What to Do in Downtown DSM This Week: Sept. 25 – Oct. 1

September is wrapping up and October is moving in, bringing a new mix of things to see, hear, taste and experience in Downtown Des Moines (DSM). Celebrate the weekend with food, music and cultural traditions, raise a stein to Oktoberfest or settle into your seat for the start of a new Symphony season. If you’re ready to get a jump on Halloween, one of Downtown DSM’s spookiest attractions is opening its doors, while the first day of October brings the return of a larger-than-life show after more than a decade away. Whether you’re making weekend plans or looking ahead to later in the week, there’s a lot happening in the heart of the city. Here are five can’t-miss things to do in Downtown DSM Friday, Sept. 25 – Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.

The Slaughterhouse Haunted House

Friday, Sept. 25 – Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026 | 500 Locust St.
Ready to start Halloween a little early? The Slaughterhouse Haunted House is back beneath the streets of Downtown DSM, and this year there are more than 20,000 square feet of scares waiting for you. Make your way through new scenes and surprises, including the all-new Cannibal Bayou, a backwoods nightmare where you probably don’t want to find out what’s lurking around the next corner. Whether you make haunted houses an annual tradition or need some convincing before willingly walking into the dark, opening weekend is your first chance to test your nerves. Grab your bravest friends and see who makes it through without screaming. No promises.
LEARN MORE

Confluence Oktoberfest

Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026 | Confluence Brewing Company
Grab your lederhosen and raise a stein because Oktoberfest is taking over Confluence Brewing Company from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Spend the day working your way through German-inspired food from The Good Butcher, including brats, German potato salad and pretzels with beer cheese, while three live acts keep the music going. Think your arm can handle a full stein? Put it to the test during one of two stein-holding contests. You can also enter hourly rubber duck races from noon–5 p.m., with prizes for each winner and a duck to take home afterward. Add some Confluence beer to the mix, and you’ve got yourself an Oktoberfest. Prost!
LEARN MORE

Latino Heritage Festival

Saturday, Sept. 26 – Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026 | Western Gateway Park
Come hungry and ready to celebrate at Iowa’s Latino Heritage Festival, the state’s largest and longest-running Latino cultural celebration. Western Gateway Park fills with two days of Latin music, dancing, food, art and traditions from across the Latino community, giving you lots to experience as you make your way around the festival. Visit cultural and educational booths, browse artist displays, sample your way through the food vendors and bring the kids along for activities designed just for them. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children younger than 12, with free parking available at the Nationwide ramp at 1100 Walnut St. Eat, dance, explore and celebrate the cultures that help shape Iowa.
LEARN MORE

Keep exploring just outside Downtown DSM with a look inside some of Sherman Hill’s historic homes during the 50th Anniversary “Doors to the Past” Home Tour, happening Saturday, Sept. 26 – Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026.

Des Moines Symphony Season Debut: Unity – American Mosaic & West Side Story

Saturday, Sept. 26 – Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026 | Des Moines Civic Center
The Des Moines Symphony is kicking off a new season with a concert that pairs American stories with some seriously memorable music. “Unity – American Mosaic & West Side Story” celebrates the nation’s 250th anniversary through works exploring different pieces of the American experience. Watch dramatic images of life across the country unfold on a giant screen above the Orchestra during “American Mosaic”, hear the Harlem Quartet join the Symphony for Michael Abels’ “Urban Legends” and finish with Leonard Bernstein’s electrifying “Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.” Choose from a 7:30 p.m. performance Saturday or a 2:30 p.m. matinee Sunday and start the Symphony season on a high note.
LEARN MORE

Looking for a way to spend your Tuesday night? Hear true stories told live during Tell It Like It Is: Storyteller Project “Voyages” at Hoyt Sherman Place on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026.

Ringling Bros. And Barnum & Bailey Presents: The Greatest Show on Earth

Thursday, Oct. 1 – Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026 | Casey’s Center
After an 11-year absence, The Greatest Show on Earth is returning to Downtown DSM with a completely reimagined circus experience. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey takes over Casey’s Center beginning this Thursday, with two hours of high-flying stunts, acrobatics and performances designed for the whole family. Watch trapeze artists soar overhead, performers take on the massive Double Wheel of Destiny and a high-speed bicycle troupe pull off stunts and moving human pyramids. The lineup also includes Mongolian acrobats and a Latin dance group blending salsa-style movement with acrobatics. If your family has never experienced Ringling live, here’s your chance to see what the new generation of the show looks like.
LEARN MORE

September is wrapping up, but the free fun keeps going as Downtown DSM heads into a new month.

Keep up with the momentum that's happening in and around Downtown Des Moines (DSM) when you subscribe to the Downtown DSM newsletter, packed with the latest news, highlighting everything from upcoming events to development projects. Stay connected to the Downtown DSM community and help amplify its stories.

Greater Des Moines Partnership

The Greater Des Moines Partnership is the largest regional business, economic development and talent development organization in Iowa and the second-largest regional chamber of commerce in the country, serving multiple counties in Greater Des Moines. Together with more than 400 Investors and an Affiliate Chamber of Commerce network of more than 7,200 Regional Chamber Members, The Partnership helps businesses grow and advances quality of life in Greater Des Moines with one voice, one mission and as one region, contributing to a vibrant regional economy.