This week in Des Moines: Hinterland wraps, and the fair takes the stage

The going-out story this week had one clear headliner: Hinterland, which ran July 30 to August 2 out in St. Charles, just south of the metro. If your feed was nothing but festival photos and grass-stained sneakers for four days, that's why.

Hinterland closed out a stacked weekend

This was one of the deepest lineups the festival has put together. Mumford & Sons headlined Saturday, with Lorde, Kali Uchis, KATSEYE, MUNA, Wet Leg, Santigold, Jessie Murph, Geese and Ashnikko spread across the weekend. The crowds were big, the weather mostly cooperated, and St. Charles once again proved it can host a genuinely national festival a half-hour from downtown.

If you went: nice work. If you didn't: the good news is that the biggest month for live music in Des Moines is really just getting started.

Next up: the fair takes over

The Iowa State Fair opens August 13, and with it comes the Grandstand - the single busiest concert stretch of the Des Moines year. Eleven straight nights of headliners, from Rod Stewart and Alabama to Lainey Wilson (already sold out), TLC & Salt-N-Pepa, Riley Green and AJR.

We broke down the whole thing - every show, showtime, face-value price, which nights are most likely to sell out, and how to buy without getting fleeced by resale - in our full 2026 Grandstand guide. If there's a night you want, this is the week to grab tickets, not fair week.

Also on the radar

• The dining scene keeps growing. A handful of notable new spots are on the way to the metro this year, including conveyor-belt sushi coming to Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines. We'll cover the ones actually worth the drive once their doors are open - featuring places before they're really serving is how you end up sending people to a locked door.
• A downtown landmark may get a second life. The long-vacant former Wells Fargo tower is reportedly in line to become a boutique hotel by 2027 - one more sign the core keeps filling back in.

Plan your week

The festival is over, but the calendar is packed from here through the fair and into fall. See everything worth leaving the house for - shows, markets, patios and more - on our Des Moines events calendar.