Central Iowa’s largest Oktoberfest has been relocated from Des Moines to Ankeny for the first time since its inception in 2004, and a new celebration is adopting its place in the metro.
The original Des Moines Oktoberfest will now take place at the District at Prairie Trail in Ankeny Sept. 26-27.
The ticketed event has relocated before. It celebrated its 20th year last fall at Water Works Park, where it moved in 2023 after reportedly outgrowing its longtime location on 4th St., outside German restaurant Hessen Haus.
This year, organizers say a last-minute scheduling conflict with the band Turnstile — slated to play at the Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park Sept. 28 — left them unable to prepare the venue in time.
"With the festival growing, it was absolutely not an option for us to be operational until midnight and for a touring show of that magnitude to come in and be able to set up — it wasn't feasible," said Des Moines Oktoberfest co-founder Mindy Toyne. "So we unfortunately had to look to move."
She says the relocation allows the festival to expand in a new setting.
"We're pretty excited about it, and plan to be there for longer than two years," she said.
But the change also underscores growing challenges for local event organizers, including venue access and rising production costs felt by festivals across the country. Locally, Des Moines’ 80/35 Music Festival struggled after moving from downtown to Water Works Park last year, with revenue from admissions and merchandise plummeting by more than 50% between 2022 and 2024, according to public tax filings. The Greater Des Moines Music Coalition, which put on the festival, dissolved shortly after the 2024 event.
"Tickets aren't getting less expensive, and it's not getting less expensive to produce events," Toyne said. "People are being shrewd about the festivals they're attending, and how much they cost — and as they should."
In response to the shakeup, the Des Moines Biergarten, which has hosted a seasonal, German-themed beer garden pop-up at Water Works Park since 2022, announced it will host its own free, family-friendly Oktoberfest there from Sept. 19–21.
"We'd always just kind of been part of [The Des Moines Oktoberfest's] footprint," said Alec Davis with Orvis Horatio Group, which operates the Biergarten. "But with the announcement that they were going to move, we were like, 'Well, now we're a beer garden with no Oktoberfest. I guess we gotta make one ourselves.'"
The event, organized in partnership with the Water Works Park Foundation, will include live music, expanded food and drink offerings, and a full lineup of traditional games and competitions. Davis says the Biergarten intends to continue the tradition year after year.
Toye says she "absolutely" doesn't see the Biergarten's nonticketed event, which will be held the week before Des Moines Oktoberfest, affecting attendance at Ankeny's celebration.
