Get tickets for an anime convention or hear jazz musician Herbie Hancock in Des Moines
College football is back, which means your weekend may already be booked up. Skip the coolers and grills and have an easy tailgating experience Saturday at Cowles Commons for the 2023 Cy-Hawk game, where you can catch drinks from Ricochet Bar and order from food trucks. Or, kick off the weekend with dinner at Food Truck Friday in Clive and a play at the Des Moines Community Playhouse. End your weekend with two live music experiences Sunday, one of which is a new music festival at Riverview Park.
Grab a drink at a speakeasy
Thursday afternoon: Grab happy hour cocktails in a speakeasy setting at Alleged Lee’s at 510 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines. Customers of the East Village bar can order $5 call drinks and High Noon hard seltzers, as well as $7 Old Fashioned cocktails and half-priced drafts every Tuesday through Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m. and all day Sunday.
More: 12 great happy hours to try at bars and restaurants in the Des Moines area
Immerse yourself in your favorite anime fandom
Friday afternoon: Celebrate all things anime, animation and cosplay with Animate! Des Moines for one weekend at the Iowa Events Center, 730 Third St. in Des Moines, presented by GalaxyCon. All weekend, get in on Pokémon trivia and cosplay tips or catch Q&As and connect with fellow fans of your favorite shows and characters. Animate! Des Moines kicks off at 2 p.m. Friday and continues through Sunday night. Tickets start at $35.
Dine out with Food Truck Friday
Friday evening: Campbell Park in Clive, 12385 Woodlands Pkwy., is hosting another Food Truck Friday. Enjoy live music by the Brian Herrin Trio and try food from six food trucks, including Big Mama’s Bistro, grilled cheese and panini truck Hot Off The Presses, Hungry Boys Mexican, and macaroni and cheese vendor Mactopia. The event runs from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Catch a play at Des Moines Community Playhouse
Friday night: The Des Moines Community Playhouse presents “Once,” the play based on the movie by John Carney, which follows an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant as they connect over their shared love of music. See the love story come to life at the Des Moines Community Playhouse, 831 42nd St. in Des Moines, on Friday or Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $29.
Hear jazz from a celebrated musician
Friday night: Respected jazz musician Herbie Hancock brings decades of experience to Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Ave. in Des Moines. The Chicago native performed with the legendary Miles Davis in the Miles David Quintet, later pursuing a solo career that led to numerous albums, Grammy Awards and scores to movies such as “Round Midnight” and “Harlem Nights.” The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $72.
Root for your team with a downtown tailgating party
Saturday morning: Get in on the game day spirit with the Iowa Hawkeyes versus the Iowa State Cyclones game Saturday at 2:30 p.m. by heading downtown for a party at the Cowles Commons. Catch drinks at Ricochet and treat yourself to something to eat with food trucks General Lee’s Smoke Shack, Lachele's Battle Bus, 2nd Ave Sandwiches and Sweet Swirls Ice Cream. Be sure to bring chairs if you don’t want to be standing the entire time. Touchdown Tailgate at Cowles Commons starts at 10 a.m. The tailgate is free to attend.
Score all-you-can-eat prime rib for brunch
Sunday morning: When a buffet is the only way to satisfy your brunch cravings, head to Filet Steakhouse at 1802 N. Ankeny Blvd., Suite 100 B & C, in Ankeny. Every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the steakhouse offers all-you-can-eat prime rib, a pasta bar, salad bar, desserts, and omelet station for $29.99 for adults, $12.99 for kids age 5 to 12, and free for those under age 5.
More: 21 great brunches to try in the Des Moines area right now, including Early Bird, Eatery A
Experience a free concert at the Des Moines Art Center
Sunday afternoon: Experience an evening of art that raises awareness for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirited Peoples, a movement that raises awareness when a Native woman or girl is missing or killed, according to the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women. Violinist Geneviève Gros-Louis Salamone, a member of the Huron-Wendat Nation, will perform her score “For Our Sisters” in dialogue with sculpture “Every One” by Cannupa Hanska Luger at the Des Moines Art Center, 4700 Grand Ave. The free concert will be held inside the Des Moines Art Center’s I.M. Pei building at 1:30 p.m.
Go to the first-ever Together Through Sound music festival
Sunday afternoon: A new music festival all about building community through music, food and art comes to Riverview Park, 710 Corning Ave. in Des Moines. Expect live music that spans genres and cultures from Jazz to Latin, Afrobeats to hip hop at Together Through Sound. Attendees can also enjoy browsing local art from artist vendors or purchase food from vendors including Los Compadres Flaming Tacos or Jambo African Cuisine. Together Through Sound is free to attend.
Paris Barraza covers entertainment, lifestyle and arts at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at PBarraza@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Things to do this weekend in Des Moines include Cy-Hawk game, Animate! con
