Greenbelt Music Festival — May 16 & 17: Clive
Featuring a good blend of local and touring acts in the Americana/roots vein, Greenbelt is fun for the whole family. Located in Clive right off the Greenbelt trail, it’s a great way to kick off summer festival season. Acts this year include The Devil Makes Three, Shovels & Rope, Hiss Golden Messenger, Flash In A Pan and many more.
Gays and Faes — May 30 — Jun. 1: Decorah
To start off Pride month we have Gays and Faes happening in Decorah. The festival celebrates queer creativity and community with bands, DJs, artists, camping, wonder and whimsy in the hills of Decorah. Acts include Keep For Cheap, Charlieboy, Early Girl, Holding Hemlock and many more.
Chroma 63 — June 14: Waterloo
On June 14, the Waterloo Center for the Arts will host the Chroma 63 Midwest Arts & Sound Festival at the RiverLoop Amphitheatre. It’s the first year for the festival, and they’ve announced a musical lineup that’s heavy on Iowa artists, along with a wide variety of underground artists in other disciplines. Chroma 63 is free and open to all ages.
Acts this year include Radkey, Greg Wheeler and the Poly Mall Cops, The Value of Human Life, Jim Swim, Lipstick Homicide and more.
Des Moines Arts Festival — June 27 — 29: Des Moines
With live music across two stages and no cost to attend, the Des Moines Arts Festival is a gem for the city and art lovers alike. This year's headliners are Mike Skill’s The Romantics, Tonic, and Shane Guerrette. Local acts performing include The Finesse, Lady Revel, and Munk Rivers.
Saturday in the Park — July 5: Sioux City
Held annually at the Grandview Park Municipal Bandshell in Sioux City, Saturday in the Park brings around 25,000 attendees and hosts an eclectic lineup. This year’s acts are still TBD, but past years have featured everyone from Earth, Wind & Fire to Bleachers, Buddy Guy, Liz Phair, Flo-Rida and John Fogerty.
Minnesota Yacht Club — July 18 — 20: St. Paul, MN
Celebrating its second year, Minnesota Yacht Club has become a festival to know. It takes place in scenic Harriet Island Regional Park. With this year's line-up including Hozier, Father John Misty, Weezer, Fall Out Boy, Remi Wolf, Alabama Shakes and plenty of others, it's well worth the trip up north.
Maha — Aug. 2: Omaha, NE
If you’re not headed to Hinterland but are looking for a music festival fix, check out Maha in Omaha. The festival took 2024 off and has now come back, in the process joining forces with Outlandia Festival. It's one full day of music, with The Pixies, Band of Horses, Waxahatchee, Magdalena Bay and The Silversun Pickups. It’s a great shorter alternative to the three days of blistering sun you'll experience at Hinterland.
Hinterland — Aug. 1 — 3: St. Charles
Hinterland is bringing its most diverse lineup ever to St. Charles this summer. Some of the biggest names in music are headlining this year, with sets from Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator and Kacey Musgraves. It's not just the headliners though. Hinterland is also bringing exciting newcomers Sam Austins, SCOWL, Glass Beams and Royel Otis among many more. These are all artists to keep your eye on, don’t miss them. This year is also the first on new festival grounds and with a bigger main stage.
Alternating Currents — Aug. 14 — 17: Quad Cities
Taking place in the Quad Cities, Alternating Currents features 200+ performances across 30+ venues with a wide variety of music, comedy, film and visual arts. It's also the only bi-state, multi-city festival of its kind.
Nearly all the programming is free to attend. The festival welcomes attendees of all types with a unique and engaging experience that showcases our region's best assets. This year's acts include Gully Boys, Abbie Sawyer, Post Sex Nachos, Running Man, Sun Centauri and more.
Ingersoll live — Aug. 23: Des Moines
Hailed as the “ultimate neighborhood block party” with local vendors and fun for the whole family. Ingersoll Live is a fantastic showcase of local music, this year's acts are TBD but keep an eye out for an eclectic lineup — and with our studios just down the street, maybe you'll even see us there too!
Iowa City Songwriters Festival — Sept. 4 — 6: Iowa City
A unique addition to the list is the inaugural Iowa City Songwriters Festival. There will be live performances by Jeff Tweedy, Sunny War, Loudon Wainwright III, Joy Oladokun and more. This festival is about more than just the performances though. There will be panel discussions with some of the musicians and even one-on-one mentorship sessions. These are free, 30-minute sessions that songwriters can sign up for. It’s sure to be a unique festival experience. Here at Studio One, we can’t wait!
Lost Woods Festival — Sept. 27: Cedar Falls
Rounding out the list is one of Iowa's more recent, yet very successful, festivals: Lost Woods. Hosted by the Cedar Falls group Salt Fox, the festival achieves the difficult task of of transforming the middle of the woods into a live music wonderland. Acts are still TBA, but Salt Fox is confirmed for the third iteration. Lost Woods is truly becoming a great way to cap off festival season, as well as summer.
