Thursday nights in The District run on a schedule you could set a watch to. Acoustic sets drift across the restaurant patios sometime after the dinner rush thins out, a guitar and a mic stand tucked into whatever corner has an open outlet, and by nine the crowd has settled into the same handful of spots it always does. Fridays through late spring belong to Sips & Songs. June and July hand the stage over to Nash Nights. Ask a Prairie Trail resident what a normal week at The District looks like and most can tell you almost to the hour.
The weekend of September 25 and 26 brings a different schedule to The District.
That weekend, Oktoberfest Des Moines holds its 22nd annual celebration inside The District for the first time. The event brings a two-day festival to The District's event space and amphitheater. The District's own events page tags it with one plain word: NEW. After a summer of familiar weeknight programming, residents can check the festival schedule for hours and activities.
A neighborhood that already knows its own schedule
Part of what makes Prairie Trail comfortable to live in is that The District rarely surprises anyone. Thursday Night Acoustics runs weekly on the restaurant patios, Sips & Songs takes over Fridays starting in late May, Nash Nights brings country music to the stage in June and July, and Dazzling in The District closes out the year on the first Saturday of December. These are events the neighborhood has run enough times to have worked out the kinks. Regulars know which patio fills up first, which side street still has parking at 7 p.m., how long the line at the ice cream counter actually is versus how long it looks.
Oktoberfest Des Moines has a 22-year track record elsewhere in the metro, and The District will host it for the first time. The festival schedule sets out the event's hours and activities so residents can plan their visits.
What's actually landing in the amphitheater
The event runs two days, with different hours and a different rhythm each one.
| Friday, Sept. 25 | Saturday, Sept. 26 | |
|---|---|---|
| Hours | 3 p.m. to midnight | Noon to midnight |
| Tickets | $20, single day (21+) | $20, single day (21+) |
| Opens with | Tapping of the Golden Keg | Schnitzel Brothers Bier Band, noon |
| After dark | Rocktoberfest set from After Shock | Barefoot Becky & Her Ivanhoe Dutchmen, free polka lessons |
A two-day ticket runs $30, and kids 12 and under get in free. Parking is free too, which matters more than it sounds like it should once you've tried to find a spot in The District on an average Friday.
The full Friday lineup stacks entertainment on a tight clock: Malek's Fisherman Band takes the stage at 3 p.m., the UNI Dance Troupe performs twice, once at 4:30 and again at 8:30, Jim Kucera takes the stage at 4:45, and at 6 p.m. Community Choice Credit Union is giving away a Porsche. Pianopalooza with Tony Bohnenkamp follows at 6:45, and the night closes with a Bier Maiden competition sandwiched between two sets from After Shock. Organizers are also attempting to break their own record for the largest communal shotski, and the festival's own material puts the beer list at more than 50 options, which is a wide enough pour list that picking a favorite before Friday is probably a waste of time.
Planning for a festival weekend
Oktoberfest's footprint will occupy the same few blocks as The District's walkable retail and dining businesses: Mainstream Boutique, House of Colour, Purple Poppy Boutique, AR Workshop, Winestyles, The Operating Room's arcade and bar, Net Par's indoor golf simulator, and B&B Theater and Bowling.
None of those businesses close for the festival. They're going to be doing regular Friday and Saturday business while The District hosts Oktoberfest. Festival activity will overlap with those businesses, so residents may want to plan visits in advance. If a Saturday morning errand at Purple Poppy Boutique or an afternoon round at Net Par is on the list, note that the festival opens at noon on Saturday.
Street parking, shared lots, and the nearby garage are parking options in The District. For the festival, allow extra time to find a space and walk to the event.
How to actually use the two days
The schedule offers several options for planning a visit, whether you prefer to arrive early or attend later in the day. Friday's Tapping of the Golden Keg at 3 p.m. is the calmest window of the whole weekend, before the crowd builds toward the evening sets. Saturday afternoon, before the Barefoot Becky polka lessons kick off at 2:15, is a similarly easy entry point if a rowdier Friday night isn't the goal. Either day comes with a commemorative acrylic stein while supplies last, a small detail that only shows up if you've actually read past the headline event listing.
If the festival isn't in your plans, consider running errands early and allowing extra time for parking. Checking the schedule before the weekend can help residents plan around event activity.
Prairie Trail residents who want a longer view of what's shaping the neighborhood, from new businesses in The District to how the area's growth affects daily life, can find that kind of local read from Jill Budden, who covers Ankeny and Prairie Trail the way someone who actually lives the rhythm of this place would. Live somewhere you love. Let's get started.
