines Park, Third Avenue S.E., Altoona; facebook.com/musicintheparkhainespark
May 31 - June 3: Iowa Quilt Festival in Madison County; iowaquiltmuseum.org
June
JUNE 15-16: Summerfest in Bondurant; facebook.com/BonduMensClub
Fridays and Saturdays in June: Adventureland Summer Concert Series in Altoona; adventurelandresort.com
Fridays, June 2 - July 21: Chill on the Hill concert series at Copper Creek Lake Park, 4390 E. University Ave., Pleasant Hill; pleasanthillchamber.org
June 2-18: “Native Gardens” at the Des Moines Playhouse; dmplayhouse.com
June 2-4, 9-11: “Matilda the Musical JR.” with Class Act Productions in Altoona; captheatre.org
June 3: National Trails Day. Volunteer with Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation at Yellow Banks Park, 6801 S.E. 32nd Ave., Pleasant Hill; inhf.org/events
June 3: Celebrate Bondurant at Bondurant City Park; facebook.com/BondurantChamber
June 3: Iowa Trail Run Series through Ledges State Park, 1515 P Ave., Madrid; iowatrailruns.com
June 3: Iowa Craft Brew Festival at Water Works Park, 2201 George Flagg Parkway, Des Moines; iowacraftbrewfestival.com
June 3: Dam to DSM returns for its 44th year, taking half-marathon runners from the Saylorville Dam to downtown Des Moines; damtodsm.com
June 3: Family Fest from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Johnston Town Center; cityofjohnston.com
June 3-4: Iowa State Fair Flea Market at 4-H Exhibits Building; iowastatefairgrounds.org
June 3-4: Des Moines Con celebrating comics, film and all things nerdy at Hy-Vee Hall, Des Moines; desmoinescon.com
June 3 to Sept. 10: “Underneath Everything: Humility and Grandeur in Contemporary Ceramics” exhibition at the Des Moines Art Center, 4700 Grand Ave., Des Moines; desmoinesartcenter.org
Sundays, June to August: Levitt Amp Music Series from 6-9 p.m. in Earlham City Park. No concert July 4. facebook.com/LevittAMPEarlham
June 6-11: “Dear Evan Hansen” at the Des Moines Civic Center; dmpa.org
June 7-9: World Pork Expo at Iowa State Fairgrounds, 3000 E. Grand Ave.; worldpork.org
June 7-11: Iowa Senior Games for ages 50 and older. West Des Moines; iowaseniorgames.org
June 8-10: Governors Days festival at Grimes South Sports Complex; governorsdays.com
June 8-10: “Cages or Wings” PRIDE cabaret with Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus at Temple Theater, Des Moines; dmgmc.org
June 9: Summer Stir, a traveling cocktail party hosted by CITYVIEW downtown Des Moines, 5 to 9 p.m. summerstirs.dmcityview.com
June 9: Friday Night Live concert with Trainwreck in Indianola; indianolachamber.com/friday-night-live
June 9-11: Pride Fest in the historic East Village, Des Moines; capitalcitypride.org/pride-fest
June 9, July 14, Aug. 11, Sept. 8, Oct. 6: Architecture on the Move, architect-guided walking tours of downtown Des Moines. Check in 5-5:30 p.m. at the atrium of Capital Square; iowaarchfoundation.org
June 9-18: “The One-Act Play that Goes Wrong” with Ankeny Community Theatre; ankenycommunitytheatre.com
June 9-23: Juneteenth Week with several events across the metro; iowajuneteenth.org
June 10: Emancipation Day: A Juneteenth Event at Living History Farms, 11121 Hickman Road, Urbandale; lhf.org
June 10: Waukee Palooza from 5-10 p.m. at Kinship Brewing Company 255 N.W. Sunrise Drive, Waukee; waukeepalooza.com
June 11: IRONMAN triathlon through Des Moines; ironman.com/im-des-moines
June 11, 18, 25, July 2: Music Under the Stars, a free concert series starting 7 p.m., West Capitol Mall, 1007 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines; musicunderthestars.org
June 13, July 11, Aug. 8, Sept. 12: Tunes in the Trees summer concert series, 5-8 p.m. at Iowa Arboretum, Madrid; iowaarboretum.org/events
June 15-18: Green Days festival at Terra Park in Johnston; johnstongreendays.org
June 15, July 20, Aug. 24, Sept. 14: Nash Nights, a summer country concert series at The District at Prairie Trail, Ankeny; thedistrictpt.com
