So much fun this year! Made a few new friends! All the different foods & activities. Saw so many…read moreinteresting performances. Enjoyed the empanadas and quesadilla and yucca balls and jewelry. Such great flavors of food and delicious drinks. It was definitely a few blocks bigger last year but this year did not disappoint. Saturday night music was fantastic. Lotta very nice personable vendors with great merchandise and lovely stories to tell. Will continue going regularly.

Free entry to this great event is a huge plus. I love the wide variety of vendors, food and…read morebeverage options available, which really is a huge part of what this event is about. All the vendor have a "taste" option on the menu for $2 (they have predetermined what that item is). I think it makes exploring a variety of things easier to do without crushing your budget or completely over eating. They also have a variety of local and international beers for sale and free live music. Fun family-friendly event!

This festival is so well run... the community bands together to pull this off. The serve amazing…read moreDeardorf sweet corn. It is all free and you can have as much as you want... I saw people eating upwards of 8 ears a person. I thought that I needed two ears but I could only finish just one... I felt terrible that I took one I could not eat. We got there early so we only had a block and a half waiting line. It moved so quickly. We were through it in less than 10 minutes. By the time we left the line was in excess of 3 or more blocks long. They also had a parade, 5k run and a large craft fair. If corn is not your thing they had a plethora of food and beverage vendors too. In the evening the have bands and a beer garden. There were thousands of people, kids and dogs but it really did not feel like it. Attendees were very respectful. If you are looking for a fun day in August I'd is worth the drive to this small community. This large event is 100% volunteer run! Very impressive!

I attended the inaugural Des Moines Taco Festival yesterday at the Western Gateway Park. Here are…read morea few of my thoughts. I honestly had it in my head that I wasn't going to go, but I was given a general admission ticket. Heather had plans...I didn't have my kids...so I headed down to check it out after the ISU OU game. The 400 lb gorilla in the room. The weather sucked the majority of the day. That being said no one I was among was really complaining about it. This was an all ages event. General admission was $12 and kids 12 and under were free. The Western Gateway Park was completely fenced off. The entrance to the festival was on the East side of the park. Not knowing that I parked on the West end off of 13th and Locust so I had a walk to start my visit with. No biggie. At the entrance the process went well. If you planned on drinking and were over 21 you presented your ID along with your ticket and you were given a wristband to indicate you were of legal age. I don't really drink for the most part, but I got my pink wristband just in case. After entering one of the first tents was setup to buy tokens. Everything was on a token system. One token = $2.00. Non-refundable so be careful not to buy too many tokens... Tacos were $2.00 each. Drinks varied from what I read. I did not partake in Tequila Fest or go into the bar tent yesterday so I have no experience with those aspects of this festival. There were two main areas for the food vendors. A line of trucks running East to West on Grand and a line of tents running North and South along 13th. Vendors typically had two lines going; an order line and a pickup line. After getting through the order line you proceeded to the back of the pickup line to get your food. Rinse and repeat. The lines... First of all I'm the wrong guy to talk about lines. Boot camp pretty much solved that issue for me. Festivals, concerts, amusement parks...just like being in a galley. I'm not a fan of unorganized crowds, but I can stand in a line all day. The lines were established by the people themselves. I saw no one giving direction, but I saw a lot of people helping each other out. Someone would step into the pickup line from the sidewalk and someone else would ask them "Have you ordered yet?". If they answered no they were politely pointed to the ordering line. I wasn't looking at my phone, but I would guess the lines I stood in were about 20 minutes order to pickup. I heard rumors there were times the wait at Mama's Tacos approached an hour. I can't confirm that. The weather was crappy. There was alcohol on site. And the organization was spotty in some areas. And yet everyone I talked to was having a good time. Some of you can probably can guess that I talk a lot...and I seldom stay quiet if an interesting conversation is going on around me... I think I ended up with a pretty good feel of how the people around me were doing. Not all tacos are created equal. Some $2.00 tacos were good sized (shout out to Curbin' Cuisine), and some $2.00 tacos were just sad. One thing I would recommend for the next taco festival... Stalk the pickup lines. Cruise by the people picking up their tacos and take a look at what is being delivered to them. Choose to spend your money wisely. Don't be afraid to walk up to someone and ask where they got something. Typically I approach other men to avoid the appearance I'm hitting on someone...especially when tequila is involved. No lucha wrestling was going on while I was there. The stage for the live bands was positioned well and if it hadn't been raining I bet it would have been utilized more. Because of the weather most of the people weren't in the chairs...they were listening from inside the bar tent. I missed the taco eating contest. Would I go again...with spending my own money for a ticket? I'd have to say yes. But I'd employ the tips I mentioned above. The first two places I hit...I was thinking "Thank God I didn't pay for this ticket." but when I started paying attention and talking to people I wasn't as disappointed with my purchases. There were some fantastic flavor profiles available to try. I had a good time. The people around me made it fun...despite the weather. Of course it was really hard to have a bad day, no matter what happened, after ISU got that W over OU. One additional shout out. To the wonderful woman with Per Mar security who let me slide through the fence when I headed home... Thank you! She shortened my walk back to my car by about four blocks up and back.

