One of my all-time favorite Des Moines festivals (& I pretty much love ’em all) is the Des Moines Arts Festival and it’s THIS WEEKEND! The festival runs Friday: 4-10 p.m., Saturday: 10 a.m.-10 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. downtown near the sculpture garden. Street parking is free. Browsing is free. There’ll be live tunes and amazing works of art to browse & possibly buy.
Plus, all food eaten outdoors while in good company is extra delish. At the festival, try a hot dog, pizza, Greek specialty, caramel apple, chips with nacho cheese, pork chop on a stick, veggies & noodles, shish kabob, cheese curds, perogies, lemonade, ice cream, fried rice, samosas or kettle corn and enjoy.
Learn more on the festival website or on Facebook. Check out the Register’s interactive map of the festival.
There’s also ArtFest Midwest going on Saturday & Sunday in the Varied Industries building of the Iowa State Fairgrounds and you can take a bus between the two. This one is also free admission and parking. From 11-5 they have a free workshop for kids to make a puppet. Ongoing artist demos all day.
This festival tends to have more local folks and lower prices. This year, look for exhibits by DMU’s own Dr. Gary Hoff, Jon Kamrath (a spouse of a DMU alum) and board member/alum Dr. Jackie Stoken.
