Off Hours, your free weekly newsletter from the Des Moines Register, showcases all things fun you can do in central Iowa.
2025 Summer Concert Series
June 5: See Kansas City, Missouri-based cover band The Stolen Winnebagos perform during the 2025 Summer Concert Series at Jasper Winery, 2400 George Flagg Parkway, Des Moines. The free concert from 6 to 9 p.m. showcases the vineyard every Thursday night through July 31 with a different band playing every week. The Stolen Winnebagos’ catalog includes Sir Mix-A-Lot, Tom Petty, Billy Joel, Queen, Billy Idol, and more.
‘Firelei Báez’
June 5: The Des Moines Art Center, 4700 Grand Ave., Des Moines, opens its newest exhibit, “Firelei Báez,” organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. Firelei Báez, from the Dominican Republic, focuses on “the multilayered legacy of colonial histories and the African diaspora in the Caribbean and beyond.” The opening from 5 to 7 p.m. is free to attend. The night includes live music from DJ Lizz of Latino Events Entertainment LLC and free summer bites and seasonal dessert from Taste! to Go. Cash bar with beer, wine, and hibiscus margaritas will be available for purchase.
‘Hamilton’
June 5-8: “I am not throwing away my shot,” proclaims Alexander Hamilton in this Broadway hit making its return to the Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St., Des Moines. This epic saga told through dramatic acting and song follows the rise of Hamilton as he fights for honor, love, and a legacy that would shape the course of a nation. “Hamilton” is based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography and is set to a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway tunes. See it on June 5-6 at 7:30 p.m. and June 7 at 1 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $45 at desmoinesperformingarts.org.
Picnic & Puccini
June 6-7: The Picnic & Puccini Family Opera Adventure gives fans a look behind the scenes of the Des Moines Metro Opera at 10 a.m. both days. See a performance of “The Billy Goats Gruff” followed by a picnic lunch and tour of the Blank Performing Arts Center’s costume shop, wig and make-up departments, orchestra pit, and main stage at 513 N. D St., Indianola. Tickets to Picnic & Puccini Family Opera Adventure start at $15.
Venardos Circus ‘Far Beyond’
June 5-8: Catch the Venardos Circus as the performance with no animals takes over the Outlets of Des Moines, 801 Bass Pro Drive, Altoona. The show includes the singing ringmaster Julia Swann, the Reyes Brothers’ juggling perch pole, the mind-bending contortion of Nordic Beauty Sno Bunta, slapstick sensation Sam Ferlo, Duo Dadiva’s astonishing aerial acrobatics, the ridiculous Rob Lok, Priscilla and Jonathan’s Diabolical Daggers, and the Wicked Wheel of Wonder. Tickets start at $16.95 for the 7 and 8:30 p.m. shows June 5-6 and 2, 3:30, 5, and 6:30 p.m. shows June 7-8.
2025 Annual Des Moines Greek Food Fair
June 6-8: Ope! Dig into baklava, kebabs, gyros, and more when the Des Moines Greek Food Fair comes to the St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 1110 35th St., Des Moines. Aside from food, participants can experience dancing and live music. Admission is free, but vendors do not accept cash. Stop by from 5 to 9 p.m. June 6, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 7, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 8.
2025 Capital City Pride Festival
June 6-8: Capital City Pride has an entire weekend filled with Pride events in the East Village of Des Moines along the fourth through seventh blocks of East Grand Avenue. The free events include festival booths, musical acts, a 5K on June 7, pet pageant, drag queen story time, silent disco, parade on June 8, and more. Domita Sanchez, Slayyyter, Bob the Drag Queen, and Aly & AJ are among the headliners. For the full schedule, visit capitalcitypride.org/pridefest.
First Friday: The Nonprofits of Mainframe Studios
June 6: First Friday returns to Mainframe Studios, 900 Keosauqua Way, Des Moines, focusing on the nonprofits at the massive arts center from 5 to 8 p.m. The free events include the work of the arts and culture-focused nonprofits at Mainframe Studios: ArtForce Iowa, Central Iowa Blues, City Sounds, Civic Music Association, Des Moines Arts Festival, KFMG, M/A/S/S, Momentum, and the Oak Studio Teen Tech Center. All five floors of the center are open, and the night includes a silent auction, food and drink for purchase, and music provided by Iowa Blues Hall of Famers Scott Long, J.C. Anderson, and Friends.
‘Squeamish’ by Aaron Mark
June 6-7: Catch one of four remaining performances of “Squeamish,” a tale of a woman who is a recovering alcoholic with a fear of blood who goes off her psychotropic drugs after her nephew dies. The production looks at phobia and compulsion “as two sides of the same coin, a minimalist work of psychological horror about craving what terrifies us most.” The performance at The Haunt Speakeasy, 500 Locust St., Des Moines, takes place at 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. June 6-7 for $34 per person.
