The upcoming spring equinox marks the start of spring, which means Iowa City’s festival season will soon follow.
Summer of the Arts is celebrating 21 years of free arts and cultural festivals in 2026.
Classic festivals like the Iowa City Jazz Festival and the Iowa Arts Festival return, along with the recent favorites like Rhythms at Riverfront Crossing and Drive-In Movies at the Hangar.
Here is a complete schedule of this year’s programming.
Revel in the talent of the state’s many artists at the Iowa Arts Festival
The Iowa Arts Festival returns for its 43rd season June 5-7 in downtown Iowa City. The lineup of musicians and sellers at the street festival has yet to be announced.
Get a bit funky at the Iowa City Jazz Festival
The Iowa City Jazz Festival is one of the most anticipated events of the summer. It makes its grand return July 3-5, featuring a diverse lineup of musicians showcasing the genre’s versatility. The lineup for this year’s festival has yet to be announced.
Kick off the weekend at the Friday Night Concert Series
The Friday Night Concert Series is the first Summer of the Arts festival on the docket. The weekly slate begins May 8 and runs through Sept. 25, with familiar and emerging artists performing on the Pedmall stage. Each concert starts promptly at 6:30 p.m.
Iowa City favorites like Winterland and the Diplomats of Solid Sound are just two of the many performances on the horizon.
May lineup
May 8: Bear Cat Hot Club
May 15: UI Black Pop Music Group
May 22: West Liberty High and West High
May 29: Clear Creek Amana and City High
June lineup
June 12: Big Begonias AND The Feralings
June 19: MC Animosity and DJ Johnny Sixxx AND CJ Parker and the Crew
June 26: Marc Janssen Trio and Slim Chance & the Can’t Hardly Playboys
July lineup
July 10: Winterland
July 17: Dandelion Stompers
July 24: Blast Choir and The Wonderful Smiths
July 31: The Trollies
August lineup
Aug. 7: Silt Creek and Whiskey Fund
Aug. 14: River Glen Band
Aug. 21: Jumbies
Aug. 28: The Beaker Brothers
September lineup
Sept. 4: StrumDrum and Jack Lion
Sept. 11: Diplomats of Solid Sound
Sept. 18: Stare Into The Night, Early Girl and Lipstick Homicide
Sept. 25: Signal Flow Productions
Enjoy the movies under the stars at the Iowa City Municipal Airport
Drive-In Movies at the Hangar joined the Summer of the Arts festival season last year, replacing the free movie series, bringing film screenings to a consistent central location.
Free, monthly movies will be shown at the Iowa City Municipal Airport. Each month’s movie starts roughly 30 minutes after sundown. Drive-In Movies at the Hangar kicks off on Saturday, May 16, with a screening of “Superman,” and closes with “Zootopia 2” on Aug. 15.
May 16: Superman
June 20: The Birdcage
July 18: Galaxy Quest
Aug. 15: Zootopia 2
Soak up live music at Rhythms at Riverfront Crossing
Since its 2024 debut, Rhythms at Riverfront Crossing has brought live music to the riverbanks and captured the hearts of the community. The lineup of musicians for the concert series has not been released yet.
Music on the Move brings live music to local parks
Music on the Move initially started as “Truckload of Soul” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kevin Burt wanted to bring live music to neighbors, so he loaded his guitar into his pickup truck and traveled to a few different neighborhoods.
The project has rebranded as Music on the Move, ushering in 12 nights of music throughout the summer. The performances will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays in local parks from June to late August.
June 10: Dave Zollo and Brian Cooper at Fairmeadows Park, Iowa City
June 17: The Soft & Low at S.T. Morrison Park, Coralville
June 24: Blake Shaw Quartet at Willow Creek Park, Iowa City
July 1: Kevin Burt at Mercer Park, Iowa City
July 8: Hard Luck & the Troubles at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area, Iowa City
July 15: Goat Hollow Boys at Happy Hollow Park, Iowa City
July 22: Stephanie Catlett with Dan Padley & Tara McGovern at James Alan McPherson Park, Iowa City
July 29: Steve Grismore Trio at City Park, Iowa City
Aug. 5: Cedar County Cobras at City Hall Plaza, North Liberty
Aug. 12: Brick Street Ramblers at Court Hill Park, Iowa City
Aug. 19: Pigs & Clover at Peninsula Neighborhood, Iowa City
Aug. 26: Ion & Friends at College Green Park, Iowa City
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @rishjessica_
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Discover Iowa City’s 2026 festival season with music, movies and more
Reporting by Jessica Rish, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
