Your Guide to the Ingersoll LIVE! Block Party on Aug. 26

Locals know that Ingersoll LIVE is the best place to meet up with neighbors and area businesses for an end-of-summer block party! Ingersoll LIVE, presented by Bankers Trust, returns on Saturday, Aug. 26 for its 19th year of this free community event.

Ingersoll LIVE takes over the 2800 block of Ingersoll Avenue from 3 – 10 p.m. with three stages of live music and entertainment plus local vendors, food trucks, art and family activities. It is a great chance to celebrate the special district and the neighborhoods that surround it.

As summer ends, the event provides an opportunity to reconnect with people you maybe haven’t seen in a while or make new friends with other people who live in your neighborhood. Everyone at the event has one thing in common: We love the community where we live! As a neighbor in the district, I can walk to the Ingersoll LIVE each year from my house, and I enjoy seeing so many friendly faces from my favorite local businesses.

The Ingersoll & Grand corridors have gone through great transformation in the past several years. If you haven’t been to our district lately, this event is a great reason to come check out the incredible mix of local businesses and restaurants along our accessible streetscape. You’ll also probably stumble upon a new piece of public art or two during your visit.

Whether you live in the neighborhood or just want to help us celebrate our unique and special corridor, check out this guide to enjoy everything that Ingersoll LIVE has to offer!

What to Do at the Event

After the Isiserettes Drill & Drum Corps kick-off the event, you can visit with the local vendors, catch a street performance, head to the Kid Zone or check out the Artist Village. All activities in the Kid Zone, hosted by Mediacom, are provided free of charge!

• Inflatables
• Mini Golf by Pop Up Games
• Face Painting by Ariel Paints
• Balloon Art by Storm Entertainment
• Kids Train (located in Wells Fargo parking lot)

As you move through the event, you can catch pop-up performances, happening throughout the night in the street near the stages, from the Devine Dancers, Heartland Swing, Belly Dancers from Mission Improvisational Dance Company and the Des Moines Breakerz.

Later in the evening, the local bands will take over on the main stages. Here is a full performance schedule:

• 5 – 6:30 p.m. Ducharme Jones (West Stage)
• 6 – 7:30 p.m. Parranderos Latin Combo (East Stage)
• 7:30 – 9 p.m. Heath Alan Band (West Stage)
• 8:30 – 10 p.m. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (East Stage)

This year – for the first time! – Ingersoll LIVE has added an Artist Village to showcase the talent of local artists and youth arts organizations. Don’t forget to visit the Wells Fargo parking lot where you’ll find artist vendor booths, an interactive art station for kids from the Des Moines Art Center and the Community Stage featuring performances from City Voices, Des Moines Playhouse, Girls Rock! and more.

What to Eat + Drink

After all this fun and entertainment, you’ll be sure to work up an appetite. Check out our food and beverage vendors:

• Beer & Wine by Star Bar – Ingersoll business!
• Crème – Ingersoll business!
• Gusto Pizza Bar – Ingersoll business!
• Lachele’s Battle Bus – Ingersoll business!
• Kona Ice
• Karam’s Grill
• Sabores de Mexico
• DonutNV

How to Get There

A bike valet hosted by the Street Collective will be available for those looking to attend via the district’s new protected bike lanes. Ingersoll Avenue is also located on DART’s Route 60 which will be providing transit service to the event. Attendees planning to drive to Ingersoll LIVE are welcome to park in business lots (as available and permitted) or on the street.

Go to theavenuesdsm.com/ingersoll-live-2023 to see the full line-ups and a list of business, artist and nonprofit vendors.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership calendar of events is a one-stop resource for activities taking place throughout the region. Find networking information for Greater Des Moines (DSM) businesses or events specific to Downtown DSM.