Love to Eat? Here Are All the Iowa Food Festivals & Events in 2025 [LIST]

Chances are, there's a festival or event here in Iowa that's dedicated to one of your favorite foods! Using the website Festival Guides, we put together a list of ALL of the ones on the schedule in 2025. Big or small, we've got 'em all!

As you'll notice, there are certain foods here in Iowa that are included in MANY different festivals across the state (sweet corn or watermelon, anyone?). No matter what area you live in, there's some sort of festival or event centered around a type of food in 2025 that you can check out! Here are the confirmed food festivals/events in Iowa this year:

Fork & Knife Feast

• Epic Event Center, Marion
• Thursday, February 20th from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• "Fork & Knife Feast will feature all [19] participating Restaurant Week 2025 restaurants, who will sample culinary concoctions and preview items that may be part of their special Restaurant Week menus."
• Purchase tickets HERE

Keystone Turners Testicle Festival

• Keystone Turner Hall
• Saturday, March 1st from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• $20 per person

Wine, Food & Beer Showcase

• Des Moines Marriott Downtown
• Friday, March 7th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• "Started in 1985, the Wine, Food & Beer Showcase is one of the oldest food and beverage events in the area and has become a yearly favorite for foodies, wine lovers and beer enthusiasts alike! Featuring 30-40 of the finest restaurants, caterers, wineries, breweries and distilleries in the area..."
• Purchase tickets HERE

Maple Syrup Fest

• Hartman Reserve, Cedar Falls
• March 14th through 16th
• "...attendees will enjoy all-you-can-eat pancakes topped with maple syrup as well as sausage, Sidecar coffee, and Hansen's milk & dairy."
• Register for a timeslot HERE

Maple Syrup Festival

• Indian Creek Nature Center, Cedar Rapids
• March 29th & 30th from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• "The Maple Syrup Festival features syrup making demonstrations, a look at the action inside the Maple Sugar House, and a delicious pancake and sausage breakfast with real maple syrup handcrafted at the Nature Center."
• Purchase tickets HERE

Iowa Eats Food & Drink Festival

• Waterloo Convention Center, Waterloo
• Saturday, April 5th at 11 a.m.
• "The Iowa Eats Food & Drink Festival is the first and only event in Eastern Iowa to feature all Iowa foods, products, chefs, authors and agriculture-related products... attendees will enjoy a one-day celebration of food and beverage tasting, cooking and product demonstrations, live entertainment and more."
• Purchase tickets HERE

Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival

• Iowa State Fairgrounds Agricultural Building, Des Moines
• Saturday, May 3rd from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. (early admission at 11 a.m.)
• "Baconfest is an event created by devout bacon-lovers for bacon-lovers. Every year passionate people from all corners of the wide world flock to Baconfest in Des Moines, IA (the famous hog state) fixin’ to feast on tasty bacon delicacies, to get weird, and to have a grand ol’ time."
• Ages 21+
• Purchase tickets HERE

Houby (Mushroom) Days

• Czech Village, Cedar Rapids
• May 17th & 18th
• Featuring a parade, live music, vendors, food, a kolache eating contest, mushroom sales, and more

Center Point Pork Days

• Fross Park, Center Point
• June 6th & 7th
• Featuring pork dinners, live music, a beer tent, a parade, games, and more

Greek Food Fair Festival

• St. George Greek Orthodox Church, Des Moines
• June 6th through 8th
• Featuring Greek & Serbian food, beer & wine, dancing, and more

Long Grove Strawberry Festival

• Long Grove, Iowa
• Sunday, June 9th
• Featuring strawberries, cake, & ice cream, a strawberry cooking contest, vendors, a race, kids' activities, and more

Gladbrook Corn Carnival

• Gladbrook, Iowa
• June 12th through 15th
• Featuring a grand parade, live entertainment, a 5K, carnival rides, a car show, vendors, sweet corn, and more

Strawberry Days

• Strawberry Point, Iowa
• June 12th through 15th
• Featuring free strawberries & ice cream, a 5k, games, a carnival, a parade, live music, inflatables, and more

Farmington Strawberry Festival

• Farmington, Iowa
• June 13th through 15th
• Featuring free strawberries & ice cream, vendors, a car show, kids' activities, live music, food, tournaments, BINGO, and more

Ice Cream Days Festival

• Le Mars, Iowa
• June 18th through 21st
• Featuring a carnival, a parade, kids' activities, live music, vendors, an ice cream social, a car show, and more

St. Ludmila Kolach Festival

• St. Ludmila Catholic Church, Cedar Rapids
• Dates/Times
  • Friday, June 20th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Saturday, June 21st from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Sunday, June 22nd from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Featuring kolaches, a silent auction, Kiddieland, inflatables, concessions, raffles, live music, and more