Thursdays, June 15 through Sept. 28: Music in the Garden, a summer music concert series at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, 909 Robert D. Ray Drive, Des Moines; dmbotanicalgarden.com
June 16: Impractical Jokers comedy show on The Drive Drive Drive Drive Drive Tour at 7:30 p.m.; iowaeventscenter.com
June 16-18: Bevington Bluegrass Festival at Briar Patch Amphitheater 2103 Warren Ave., Bevington; briarpatchamphitheater.com
June 16-22: Art Week Des Moines highlighting local artists in spaces across the metro. artweekdesmoines.com
June 17: Authors on the Riverwalk at Hampton Inn & Suites, Des Moines Downtown; authorsontheriverw.wixsite.com/aotrw
June 17: Bacoon Ride for lovers of biking and bacon along the Raccoon River Valley Trail, starting in Waukee; bacoonride.com
June 17: Cajun Fest at Cowles Commons, downtown Des Moines; cajunfestiowa.com
June 17: 2023 Leprechaun Open with the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Central Iowa at Toad Valley Golf Course, 237 N.E. 80th St., Pleasant Hill; friendlysonsiowa.com
June 17: SpiceFest hosted by the Iowa International Center at Exile Brewing, 1514 Walnut St.; iowainternationalcenter.org
June 18: The Doobie Brothers 50th Anniversary Tour at 7:30 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines; iowaeventscenter.com
June 19 - Aug. 11: Iowa Exhibited Jurored Show; reception June 22, 6-8 p.m. at the Polk County Heritage Gallery, 111 Court Ave., Des Moines; polkcountyheritagegallery.org
June 22: Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show with special guests Marty Stuart and Allen Stone at 7 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines; iowaeventscenter.com
June 22-24: I Stand for Jesus Crusade at Iowa State Fairgrounds, 3000 E. Grand Ave.; istandforjesuscrusade.com
June 23-25: Des Moines Arts Festival at Western Gateway Park, Des Moines; desmoinesartsfestival.org
June 23-25: “The Wolves” with the Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre at Tallgrass Theater, West Des Moines; dmyat.org
June 23-25: Des Moines Challenge disc golf tournament; desmoineschallenge.com
June 27 - July 2: “Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations” at the Des Moines Civic Center; dmpa.org
Tuesdays, June 27 to Aug. 1: Nights in the Heights concert series, 7 p.m. at Colby Park, Windsor Heights; windsorheights.org/523/Events
June 30 - July 2: Goodguys 32nd Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals (a.k.a. America’s Favorite Car Show) at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, 3000 E. Grand Ave.; good-guys.com/hln
June 30, July 2, 7, 11, 13, 15, 23: “Carmen” by Bizet with the Des Moines Metro Opera at Simpson College, Indianola; desmoinesmetroopera.org
July
July 21: Summer Stir, a traveling cocktail party hosted by CITYVIEW at the historic East Village from 5 to 9 p.m. summerstirs.dmcityview.com
July 1: Independence Day at Living History Farms, 11121 Hickman Road, Urbandale. Parade, family fun and games, and a game of historic baseball played by the Walnut Hill Bluestockings; lhf.org
July 1: Dude Perfect’s Panda-Monium Tour at 7 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines; iowaeventscenter.com
July 1-4: Celebrate America at Adventureland Resort; adventurelandresort.com
July 1, 9, 14, 22: “Bluebeard’s Castle” by Bartok with the Des Moines Metro Opera at Simpson College, Indianola; desmoinesmetroopera.org
July 3-4: Celebration of Independence at Centennial Park in Waukee; waukee.org/777/Celebration-of-Independence
July 2-4: Urbandale 4th of July celebration; urbandale4thofjuly.org
July 4: Afroman performs at Briar Patch Amphitheater, 2103 Warren Ave., Bevington; briarpatchamphitheater.com
July 6: Béla Fleck bluegrass concert at 7:30 p.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines; hoytsherman.org
July 7-8: 80/35 Music Festival at Western Gateway Park, Des Moines; 80-35.com
July 7-9: Ankeny SummerFest at The District at Prairie Trail; ankenysummerfest.com
July 8: Fortune Feimster comedy show at 7 and 9:30 p.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines; hoytsherman.org