Gayle and I returned to the Iowa State fair yesterday. It was a hot Tuesday (even in the morning)…read moreand we spend maybe 3 hours on the grounds. I'm sure I've been here since my last review was posted, but the years do seem to flow and run together. High Points: - The Butter Cow! - Chair Lift ride over part of the Fair Grounds. - Varied Industry, Walnut Center, and Arts Building Exhibits - Seeing Governor Reynolds walk down the main thoroughfare. - Visiting the University of Iowa Booth and touching the trophies. - Watching Families Groom Their Steers for Competition in the Barn. - Enjoying the Pig competition in one of the arenas. - Having a nice Lunch at Stockman's. We also walked around a lot and just watched the diversity of our fellow attendees. There were also a lot of huge baby strollers on one end life's spectrum and many senior scooters on the other. We also appreciated the DART park-and-ride option from the State Capital. It was only $1 each for folks like us that are over 65.

Always a fun time when the weather is behaving itself. Got an early start to avoid long lines and…read moregiant crowds. It was a little sprinkly at first but that stopped and it was decent most of the day. Little clouds and a light breeze. Had a decent breakfast at the Methodist Church. Nothing to write home about. Just a start to our day. Then off to the Beer Tent for hydration. Lots of new sips to be sipping. Nerds beer. Cotton candy beer. Lots of ciders and my all time favorite the spiked fair lemonade. Tried the 3 Little Pigs from Whatcha Smokin and was very let down. Little flavor other than the sauce and super dense for a meatball. The jalapeno dog on a stick was much better but it had the Waukee meat. Tried the bacon chicken ranch egg roll and it was great. One of the best new foods in the history of new foods. We even had a group cut in line lol Enjoyed seeing the doll houses and various crafts. The paintings. The photography. The livestock. Going back a 2nd time because you can't see everything in one day. Recommend for anyone to go at least once a year.

The epicenter of porcine bliss is truly the BRBF! 2012's festival boasted 4700+ visitors, 20+…read morerestaurants, 9 beers, two breweries and 10 bacon exhibitors. Bacon shirts were the norm and you discover the brilliance that is the combination of libation and dry cured magic. The building at the fairgrounds is a great location with plenty of vendor space around the periphery and mingling space in the middle. Three lecture rooms hosted talks ranging from how to make your own bacon to how bacon will help you survive the apocalypse. Helpful stuff! Unlimited samples of bacon and bacon themed entrees, bacon shirts, koozies, bacon eating contests and live music await you when you come across this glimpse of heaven! This festival is a must try for those who appreciate any and everything bacon. Great samples of meat, local fare and tons of new pork loving friends! Worth the trip every time!

