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Make Your Plans For Next Week's World Food & Music Festival

WFMF 2019

September 13, 2019

DOWNTOWN DES MOINES, IOWA (Sept. 12, 2019) – Greater Des Moines’ (DSM’s) premier food and music festival will take place Friday, Sept. 20 – Sunday, Sept. 22 at Western Gateway Park in Downtown DSM. The 15th Annual World Food & Music Festival will feature more than 50 food vendors representing more than 25 countries and culinary regions. The Festival will be open from 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The award-winning Festival celebrates cuisine and entertainment from around the world including Bosnia, Bhutan, China, Ecuador, France, Greece, Italy, Jamaica, Laos, Liberia, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Thailand, Ukraine, Venezuela, Vietnam and more.

Headline bands for The Festival include The Maytags and B2wins on Friday night at the Polk County Board of Supervisors Main Stage, and Vertical Horizon on Saturday night. The main stage will also feature Darian Taylor, Joshua Sinclair, Rob Lumbard, Lily DeTaeye, Girls Rock! Des Moines, Parrenderos, NOLA, Decoy, Dueling Fiddles, Of Sea and Stone and The Sheet.

Other programming includes:

  • The Principal Cultural Stage will feature musicians and dancers showcasing culturally diverse performances.
  • All weekend long, local chefs will demonstrate their culinary skills, offer samples of their delectable creations and share instructions of how to prepare them in the Meredith Culinary Discovery Pavilion.
  • Featuring a great mix of local ambassadors and fun activities, the Cultural Discovery Tent offers a virtual trip around the world with workshops, interactive presentations and hands-on activities. Support for the Cultural Discovery Tent is provided by the Iowa Arts Council – a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts.
  • The Festival’s Fruit Adventure Tent presented by Voya Financial offers children and adults a unique experience to celebrate fruit from around the world.
  • The Nationwide Cooking Challenge pits four teams against one another in a high-energy, high-stakes race to assemble the perfect meal and prove their culinary prowess. Teams must vie to create the perfect dish to impress an esteemed panel of celebrity judges utilizing ingredients purchased at the Downtown Farmers’ Market presented by UnityPoint Health – Des Moines while navigating a few surprises along the way.
  • The Festival will partner with Meals from the Heartland again on Friday in hopes to meet or exceed the 60,000 meals packaged in 2018. Stop by the Meals from the Heartland display to learn more about this program and the international community it supports.

The World Food & Music Festival is sponsored by American Technology Consulting, Bravo Greater Des Moines, Nationwide, Polk County Board of Supervisors, Prairie Meadows, Principal, Stella Artois, Wells Fargo & Co., the Des Moines Register, More 104, WHO TV 13, Function House Hospitality, Meredith Corporation, MidAmerican Energy Company, Voya Financial, Bankers Trust, Bath Planet of Iowa, GoodBe, Happy Little Plants, LasikPlus, LeafFilter North of Iowa, LLC, Norwalk Chiropractic, Renewal by Andersen, Thrive Family Chiropractic, UnityPoint Health – Des Moines, Veridian Credit Union and Vero. The project is supported, in part, by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

For more information on the World Food & Music Festival, visit worldfoodandmusicfestival.org.

About the Greater Des Moines Partnership

The Greater Des Moines Partnership is the economic and community development organization that serves Greater Des Moines (DSM), Iowa. Together with 24 Affiliate Chambers of Commerce, more than 6,400 Regional Business Members and more than 340 Investors, The Partnership drives economic growth with one voice, one mission and as one region. Through innovation, strategic planning and global collaboration, The Partnership grows opportunity, helps create jobs and promotes DSM as the best place to build a business, a career and a future. Learn more at DSMpartnership.com.