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About the Festival

The World Food & Music Festival presented by Veridian Credit Union is produced by the Greater Des Moines Partnership. The event offers international cuisine, live music and performing arts, cooking demonstrations, interactive programs, craft beers and much more.

History

The Festival began in October 2005 in the Historic East Village in Downtown DSM. It featured approximately two dozen vendors and welcomed thousands of guests eager to explore the diverse cuisine. The Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines was there from the beginning to support The Festival and provide a solid base from which to grow.

Over the years, The Festival expanded its vendors, programming and entertainment and continued to see more guests enjoying the activities each year. To accommodate the growth, The Festival moved onto the Downtown DSM bridges for several years and in 2017 expanded into its current home in Western Gateway Park. Today, more than 90,000 guests visit The Festival each year to taste, see, hear and experience the many wonders of the World Food & Music Festival.

Love BLOOMS Mural

Love BLOOMS is a mural created in Downtown Des Moines (DSM) through support provided by the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines. The artwork was selected by a committee of individuals who have contributed to The Festival. These individuals included:

Joe D'Souza, Festival Event Team Volunteer
Kristi Idio, Festival Vendor, Lumpia & Co.
Sanjita Pradhan, Greater Des Moines Partnership
Vicente Rico, Nationwide
Bridgett Robinson, The Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines
Yoko Tanaka, CultureAll Ambassador

The mural, entitled Love Blooms, was created by DSM artist Jenna Brownlee. It features a vibrant floral design overlaid with the word “love” in modern calligraphy. There is duel meaning in the symbolic typography with the letter “O” depicting a globe while the letter “V” is the universal symbol for peace and the letter “v” in sign language. Additionally, each flower represents global diversity in the state of Iowa.

Bosnia Lily – Bosnia
Bunchberry – Canada
Dahlia – Mexico
Lotus – India
Plum Blossom – China
Prairie Rose – State of Iowa
Protea – South Africa
Rose – United States of America

Get Involved

Interested in participating? Visit the Get Involved page for more information.

Sponsorship

The Festival's success is due in part to the generosity of its sponsors. For more information, visit the Sponsor page or contact Kathryn Smith, Director of Community Engagement.

2023 Presenting Sponsor

2023 Gold Sponsors

2023 Silver Sponsors

2023 Bronze Sponsors

Bankers Trust | Polk County | Penske | Dave & Busters

2023 Contributing Sponsors

Renewal by Andersen of Des Moines | Vero

Special thanks to