Hinterland 2025 was my first-ever music festival experience and it was very memorable…read more Hinterland is a 3-day music festival in rural Iowa, outside Des Moines. The festival hosts a mixture of local and bigger name artists. The overall vibe is lowkey, folksy and country, but some pop and alt/indie acts are featured as well. The festival offers on-site camping options, as well as parking and shuttles. This year, the festival sold over 25,000 tickets, although it was unclear how many unique visitors attended across the three days. In addition to music, there were plenty of crafts, food, merchandise and even things for younger children to do. The weather was just about perfect, with dry conditions and highs in the 70s each day. Iowa can be brutal in the summer and feedback from 2024 was that the heat made it very difficult to enjoy the entire festival in the hot weather. For 2025, Hinterland shifted the venue slightly and reportedly made some improvements from past years. While they added a small canopy area for shade, the venue was entirely exposed to the sun without any relief. Fortunately the temperatures were cooler than usual this year, but I think they need to find a way to add more shaded areas for future festivals. The average high temperature for the area is in the upper 80s in early August, with highs commonly reaching the 90s. I did not camp or utilize the shuttles, I used 1-day general parking. Since I was one of the first cars in on Sunday morning, I was able to get out quickly at the end of the night, in only about 15-20 minutes. This seemed atypical, as many people reported that it took over two hours to get out each night. There was no traffic direction, so that caused a huge mess. They either need staff directing traffic, more than one exit, and/or marked lanes of traffic to get things moving more efficiently. There is a VIP option for tickets and I highly recommend this if you plan on attending in the future. VIP had access to premium comfort amenities, such as an exclusive full-service bar, air conditioned restrooms, a shaded structure and dedicated lines to enter the venue, access merch, showers, etc. Barricade access was split in half between GA and VIP, but probably 80% or more of the attendance was GA. This year, VIP ticket holders also got a free festival t-shirt. Entering the festival on Sunday was very chaotic. The festival gave conflicting instructions on when and where to line up. People who were trying to get in all morning were turned away. While I appreciate that they didn't let people start lining up before the sun comes up, it felt like there needed to be better structure for a fairer experience. Speaking of that, the staff did not have much of a control over lines and did not seem to know what was going on. VIP was supposed to get in first, but they let GA run in and there was mass chaos as a stampede unfolded. Security felt too lax, as bag checks were inconsistent and they let dozens of people trample in without scanning their bracelets. This seems like a real security lapse and a safety hazard. With that said, the interior security around the stage was top notch. They quickly addressed and de-escalated multiple incidents in both a professional and speedy manner. Rowdy people were escorted out. They passed out water all day and night, which was a nice plus. This will definitely help in the future when hotter weather returns for the festival in years to come. Overall, I had a memorable experience at Hinterland Music Festival. Getting in was kind of chaotic and the music was a little bit too country and slow for me, at times, but I still found many of the performers enjoyable. The vast majority of people I encountered in attendance were very friendly and fun. It's a highly inclusive festival and I might consider coming back, if more of my favorite artists were performing.

Truly an incredible festival!…read more We first went back in 2019 and the lineup was truly unreal - we couldn't believe groups like Hippo Campus, Hozier, Kacey Musgraves and more were playing in the middle of a field in Iowa. And when the 2022 lineup was published, we knew we'd be returning again! We were so excited to see a stacked lineup this year: Billy Strings, Glass Animals, Trampled by Turtles, Lake Street Dive, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, and more. And it didn't disappoint! The amphitheater is incredible, with a natural curve that makes any spot incredible. No off-the-ground seating allowed so most folks sit on blankets, pillows, or those blow-up chairs that are so comfy. And there's a flat spot near the stage where folks can go to stand and dance - truly a lovely layout! The sun goes down over the trees and hillside earlier on so shade sets in, and the space gets some epic sunsets. And while the talent brought to Iowa for this was truly impressive, I'm even more impressed by the thought and effort that was put into other aspects of this festival, too. We kept saying all weekend how well-thought-out this experience was. Here's why: There were always plenty of restrooms - never a line for the massive number of port-a-potties and hand-washing stations! There were so many food vendors, and not just greasy fair food. There were smoothies, rice bowls, popsicles, and so much more! There were a few water refill stations that got busier in between sets, but they had team members directing traffic to the many, many hoses to get folks in and out fast. The camping and parking system was great! Since the walk from the budget 4-day parking (us lol) was about a mile walk from the festival amphitheater, they had school buses running constantly, so you never waited more than a few minutes for a ride to the entrance. When Rainbow Kitten Surprise unfortunately had to drop out last-minute, they had a backup in place super fast - and even changed the T-shirts with lineups on the back in time. This festival is lowkey, underrated, comfortable, and well-run - we'll always be regulars and already can't wait to see the 2023 lineup!

