Iowa is Home to One of the 10 Best Art Festivals in the U.S.

For the third year in a row, a big Iowa art festival has been recognized as one of the best in America! The Des Moines Arts Festival is one of USA Today's 10Best Art Festivals for 2026!

About the Des Moines Arts Festival

According to the official website, the Des Moines Arts Festival is "more than an event - it's an experience." Its roots can be traced to 1958, when the Des Moines Art Center put on its first Art in the Park event. It continued until 1998, when the festival underwent a revitalization that included a name and location change. Since then, the festival has only continued to grow, bringing in around 200,000 people each year!

The Des Moines Arts Festival was ranked 10th on USA Today's list of the best art festivals across the U.S.! It also made the list in 2024 and 2025. Here's what USA Today wrote about the big event:

"The state's largest arts and culture event, the Des Moines Arts Festival hosts nearly 200 of the nation's top artists, showing their work in a downtown location amid the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park and the Krause Gateway Center. The festival has won several Grand Pinnacle Awards from the International Festivals and Events Association."

The 2026 Des Moines Arts Festival is set for June 26th through 28th. For additional details, you can check out the event website HERE.

Other Midwest Winners

Only two other Midwest festivals made USA Today's list of the ten best art festivals for 2026. The first, coming in at number seven, is the Old Town Art Fair in Chicago. The annual two-day event is set for June 13th & 14th of 2026. The second, ranking the highest of the three in the Midwest, is the Columbus Arts Festival in Columbus, Ohio. 2026 will mark the event's 64th anniversary, and it's is coming up June 12th through 14th.

Eastern Iowa Art Festivals

Eastern Iowa is actually home to quite a few big art festivals, many of which are set for the summer. Here are some of the 2026 events to look forward to:

Amana Festival of the Arts, Amana Colonies - Saturday, August 8th
Beaux Arts Fair, Davenport - May 9th & 10th
Iowa Arts Festival, Iowa City - June 5th through 7th
Marion Arts Festival, Marion - Saturday, May 16th

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Source: Iowa is Home to One of the 10 Best Art Festivals in the U.S.

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