Des Moines’ World Food & Music Festival Ranked 6th Best City Food Festival in the U.S., Celebrates Its Anniversary This August

Des Moines’s World Food & Music Festival has been named the sixth best city food festival in the U.S., according to a new USA Today 10Best list. The annual festival takes place in late August and showcases international cuisine, diverse food and drink vendors, and interactive culinary programming.

The festival began in October 2005 in the East Village in Des Moines with around 24 vendors. Presented by the Greater Des Moines Partnership, the festival has grown over the years and now takes place at Des Moines’ Western Gateway Park. More than 90,000 guests visit each year to experience, taste, and enjoy all that the festival has to offer.

Des Moines was beaten by two other city food festivals on the list: the Queens Night Market in New York was named number one, while a food truck festival in Minneapolis ranked third. The Queens Night Market is modeled after open-air night markets in Asia and features street food that showcases the borough’s ethnic and cultural diversity.

Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register who covers this event every year. You can reach her at vreynarodriguez@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @VictoriaReynaR for updates on this year’s festival, which will take place from Friday, August 23 to Saturday, August 24 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m