It’s easy to find day trips around Eastern Iowa with festivals all summer long. Some celebrate history, others entice visitors with food and drink. Here’s a guide to explosions of art in parks and streets, cultural and heritage festivals — and lots and lots of fireworks.
Don’t see your event here? Be sure to add it to the listings at HooplaNow.com
Aubrey Lyon of Cedar Rapids and Sara Lyon of Mount Vernon created this artwork during the 2021 Chalk the Walk in Mount Vernon. The annual sidewalk art festival will be held May 7 and 8, and the public is invited to get in on the act, leaving their temporary marks on downtown city streets. (The Gazette)
may
TULIP TIME, Pella
May 5 to 7: Parades at 2:30 and 8:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, Dutch costumes and demonstrations, performances, tours, craft and vendor fair, food, music and tulip gardens — set in picturesque Pella, with parks and architecture reminiscent of historic Netherlands. pellahistorical.org/tuliptimeschedule
CHALK THE WALK, Mount Vernon
May 7 and 8: 10 am to 6 pm First Street turns into a giant canvas, as hundreds of artists will leave their mark there, using more than a half-ton of chalk. visitmvl.com/event/chalk-the-walk-2022/2022-05-07/
HOUBY DAYS, Cedar Rapids
May 13 to 15: Czech Village, 16th Ave. SW Czech food, food, crafts, classes, kolaches, Czech royalty and costumes, 5K fun run. czechheritagefoundation.com/events
SYTTENDE MAI, Decorah
May 17: 9 am to 5 pm, Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, 502 W. Water St. Celebrating Norway’s Constitution Day with storytelling at noon and 12:45 pm at the museum; a children’s parade at 1:15 pm noon downtown, Nordic Dancers at 1:30 pm, history programs, tours at 10:30 am and 2:30 pm (563) 382-9681 or vesterheim.org/program/syttende-mai-2022/
MARION ARTS FESTIVAL
May 21: 9 am to 5 pm, City Square Park. Juried art exhibits, 5K and half marathon, demonstrations, Art in the Depot clay activities, Empty Bowls fundraiser. marionartsfestival.com/
GREAT AMERICAN KITES, Marion
May 21: 10 am to 4 pm, baseball diamonds at Lowe Park, 4401 Irish Dr. Colorful outdoor giant kite displays. bring seating; Outside food and drink permitted. cityofmarion.org/recreation/events/community-calendar
FREE MOVIE SERIES, Iowa City
May 21 to Aug. 20 and Oct. 8: Saturdays at sunset, various sites, including parks, the Johnson County Fairgrounds and the Iowa City Airport; family fare, bring seating. summerofthearts.org/
IOWA RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL, Middle Amana
May 28 to 30, June 4 and 5, Oct. 8 and 9: 10 am to 6 pm, Middle Amana Park, 27th Avenue and H Street. Historical re-enactments, comedy, swordplay, music, magic, horseback jousting, marketplace, food and drink. Admission: $15 adults, $8 kids, free ages 5 and under; passes available. iowarenfest.com/
June
IOWA ARTS FESTIVAL, Iowa City
June 3 to 5: Downtown. Features local and national artists, food, kids’ activities, local and national musicians. Free admittance. summerofthearts.org/
ROBINS ROUNDUP, Robins
June 10 and 11: Friday: 7 pm free Kids Color Run; 8pm Twilight 5K walk/run, $35. Saturday: 10 am Main Street parade; South Troy Park features music, games, concessions, fireworks. robinscivicclub.com/
ST. LUDMILA KOLACH FESTIVAL, Cedar Rapids
June 11 and 12: St. Ludmila Catholic Church, 211 21st Ave. SW Details to come; kolaches will be available for purchase. stludmila.org/https-wwwkolachfestivalorg
JUNETEENTH, Cedar Rapids
June 14: Juneteenth and Emancipation program, 6:30 to 7:30 pm, presented by the African American Museum of Iowa at the Hiawatha Library, 150 W. Willman St., Hiawatha.
