How to Navigate the World Food & Music Festival + Support Local This Fall (Ahead of the Holiday Season!)

Experience the World Food & Music Festival with ease in 2023. To create space for Festival attendees to explore the entirety of the Western Gateway neighborhood, motor vehicles will be rerouted to ensure enough space for the thousands of attendees arriving in Downtown Des Moines (DSM) to explore The Festival. This will make it easier for them to discover the programming, entertainment and more that will be taking place at The Festival, while also putting them in ideal proximity to take notice of the many local restaurants that line Western Gateway Park. Use of certain roads will be suspended on the following locations and dates and reopen at The Festival’s completion:

Festival Site Starting Tuesday, Aug. 22

• 12th Street from Walnut Street to Locust Street and Locust Street to Grand Avenue
  • Street Transitions to Festival Site: 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22
  • Opens for Vehicles: 6 a.m. Monday, Aug. 28

Festival Site Starting Wednesday, Aug. 23

• Locust Street from 10th Street to 13th Street
  
  • Street Transitions to Festival Site: 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 23
  • Opens for Vehicles: 6 a.m. Monday Aug. 28

Festival Site Starting Thursday, Aug. 24

• Grand Avenue from 12th Street to 14th Street
  • Street Transitions to Festival Site: 9 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 23
  • Opens for Vehicles: 6 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 28
• 13th Street from Locust Street to Grand Avenue
  • Street Transitions to Festival Site: 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 24
  • Opens for Vehicles: 6 a.m. Monday, Aug. 28

There will be several metered parking spots available to patrons along 13th Street from Locust to Walnut. Each meter will be marked with Festival signage. Downtown DSM restaurant and retail customers can use the meters from Thursday, Aug. 24 – Sunday, Aug. 27.

Half of the south side of the Locust Street and 13th Street parking lot will also be reserved for restaurant and retail staff parking from Thursday, Aug. 24 – Sunday, Aug. 27.

Learn more about navigating the Festival here.

Support Local Businesses Now + Later

As summer comes to an end and fall leads us into preparations for the holiday season, this is the perfect time to support local businesses who invite you to see their holiday inventory as it comes in over the next few months. According to Salesforce, consumers are saving more and spending less in 2023. That means restaurants, bars and other dining establishments must look for new ways to create experiences for those retail shoppers. For World Food & Music Festival attendees, seeing promotional opportunities — like social media posts of diverse menu items — coupons and more is sure to heighten awareness of which local businesses World Food & Music Festival attendees should return to for holiday purchases, including those to visit for Small Business Saturday on Saturday, Nov. 25!

Make plans to attend The Festival this weekend and visit 55 food vendors — 18 that are new! — for authentic eats and treats in Downtown DSM. While there, take note of permanent restaurants to visit at a later date. There’s no better way to celebrate cultural diversity and support local than attending the World Food & Music Festival this year.

Western Gateway in Downtown Des Moines (DSM) is home to the World Food & Music Festival, where diverse cuisine, live music, cooking demonstrations and other performances offer a place to experience culture every September.