Sweet Corn Serenade

• City Square Park, Oskaloosa
• Thursday, July 24th from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Featuring a craft & vendor fair, sweet corn, food, a kids' zone, and more

Waukon Corn Days

• Waukon, Iowa
• August 1st & 2nd
• Featuring a kids' zone, live music, all-you-can-eat sweet corn, a parade, a car & bike show, and more

Operation T-Bone

• Audubon, Iowa
• August 1st through 3rd
• Featuring a car show, fireworks, steak & burgers, a beer garden, live music, kids' activities, and more

Atkins Watermelon Days

• Atkins, Iowa
• August 8th & 9th
• Featuring a parade, games, raffles, live music, a 5K, free watermelon, food trucks, an ice cream social, fireworks, kids' activities, and more

St. Jude Sweet Corn Festival

• St. Jude Catholic Church, Cedar Rapids
• August 8th through 10th
• Featuring sweet corn, rides, games, food, a beer tent, live music, raffles, and more

Adel Sweet Corn Festival

• Adel, Iowa
• Saturday, August 9th
• Featuring a 5K, a parade, vendors, food, tournaments, live music, a car show, free sweet corn, and more

Montrose Watermelon Festival

• Montrose, Iowa
• August 14th through 16th
• Featuring a parade, a 5K, a carnival, live entertainment, watermelon eating contests, a kids' day, a vendor market, free watermelon, and more

World Food & Music Festival

• Gateway Park, Downtown Des Moines
• August 22nd through August 24th
• "Featuring international cuisine, live performances, cultural activities, and global beverages..."

Independence Brew-BQ

• Riverwalk Parks, Independence
• Saturday, August 23rd
• "Admittance into Riverwalk Parks is FREE where you can enjoy live music and the purchase of tasty BBQ and cold beverages. The Craft Brew Zone area requires the purchase of a pass and we encourage you to register for the R.A.S.H. Ride too!"

Taste of Iowa City

• Downtown Iowa City
• Wednesday, August 27th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• "Taste of Iowa City celebrates the culinary diversity of Downtown and Northside restaurants and rewards the Iowa City community with sample portions from a diverse range of menus! "

Stockport BBQ Days

• Stockport, Iowa
• August 29th & 30th
• Featuring a BBQ cook-off, a chili cook-off, a car show, a parade, a bags tournament, and more

Waterloo's Food Truck Festival

• RiverLoop Expo Plaza, Waterloo
• Saturday, August 30th from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Featuring "some of the best food truck vendors from throughout the region."
• 2025 tickets are not currently on sale

Fayette Watermelon Days

• Fayette, Iowa
• September 5th through 7th
• Featuring kids' activities, live music, games, a 5K, a watermelon eating contest, BINGO, fireworks, a parade, free watermelon, and more

Applefest

• Living History Farms, Urbandale
• Saturday, September 27th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• "Join us for a day of family fun celebrating apple harvest season! Visit our historic sites to see how past cooks would prepare and serve apple treats, such as apple butter, cake or pie, and cider. Print an apple recipe in the Print Shop, and purchase apple goodies and tasty treats from local food vendors."
• 2025 tickets are not currently on sale

Here are some other food festivals in Iowa that have yet to announce their 2025 dates. We will keep the list updated as more information becomes available:

• Apfelfest, Amana Colonies
• Appleberry Orchard Testicle Festival, Donnellson
• BaconTown, Ottumwa
• Cajun Fest Boil & Brew, Des Moines
• Cascade Wingfest, Cascade
• Corn-Bred Cornbread Festival, Des Moines
• Danbury Corn Days, Danbury
• Dike Watermelon Days, Dike
• Elkader Sweet Corn Days, Elkader
• Estherville Sweet Corn Days, Estherville
• Garlic Festival, Earlham
• Hartford BBQ Bash, Hartford
• Hedrick BBQ Days, Hedrick
• Larchwood Chislic Festival, Larchwood
• Lime Springs Sweet Corn Days, Lime Springs
• Lisbon Sauerkraut Days, Lisbon
• Littleton Free Watermelon Day, Littleton
• Mac & Cheese Fest Dubuque, Dubuque
• Newell Watermelon Days, Newell
• North Liberty Blues & BBQ, North Liberty
• Pickle Palooza, Donnellson
• Quimby Watermelon Days, Quimby
• Rib Fest, Sioux City
• Riverview Bacon & Brew Fest, Clinton
• Solon Beef Days, Solon
• Stanhope Watermelon Day, Stanhope
• Sweet Corn Daze, Rockwell City
• Walker Pickle Days, Walker
• Wurst Festival, Amana Colonies