July 8, 15, 21: “Driving While Black” by Kander/Gumbel with the Des Moines Metro Opera at a Des Moines venue, TBD; desmoinesmetroopera.org
July 8, 16, 18, 21: “The Love for Three Oranges” by Prokofiev with the Des Moines Metro Opera at Simpson College, Indianola; desmoinesmetroopera.org
July 12: Stars of Tomorrow concert with the Des Moines Metro Opera at Sheslow Auditorium, 2507 University Ave., Des Moines at Drake University, Des Moines; desmoinesmetroopera.org
July 12-16: Dallas County Fair in Adel; dallascountyfair.com
July 14-15: Four Seasons Festival in Polk City; fourseasonsfestival.com
July 14-15: Waukee Arts Festival at Centennial Park in Waukee; waukeeartsfestival.org
July 14-20: Marion County Fair in Knoxville; knoxvilleraceway.com/Pages/Marion-County-Fair
July 14-20: Jasper County Fair in Colfax; jaspercofair.com
July 14-30: “Little Shop of Horrors” at the Des Moines Playhouse; dmplayhouse.com
July 15: Bags Tournament with the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Central Iowa at Sully’s Irish Pub, 860 First St., West Des Moines; friendlysonsiowa.com
July 15: Bondu Blues & Brews Festival at the Bondurant Regional Trailhead; cityofbondurant.com
July 15: Walker Hayes concert at Iowa Events Center, Des Moines; iowaeventscenter.com
July 15: #IMOMSOHARD: Ladies Night with comedians Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley at 7:30 p.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines; hoytsherman.org
July 15: Water Lantern Festival at Riverview Park, 710 Corning Ave., Des Moines; waterlanternfestival.com
July 15: Polo on the Green hosted by Variety - the Children’s Charity of Iowa at Powder River Ranch, Cumming; poloonthegreen.com
July 15: Moonlight Classic, a nighttime bike ride through downtown Des Moines for children’s mental health; orchardplace.org/moonlight-classic
July 15-21: Polk County Fair at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, 3000 E. Grand Ave., in Des Moines; polkcountyfairiowa.com
July 19-23: Madison County Fair in Winterset; madisoncountyfair.net
July 19-23: Story County Fair in Nevada; sc-fair.com
July 20, 22: “The Falling and the Rising” by Redler/Dye with the Des Moines Metro Opera at Freedom Center, Camp Dodge; desmoinesmetroopera.org
July 20-23: Boone County Fair in Boone; boonecountyfairia.com
July 21-22: Clive Festival at Greenbelt Landing; cityofclive.com/parkandrecreation/programs_and_events/clive_festival.php
July 22: “An Evening with Kelli O’Hara” with the Des Moines Symphony at Des Moines Civic Center; dmsymphony.org
July 22-29: RAGBRAI, the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, coming through Des Moines July 25-26; ragbrai.com
July 22-30: “The Drowsy Chaperone” with Urbandale Community Theatre at Urbandale High School; urbandaletheatre.com
July 25-30: “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” with DMACC Ankeny Theatre; dmacc.edu/theatre/ankeny
July 26-31: Warren County Fair in Indianola; warrencofair.com
July 27-29: Guthrie’s River Ruckus, a country music festival at Guthrie County Fairgrounds; guthriesriverruckus.com
July 28-30, Aug. 4-6: Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” with Carousel Theatre of Indianola; carouseltheatre.org
July 28 - Aug. 5: National Balloon Classic at Memorial Balloon Field, Indianola; nationalballoonclassic.com
July 29: Diana Krall jazz concert at 8 p.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines; hoytsherman.org
August
Aug. 3-4: Over the Edge fundraiser. Participants get the chance to rappel the Wells Fargo Arena; iowaeventscenter.com
Aug. 4: Kansas performs their “Another Fork in the Road” tour at 7:30 p.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines; hoytsherman.org
Aug. 4-6: Hinterland Music Festival at Avenue of the Saints Amphitheater, 3357 St. Charles Road, Saint Charles; hinterlandiowa.com
Aug. 4-6: Pufferbilly Days celebrating the railroad history of Boone; boonecountychamber.com/pufferbilly-days
Aug. 4-13: “Twelfth Night” with Ankeny Community Theatre; ankenycommunitytheatre.com