June 18: Celebration of the end of slavery in America, 10 am to 6 pm, entertainment, vendors, Black Business Expo and more, NewBo City Market, 1100 Third St. SE; free admittance. blackiowa.org/event/juneteenth-festival-3/
June 19: Cedar Rapids Opera presents a free community concert, 2 pm NewBo City Market outdoor stage, 1100 Third St. SE. cropera.org/juneteenth2022
CEDAR RAPIDS FREEDOM FESTIVAL
June 14 to July 4: Begins with Flag Day flag retirement ceremony, moves on through Tribute to Heroes, music, movies, baseball, ski shows, Dock Dogs, food, games, movies, contests, bike ride; Balloon Glow and Great American Kites at 6 pm June 18 at Jones Park; parade at 10 am June 25 downtown route and Imagination Square; laser light show 8 pm July 1 at Hawkeye Downs; July 4 pancake breakfast, car show, concert, fireworks. freedomfestival.com/
LAWLER IRISH FEST, Lawler
June 17 and 18: Downtown Lawler, beginning at 6 pm Friday and noon Saturday. Featuring Irish music and dance, classic rock and country bands, kilt contest, food, games, 1 pm parade Saturday; Admission is $5 per day. lawleririshfest.com/
SAUSAGE FESTIVAL, AMANA
June 18: 11 am to 11:59 pm, Market Barn area, 622 46th Ave., Amana. With food, music, games, contests, Wurst University, Dachshund Derby at 5 pm amanacolonies.com/event/wurst-festival/
LINN COUNTY FAIR, Central City
June 22 to 26: 201 Central City Rd. Featuring 4-H and FFA exhibits, entertainment, vendors, grandstand music, races and contests. thelinncountyfair.com/fair-week/
FAIRFAX USA DAYS
June 24 and 25: 5K, food, street market, movie in the park, kids’ rides, games, Friday street dance, Saturday parade at 11:30 am, fireworks 9:30 pm thebankhere.com/usadays
TREKFEST, Riverside
June 24 and 25: Hall Park. “Star Trek”-themed festival with kids’ games, trivia contest, Star Trek model building contest, Star Trek celebrities, music, food, star gazing 9:30 pm Friday, 1K and 5K Saturday, 10 am parade Saturday, fireworks Saturday. trekfest.org/
July
CORALVILLE 4thFEST
July 3 and 4: ST Morrison Park, 1513 Seventh St. Includes 5K run/walk, carnival, entertainment, contests, food; free concert July 3, FunkDaddies at 6:30 pm, Night Ranger at 8 pm; July 4 parade at noon, fireworks at 9:45 pm coralville.org/310/4thFest
INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATION, Independence
July 3 and 4: Riverwalk Parks, various sites, Independence. Music, games, food, parade, fireworks. celebrateindee.com/
CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL, Amana Colonies
July 9: Games, special events. Watch for details at amanacolonies.com/event/kinderfest/
NORTH LIBERTY BLUES & BBQ
July 9: 10 am to 10:30 pm, Centennial Park, 1565 St Andrews Dr.; free admittance. With barbecue, 10 am to 10 pm; free kids’ inflatables, 10 am to 2 pm; Iowa craft beer, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; free live blues music; northlibertyblues.org/
REFLECTIONS OF THE CIVIL WAR, Cedar Rapids
July 9 and 10: 9 am to 4 pm Saturday, 9 am to 3 pm Sunday, Seminole Valley Farm Museum, 1400 Seminole Valley Rd. NE. Encampments, battles, music., canon fire; $5 adults, free ages 12 and under. seminolevalleyfarmmuseum.net/home.html
DELAWARE COUNTY FAIR, Manchester
July 11 to 17: Exhibits, entertainment and more, 200 East Acers St., Manchester. Grandstand: Jake Owen, July 14, $45-$60; Love the ’90s, July 15, $50-$65.