The 80/35 Festival is a pretty fun music event in Des Moines. It usually lasts about 2 days, with…read moreseveral stages of artists to check out. The only negatives of the festival are that it's usually the first week of July, which means that it's both HOT and also that sometimes it falls on /around July 4th, which I would avoid if I was the planner of this festival. When we have been, we saw some pretty big names like Wilco, Weezer, Jenny Lewis, and Run the Jewels (before RTJ were gigantically popular). Other artists who've played 80/35 over the years are The Shins, MGMT, The Decemberists, Phoebe Bridgers, and Kesha, to give you an idea. So you can definitely depend on there being at least one or two acts at 80/35 that you will be interested in (or maybe you'll find a new favorite). If you're a fan of bigger acts as well as local or smaller artists to check out, 80/35 might be a good fit for you. Just bring lots of water to hydrate and stay cool!

Another 5 star year at the 8035 Music Festival! Beautiful…read moreweather, beautiful location in down town DSM! This year there were 4 FREE stages open to anyone! And the the mainstage's sound was the loudest and proudest I have ever seen! I really dug seeing Car Seat Headrest, Courtney Barnett, and I even dug Kesha - her show ruled! All the stuff I saw on the free stages were really great this year too! This was also the first year I spent a lot of time in the KIDS Zone and it was really fun with jumping blow ups, water guns, hoola hoops, and face painting! So many cool art sculptures, and music to be had! Always the best weekend in DSM of the year!

Oktoberfest is a great weekend in Des Moines, I recommend everyone should go have some fun and…read morepreferably dress up for it! Dressing for the occasion really makes it more fun. For a festival that is mostly about drinking the crowd is always nice and not too rowdy. Many men and women are happy to teach you to polka or even grab a stranger to share a boot of bier with. They always have great entertainment with live polka bands and several very entertaining contests for those in proper attire, such as the bier maiden competition. The limited food for venders outside Hessen Haus is always good, and the pastries from strudl Haus are always amazing. There are two things I think they need to improve on at this event. The first being they don't have many or even any sour biers most years. The second being they need more food vendors and variety. There is more to German food than just pretzels and brats. If they improved on these two items hands down this would be a five star review.

Love Des Moines Oktoberfest!! It's only 2 days long but I don't think I can handle much more. My…read morefavorite event is the tapping of he Golden Keg -- it's worth taking off work for!! Obviously the beer is the highlight of this event and there is plenty. Polka all day and night -- if you haven't tried to dance Polka it's easy! Just try!! Lots of friendly dancers will help you learn if you just step out and start trying. The rest of Oktoberfest is a blur -- but if I remembered it all it wouldn't be worth attending. Friendly people, great bier - eins, zwei, drei, gsuffa!!!

Not my first time coming to the festival but it is always a fun time filled with culture, music,…read moreand amazing food!!! This festival usually is in July near the sculpture gardens and there is always a huge stage set up with live music. There is plenty of parking in the area! And plenty of ATM's as most vendors do not take cards. And at least this year if you came in before 5pm you could get in free. Otherwise the cost of admission is only a few dollars! This is one of the multiple wonderful cultural festivals in Des Moines! Can't wait to go back next year!

What a great even they have here every year. Event staff were all friendly & welcoming. Vendor…read morestands galore with various Greek themed items and handmade items as well. Tried the frappe & loved it. My partner had a tiny Greek coffee. We shared a gyro which was really delicious. And the Greek salad I had was better than I'm used to. The light & squeezey I didn't like but I loved the Mythos. Visited the church as well & wandered around just looking at everything to offer. Definitely recommend.

Fun times! Great food, drink and dance/music here this weekend. Friendly staff. Prices are up…read morethere, but this is a fun event that you only get once a year. Try the flaming cheese(really good) or the gyros or Serbian food or desserts! Very family friendly. Clean. Fun. Street parking. Marcy'sDinerTantrumScale 5/5-no screaming kids.