Aug. 10-20: Iowa State Fair, the best state fair, iowastatefair.org
Aug. 12: Sweet Corn Festival in Adel; adelpartners.org/sweet-corn-festival
Aug. 14 - Sept. 29: Molly Wood Photographs exhibition; reception Aug. 19, 6-8 p.m. at the Polk County Heritage Gallery, 111 Court Ave., Des Moines; polkcountyheritagegallery.org
Aug. 15: The Wallflowers concert at 8 p.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines; hoytsherman.org
Aug. 18-27: “Shrek: The Musical” with Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre at Stoner Theater, Des Moines; dmyat.org
Aug. 25: An Evening with the Avett Brothers at 7 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines; iowaeventscenter.com
Aug. 25-26: Savannah Bananas at Principal Park, Des Moines; thesavannahbananas.com/ontheroad
Aug. 25-27: World Food & Music Festival at Western Gateway Park in Des Moines; dsmpartnership.com/worldfoodandmusicfestival
Aug. 26: 5K Beer Run with the Iowa Brewery Running Series at 515 Brewing Company 7700 University Ave., Suite C, Clive; breweryrunningseries.com/iowa
Aug. 26: Ingersoll Live block party from 3-10 p.m. in Des Moines; theavenuesdsm.com
September
Sept. 1-2: Taste of the Junction, a multicultural festival in Historic Valley Junction; tasteofthejunction.org
Sept. 2: Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper on their Freaks on Parade Tour, with special guests Ministry and Filter at 6 p.m., Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines; iowaeventscenter.com
Sept. 2-3: Kids Fest at Adventureland Resort, Altoona; adventurelandresort.com
Sept. 2-4, 9-10, 16-17: Fall Renaissance Faire at Sleepy Hollow, 4051 Dean Ave., Des Moines; sleepyhollowrenfaire.com
Sept. 8-24: “Once” at the Des Moines Playhouse; dmplayhouse.com
Sept. 10: Des Moines Concours d’Elegance car show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pappajohn Sculpture Park, 1330 Grand Ave., Des Moines; desmoinesconcours.com
Sept. 15: The Mavericks concert at 7:30 p.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines; hoytsherman.org
Sept. 15-16: Beaverdale Fall Festival; fallfestival.org
Sept. 15-16: Wild Cat Country Fest, music lineup to be announced. Quarry Springs Park, Colfax; wildcatcountryfest.com
Sept. 15-24: “Persuasion” by Iowa Stage Theatre Company at the Des Moines Civic Center; iowastage.org
Sept. 17: Applefest at Living History Farms, 11121 Hickman Road, Urbandale; lhf.org
Sept. 17: 5K Beer Run with the Iowa Brewery Running Series at Big Grove Brewery, 555 17th St., Des Moines; breweryrunningseries.com/iowa
Sept. 17: Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Car Show with the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Central Iowa at Mugsy’s, 1225 Copper Creek Drive Suite A, Pleasant Hill; friendlysonsiowa.com
Sept. 21-23: Des Moines Area Quilters Guild Quilt Show in the 4-H Exhibits Building, Iowa State Fairgrounds, 3000 E. Grand Ave.; dmaqg.org
Sept. 22: Des Moines Art Center 2023 Gala, Des Moines Art Center, 4700 Grand Ave., desmoinesartcenter.org
Sept. 22-23: Oktoberfest along Fourth Street, downtown Des Moines; oktoberfestdsm.com
Sept. 23-24: Iowa’s Latino Heritage Festival in Des Moines; latinoheritagefestival.org
Sept. 24: Iowa Trail Run Series through Jester Park, Granger; iowatrailruns.com
Sept. 24: Iowa Blues Challenge with the Central Iowa Blues Society at Lefty’s Live Music, 2307 University Ave., Des Moines; cibs.org
Sept. 24: 5K Beer Run with the Iowa Brewery Running Series at Firetrucker Brewery, Ankeny; breweryrunningseries.com/iowa
Sept. 29: Lauren Daigle on “The Kaleidoscope Tour” at 7 p.m., Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines; iowaeventscenter.com
Sept. 29 - Oct. 1: Iowa’s Largest Arts and Crafts Show in the Varied Industries Building, Iowa State Fairgrounds, 3000 E. Grand Ave.; iowastatefairgrounds.org
Sept. 30: Fall Fest at Polk City’s town square; gopolkcity.com/fallfest
Sept. 30: DMACC 5K Walk/Run at DMACC Ankeny Campus, 2006 S. Ankeny Blvd.; dmacc.edu/alumni/5K