INTERNATIONAL JUGGLING FESTIVAL, Cedar Rapids
July 11 to 17: 75th annual event, with shows, workshops, games and competitions, returning to downtown Cedar Rapids, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cedar Rapids Convention Center Complex and Paramount Theater. Watch for details at festival.juggle.org/
TOUR DE BREW, Amana
July 16: All day, 38-mile bicycle poker run from Millstream Brewery and back; food, music, beer and more; registration details coming at millstreambrewing.com/event/tour-de-brew/
SOLON BEEF DAYS
July 15 and 16: Details to come at facebook.com/SolonBeefDays
GREAT JONES COUNTY FAIR, Monticello
July 20 to 24, fairgrounds. Carnival, food, exhibits, music. Grandstand concerts: July 21, Hank Williams Jr. with Tracy Byrd, $45; July 22, Brothers Osborne and Lee Brice, $40; July 23, Lady A with Uncle Kracker, $60; July 24, Blanco Brown, $15; greatjonescountyfair.com/
RAGBRAI XLVI
July 23 to 30: Annual bicycle ride across Iowa. Northern route with overnight stops in Ida Grove, Pocahontas, Emmetsburg, Mason City, Charles City, West Union, Lansing. ragbrai.com/
JOHNSON COUNTY FAIR, Iowa City
July 24 to 27: Watch for details at johnsoncofair.com/
NORDIC FEST, Decorah
July 28 to 30: Norwegian food and crafts, sporting events, Nordic dancers, street dances, entertainment, 6:45 pm opening ceremonies Thursday, 10:30 am parade Saturday, fireworks 10 pm Saturday. nordicfest.com/
SWISHER FUN DAYS
July 29 and 30: Games, street dance, 10 am parade Saturday, fireworks 8:30 pm Saturday. facebook.com/swisherfundays/
WALKER PICKLE DAYS
July 29 and 30: Watch for details at facebook.com/pickledays/
August
HIAWATHA FUN FESTIVAL
Aug. 5 and 6: Planning underway. Watch for details at facebook.com/HiawathaFunFest/
HOOVER’S HOMETOWN DAYS, West Branch
Aug. 5 and 6: Hoover-Ball championships, music, entertainment, rides, games, food, parade and more. Watch for details at facebook.com/HooversHometownDays
IOWA STATE FAIR, Des Moines
Aug. 11 to 21: Fairgrounds, East 30th Street and East University Avenue. Midway rides, food on a stick, exhibits, livestock, music, contests, grandstand concerts and the Butter Cow. www.iowastatefair.org/
ST. JUDE SWEET CORN FESTIVAL, Cedar Rapids
Aug. 12 to 14: St. Jude Catholic Church, 50 Edgewood Rd. NW. Watch for details at judes5.wixsite.com/judesweetcornfest
AMANA FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
Aug 13: Market Barn area, 707 46th Ave., Amana. Juried fine art, folk art displays, demonstrations, sales, performances, food, kids’ activities. amanacolonies.com/things-to-do/events/special-events/festival-of-the-arts/
SAUERKRAUT DAYS, Lisbon
Aug. 18 to 20: Food, carnival, music, contests, parade, street dance, fireworks. visitmvl.com/event/lisbon-sauerkraut-days-2022/
MODEL A DAY, Amana
Aug 20: 8 am to 3 pm Features 80 to 100 Model A vehicles, food, entertainment. amanacolonies.com/things-to-do/events/themed-weekends/model-a-day/
WORLD WAR II REMEMBERED, Cedar Rapids
Aug. 20 and 21: 9 am to 4 pm Saturday, 9 am to 3 pm Sunday, Seminole Valley Farm Museum, 1400 Seminole Valley Rd. NE. Visit with veterans, see artifacts; by donation, portion of which goes to Honor Flight. seminolevalleyfarmmuseum.net/
INDEPENDENCE BREWBQ
Aug 27: 7 am to 9 pm Riverwalk Parks, Independence. Barbecue vendors, live music, craft brew zone, bike ride. brewbq.org/
BOOM TOWN VINTON
Aug 27: Boom Fest 9 am to 2 pm downtown; Evening fireworks grand display at the fairgrounds. Watch for details at vintonboomtown.com/
September
FRYFEST, Coralville
Sept 2: Iowa River Landing. Hawkeye celebration with food, trade show, pep rally, contests, kids’ activities, block party; evening outdoor concert by Restless Road, $5; firework. fryfest.com/
APPLE FESTIVAL, Amana
Sept. 17 and 18: 10 at Apple festival, featuring apple treats and sampling stroll; Sunday Volksmarch, 11 am to 2 pm, Homestead timber. amanacolonies.com/event/apfelfest-apple-fest/
SWAMP FOX FESTIVAL, Marion
Last weekend in September: Watch for details at cityofmarion.org/recreation/things-to-do/festivals
OCTOBERFEST, Amana
Sept 30 to Oct 2: beer, live music, games, German food, parade. amanacolonies.com/things-to-do/festivals/oktoberfest/
Comments: (319) 368-8508; diana.nollen@thegazette.com
Jousting is one of the main attractions at the Iowa Renaissance Festival & Gathering o’ Celts, held in Middle Amana Park. This year’s festival will stretch over multiple weekends, May 28 to 30, June 4 and 5, Oct. 8 and 9. (The Gazette)
Jacob Barnhart of West Branch tosses a ball during the Hooverball tournament at the 2019 Hoover’s Hometown Days celebration in West Branch. This year’s festival will be held Aug. 5 and 6. (The Gazette)
Klingon Chancellor Gowron (left) and General Martok throw candy to human children during the 2014 TrekFest parade in Riverside, the future birthplace of Capt. James T Kirk. This year’s celebration full of games, costume and trivia contests, music, stargazing and more will be held June 24 and 25. (The Gazette)
