Christmas trees, ice skating, holiday lights, snow, caroling, horse carriage rides….. yep, the holiday season is upon us once again.  Quite a few events in the downtown district kick things off this weekend to get you in the festive holiday spirit.

Holiday Promenade  

This year is the 10th anniversary of the Holiday Promenade which is held in the East Village.  This event just seems to get bigger and bigger each and every year.  With everything from holiday carolers, to shopping, to free horse and carriage rides.  Stores will be staying open later than usual, until 9pm in fact,  so you can get started on your holiday shopping early or just check out some of the stores that you’ve never had a chance to get to during their normal business hours.

Maybe shopping isn’t your thing.  Maybe you wanted to check out some fireworks.  While it may not be the 4th of July just yet that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a great show.  The fireworks start at 6:20 in the East Village.  If you’re looking for the best spot to watch them then look no further than the Brenton Plaza or the Center Street Pedestrian Bridge. Speaking of the Brenton Plaza, Friday the 18th marks the opening day for the outdoor skating arena with the grand opening ceremony kicking off at 5am!

With festive music and events all across the East Village there’s sure to be something for every family member.  More information can be found on the East Village website here.

Jolly Holiday Lights – Tour de Lights

Every year just outside of downtown in Waterworks Park, Des Moines plays host to the largest holiday lighting display in the state, featuring more than 3 1/2 miles of lights and supporting a great tradition of helping others out during the holiday season.  Put on every year by the Iowa chapter of the Make-A-Wish chapter all proceeds go towards helping children’s wishes come true.  The event runs November 22nd – January 1st and admission is $5/car, $20/limo, or $45/bus.  However if you want to get a sneak peak the Tour de Lights occurs this weekend on Sunday November 20th.  This is a special one night event that allows you to walk, run, or bike through the winter wonderland.  Entry is $5 per person and children under 3 get in free.  Full details can be found here.

If your looking for a way to kick-start your holiday spirit, get a jump on your holiday shopping, or just enjoy a nice family friendly weekend then you have no further to look.

One of the great things about Des Moines is the rich history of culture that permeates the city year in and year out.  Every year there are certain events that you can look forward to and expect to happen, and each year it seems as though new fun events also spring up.  Unfortunately for some of those events the time is nearly gone to enjoy them.  Here are just a couple of things with a limited time left to enjoy.

Saturday Farmer’s Market

This Saturday the 28th marks the last day for the fall Farmer’s Market.  This has been running since 1976 and has gotten bigger and bigger every year. This means you have one last chance to grab fresh meat, fresh fruits and vegetables, or hand-made items from any of the 200+ vendors.  If you haven’t made it out to check out the Farmer’s Market and experience the culture that lives and thrives there this is your last chance of the season.  However if you do miss it, have no fear, there are two Winter Market’s on November 18th and December 16th.  For more information on what can be found there check out their Winter Market website.

East Village Sunday Bazaar

One of the new events that sprung up this year was the East Village Bazaar.  Held noon-4pm on Sundays this is the last weekend to enjoy it as it ends on the 31st.  This is an excellent opportunity to check out Des Moines’ very own East Village.  Not only do a majority of stores stay open during the event, but the East Village will also play host to food vendors and live music, not to mention all the outdoor vendors selling vintage clothing, accessories, and home decor.  For more information on what they have to offer check out the East Village website.

If there is just one thing that you can say Des Moines has an abundance of it would have to be restaurants.  It’s almost a problem because it makes it so hard to pick a place to go out to eat.  It’s always a tough decision to decide between hitting up one of your favorite local restaurants, or branching out and trying something new.  Well if you’re the type of person who inevitably winds up choosing what you know rather than trying something new and feels guilty that, then this weekend would be a great time to get on out to the East Village for the 7th annual World Food Festival.

This unique festival is held as a partnership with the World Food Prize Foundation which we talked about a bit more in our blog last year when they were in town.  Basically the internationally lauded prize is awarded to the person of the year responsible for the most vital breakthrough in making significant and measurable contributions to improving the worlds food supply.  In honor of that the World Food Festival in Des Moines was created to honor Iowa’s rich agricultural heritage.  The festival highlights 30 local shops, making family recipes,  each with their own ethnic flair with food ranging from American, Bosnia, the Caribbean, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Greece, Hawaii, India, Mesopotamia, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, Salvador and Turkey.  Stealing a play out of McDonald’s playbook all these merchants will be offering taste tests of their food for a dollar a piece.  Once you find something you love all full plates are five dollars or less.

Food might be the best reason to visit, but it isn’t the only reason to be checking out the festival this weekend.  Live music all day long, cooking demonstrations from local chefs teaching new cooking techniques, salsa dance lessons, the chance to pet an alligator….. there’s certainly plenty to keep you occupied.  For a full run-down on events check out their website:  http://www.worldfoodfestival.org

So give your taste buds a road trip and come check out this festival in the East Village of Des Moines!