I’ll Make Me a World in Iowa: Iowa’s Largest African American Heritage Festival (2027 Edition — Date TBA)

Editor's note: This is a bookmark-and-check-back guide. As of publication, organizers have not yet announced 2027 dates for I'll Make Me a World in Iowa — the festival typically confirms details a few months ahead. We'll update this page the moment a date drops. In the meantime, everything below reflects the verified, real 2026 edition so you know exactly what to expect and can start planning.

Iowa's Premiere African American Festival, Kicking Off Black History Month

Every February, the Des Moines metro hosts what organizers call "Iowa's Premiere African American Festival" — I'll Make Me a World in Iowa (IMMAWII). It's the state's largest African American cultural celebration, and it has earned a reputation as "the first major festival of the year," effectively kicking off Black History Month for the entire region. Don't confuse it with Iowa City's separate African Festival of Arts and Culture (a broader pan-African celebration held in the fall) or the newer, much smaller Black Future Fest — IMMAWII is its own institution, built specifically around African American arts, culture, and contributions, and it's been running for the better part of three decades.

Event at a Glance

• Event: I'll Make Me a World in Iowa — Celebration Day (2027 Edition — Date TBA)
• Location: Horizon Events Center, 2100 NW 100th St, Clive, IA 50325 (Des Moines metro)
• When: Traditionally the first Saturday of February (Black History Month kickoff); the verified 2026 edition ran February 6–7, 2026. 2027 dates not yet announced.
• Price: Free admission, free on-site parking
• Main Audience: Families, culture and history lovers, art and music fans, Midwest Black History Month travelers
• Travel Vibe: Community-driven, festive, educational, multi-generational

A Nearly 30-Year Iowa Institution

IMMAWII was founded in 1998 in response to a challenge issued by PBS and Blackside Productions, the team behind the landmark documentary series Eyes on the Prize. The very first event was held on January 30, 1999, at the State Historical Building in Des Moines. Organizers expected about 300 people to show up. Instead, more than 1,000 came through the doors — an early sign of how much appetite there was in Iowa for a dedicated, statewide celebration of African American history and culture.

Nearly three decades later, the festival has grown into a multi-day production drawing over 20,000 visitors from across Iowa and the broader Midwest, with its reach extending further through year-round educational outreach to schools, libraries, and museums. It's been recognized with the Iowa One Award (the state's highest diversity honor) in 2009, the Des Moines NAACP President's Award for Outstanding Organization in 2010, and was named an Iowa Success Story by Google in 2011. In 2006, the festival's theme song was even adopted as an official Iowa state song by the state legislature — a rare civic honor for a cultural festival.

What to Expect: Performances, Art, Food, and More

The centerpiece of the weekend is Celebration Day, a full day of programming held at the Horizon Events Center in Clive, just outside Des Moines. In the verified 2026 edition, Celebration Day ran from morning into the evening and featured more than 40 performing artists, visual artists, and artist groups from Iowa and beyond, spread across multiple stages. The 2026 headliner was MAJOR., the soul singer behind the platinum single "Why I Love You."

Beyond the main stage, Celebration Day typically includes:

• Soul food vendors serving up Southern and African American comfort food
• Art vendors and hands-on art activities spotlighting Black artists and makers from Iowa and the region
• A kids' carnival with rides and family-friendly activities
• Wellness screenings and a health fair offering free community health resources
• Historical presentations and exhibits celebrating African American contributions to Iowa and American history
• A STEM Fest highlighting African American scientists, engineers, and innovators
• African wildlife displays, a distinctive touch that ties the celebration to the African diaspora more broadly

The festival weekend also includes programming beyond Celebration Day itself: a mini film festival premiering work from Iowa-based Black filmmakers, an Education Day built around a Black History Game Show competition for students, and the Embracing Excellence Gala, a fundraising dinner that recognizes community leaders. Together, these events round out what is really a multi-day celebration rather than a single afternoon.

Why It's Iowa's Black History Month Anchor

What makes IMMAWII stand out on the Midwest festival calendar is its timing and its focus. Scheduling the flagship celebration in early February — rather than during the more commonly chosen summer festival months — positions it as a genuine kickoff to Black History Month in Iowa, and organizers say it has inspired other heritage celebrations across the state that now draw thousands of their own participants. It's also entirely free to attend, which sets it apart from many festivals of comparable scale and helps explain the consistent 20,000+ turnout.

The organization behind it, led by executive director Betty C. Andrews and board president Lenard Bell, runs the festival with the help of more than 200 volunteers — a genuinely grassroots, community-powered operation that has nonetheless built one of the most enduring African American cultural institutions in the Midwest.

Planning a Visit to Des Moines

Because the flagship event lands in February, plan for winter travel: pack for cold, check regional flight and road conditions into Des Moines International Airport (DSM) in the days before you go, and book accommodations in the West Des Moines/Clive area to stay close to the Horizon Events Center. Free parking is available on-site, though it's limited, so arriving earlier in the day is a smart move if you're attending Celebration Day at its peak.

Since the festival is free, most of your travel budget will go toward flights, lodging, and food — leaving room to build out a longer Des Moines weekend around the festival itself. Pair your visit with the African American Museum of Iowa, also located in the Des Moines area, for a deeper dive into the history the festival celebrates.

Don't Confuse It With These Other Iowa Events

A quick note for trip planners: I'll Make Me a World in Iowa is distinct from two other events that sometimes come up in the same searches. The African Festival of Arts and Culture is a separate, broader pan-African celebration held in downtown Iowa City each fall, organized independently and not focused specifically on the African American experience. Black Future Fest, also based in Iowa City, is a newer and much smaller Afrofuturism-themed event. If it's Iowa's largest, longest-running African American cultural celebration you're after — the one with the 40-plus performers, the soul food vendors, and the February Black History Month spotlight — IMMAWII in the Des Moines metro is the one to bookmark.

BTN Insider Tips

Bookmark this page and check back. 2027 dates haven't been announced yet as of this writing — organizers historically confirm details a few months out, so keep checking worldiniowa.org and this page as Black History Month 2027 approaches.

Follow along on social. The official Instagram account, @worldiniowa, is the fastest place to catch headliner announcements and schedule drops.

Arrive early for Celebration Day. With 20,000+ visitors across the weekend and limited on-site parking at Horizon Events Center, an early arrival gets you the best access to vendor booths and stage seating.

Build a full weekend. Between the film festival, Education Day, the Gala, and Celebration Day itself, this is a multi-day event — worth planning a two- or three-night Des Moines stay rather than a single-day trip.

Pack for winter. February in Iowa means cold temperatures and possible winter weather — plan travel days with buffer room.

Plan Your Trip

I'll Make Me a World in Iowa has spent nearly 30 years building itself into the Midwest's essential Black History Month destination — free to attend, powered by community, and anchored by a lineup that keeps growing. The 2027 dates aren't locked in yet, but the tradition is: bookmark this page, watch for the announcement, and start planning your Des Moines trip around it.

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