This Week in Downtown DSM: Spring Break, St. Patrick’s Day & More

Spring Break is here, and there are tons of fun festivities taking place in Downtown Des Moines (DSM) this week! These activities are ones you just have to experience for yourself — and trust us, watching from Instagram just isn’t the same. Here’s a look at what’s coming up:

St. Patrick’s Weekend Festivities

There is a ton to do in Downtown Des Moines surrounding the infamous Irish holiday! Including:

Thursday, March 14 – Friday, March 15

• St. Patrick’s Pre-Party: Thursday, March 14, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., Peace Tree
• Bake Sale: Friday, March 15, 4 – 7 p.m., Peace Tree

Saturday, March 16 (St. Patrick’s Day)

• Family-Friendly St. Patrick’s Day Party: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. at The Shop DSM
• St. Paddy’s Marathon, ½, 5K: First race starts at 7:45 a.m.; several spectator locations
• Exile's St. Patrick’s Day: 9 a.m. – 10 p.m. at Exile
• East Village St. Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; 12 East Village venues
• St. Patrick’s Day Parade: Noon, traveling along Grand Ave.
• Foy Irish Dancers: 1:30 – 2:30 p.m., Central Library
• Official Lucky’s St. Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl: 4 – 11:59 p.m.; Historic Court District

Sunday, March 17

• St. Paddy’s Keg N Eggs: 9 – 11 a.m. at Confluence Brewing Co.
• GPS Pot O’ Gold: 3 – 5 p.m. at MacRae Park

Mostly Kosher

Tuesday, March 19 | Des Moines Temple Theater
Described as a “musical feast,” Mostly Kosher provides an original voice of Judaic and American cultural music, with a combination of jazz, Latin, rock and folk, primarily based on klezmer beats and Yiddish refrains. The troupe is led by Leeav Sofer, one of Jewish Journal’s "30 under 30.”
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Capital City Pride: Michael Arceneaux

Thursday, March 21 | Des Moines Temple Theater
Houston-based writer and author, Michael Arceneaux, is this month’s Capital City Pride speaker. He writes about race, sexuality, religion, politics and — not to be forgotten — Beyoncé. In addition to his book, “I Can’t Date Jesus,” Arceneaux also has written for the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Comedy Central Online and many, many more. He has been recognized by The Root among the “Best Black Bloggers to Know” and was also named by Essence among the top #BlackTwitter voices.
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Tim McGraw

Thursday, March 21 | Wells Fargo Arena
The Standing Room Only Tour will make a stop in Downtown DSM this week! With 16 studio albums among his repertoire including 10 albums topping the charts on the Top Country Albums list, Tim McGraw puts on a show that you certainly won’t want to miss! The concert starts at 7 p.m. with special guests Carly Pearce and The Woods.
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AViD Presents: Kaveh Akbar

Thursday, March 21 | Central Library
The kickoff to the Des Moines Public Library’s free and much-loved Authors Visiting in Des Moines (AViD) series is here! As a lauded poet and Iowa City resident, Kavah Akbar’s debut novel, “Martyr!,” follows the storyline of a second-generation Iranian-American as he searches for meaning and a family secret. The book is described as “miraculous” by the New York Times Book Review. The event includes the author program, Q&A, book signing and books available for purchase provided by Beaverdale Books.
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Looking for more? Here’s a list of five free things to do in Downtown Des Moines during March.

For these upcoming events and more, find tips on Downtown Des Moines (DSM) parking and navigation. For additional upcoming events, visit the Downtown DSM events calendar. Plus, follow @downtownDSMUSA on Instagram for more epic, things-you-just-can’t-miss happening around Downtown.