Whiskey Myers/Field Summer Daze Music Series Kickoff
June 6: Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park, 2201 George Flagg Parkway, Des Moines, kicks off its Summer Daze Music Series with Whiskey Myers, the rock band out of Palestine, Texas, known for “Stone,” “Ballad of a Southern Man,” and “Brocken Window Serenade.” Whiskey Myers’ “What We Were Born To Do” tour features special guests Bayker Blankenship and Pony Bradshaw. Tickets for the 6:30 p.m. show start at $50.
‘Torch Song’ by Harvey Fierstein
June 6-8: Actor Harvey Fierstein’s “Torch Song,” a two-act revival of the “Torch Song Trilogy,” tells the story of Arnold Beckoff, a torch song-singing, Jewish drag queen living in New York City in the late 1970s into the 1980s. A visit from his overbearing mother reveals that he needs one more thing — respect. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show on June 6-7 and 2 p.m. show June 8 start at $45. See it at the Stoner Theater on the first floor of the Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St., Des Moines. Continues through June 15.
I Love The ’80s
June 6: New Wave acts from the ’80s take over Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines, at 8 p.m. Relive the era with bands such as A Flock of Seagulls (“I Ran (So Far Away),” “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You),” “Space Age Love Song,” and “The More You Live, The More You Love”), Bow Wow Wow featuring Annabella (“C30, C60, C90 Go!,” “Go Wild in the Country,” “Do You Wanna Hold Me,” and “I Want Candy”), and Animotion (“Obsession”). Tickets for the show start at $39.
Raccoon River Palooza
June 7: The fifth annual Raccoon River Palooza takes over the nature lodge at Raccoon River Park, 2500 Grand Ave., West Des Moines, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The free event includes live music, cardboard boat races, activities for kids, local food trucks, beverages, and more. Find the full schedule online at wdmchamber.org/raccoon-river-palooza.
Summer Science Day
June 7: Learn about AI, gravity, and zoo animals at Big Grove Brewery, 555 17th St., Des Moines, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the patio. This free event for kids and adults starts with two special animals from the Blank Park Zoo at 10 a.m. Register online: forms.gle. Then, the Science Center of Iowa offers interactive experiments with artificial intelligence, and SteamStarz conducts parachute drops to learn about gravity on the patio from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. All events are free.
Iowa Craft Brew Festival
June 7: Discover your favorite new craft brew during the Iowa Craft Brew Festival from noon to 4 p.m. at Water Works Park, 2251 George Flagg Parkway, Des Moines. More than 75 breweries, cideries, wineries, and distillers from all over Iowa come together to share their craft at this event with unlimited tastes. New features for the 15th year include arcade games, mini golf, and new Iowa breweries. First-time festival goers can even receive a commemorative ICBF button. Pick up tickets for $65 for VIP, $50 for general admission, and $22 for designated drivers.
Ironman 70.3
June 8: The Ironman 70.3 heads to Des Moines, and whether you’re swimming, running, and biking or just cheering on these athletes, you can take part. The 70.3-mile competition starts at 2101 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, with a 1.2-mile swim in Grey’s Lake, a 56-mile bike ride through Des Moines and West Des Moines, and a 13.1-mile run through downtown Des Moines, culminating in a finish in front of the historic Iowa Courthouse. The race starts at 6:30 a.m.
Coheed and Cambria
June 8: Progressive rockers Coheed and Cambria play Vibrant Music Hall, 2938 Grand Prairie Pkwy., bringing their hits such as “Welcome Home,” “Devil in Jersey City,” and “Gravity’s Union.” Heavy metal rockers Mastodon join the band on “The Infinite Arc” tour. Tickets for the 6:30 p.m. show start at $64.
Matt Rife
June 8: Will Christina Reeder, the “hot mom” who gave comedian Matt Rife cookies at his show at the Funny Bone in West Des Moines, be at his 7 p.m. show at Wells Fargo Arena, 233 Center St., Des Moines? Find out if they continue their flirtation when he takes the stage with his “Stay Golden” tour at the Well. The stand-up comedian has a Netflix special, more than 39.4 million followers, and more than 3 billion views globally. This December, Rife will release his first book, “Your Mom’s Gonna Love Me,” a memoir where “he reveals (without apology, of course) what led him to becoming comedy’s biggest lightning rod before he reached 30, in a story full of bold and hysterical takes on everything from rap battles with ex-cons to Matt’s struggles with depression and his many brushes with failure before finally hitting it big.” Tickets start at $50.
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Things to do this weekend include ‘Hamilton,’ Iowa beer fest, Greek fest, and Matt Rife
Reporting by Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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