World Food Festival

I am one of those people who hates going to potlucks because I know I’m not going to be able to try everything, and that’s very frustrating to me. THIS, however, is my dream come true. Not only is there a huge variety of food you’ve never tried before, but each tent has a $ 1 «taste» item. It’s basically a sample of their traditional food. And it is the best thing. It allows me to try one of everything without breaking the bank or my stomach. There are also beer tents well stocked with beers from around the globe. This is definitely an event for you to go to next year if you didn’t make it this year!

This is my first year back in Des Moines since leaving in 2008 for the West coast. I visited on Saturday evening not knowing what to expect this being my first time at this annual festival of eleven years.
My girlfriend did because she visited last year. I came with $ 40 cash in my wallet an empty stomach and an open mind. There’s something for everyone here from the timid unadventurous meat n’ potatoes crowd to the snobby a-​hole foodie (I fall in the latter category). The vendors are relaxed and friendly. The smells amazing. The tastes amazing. The music amazing. My highest compliments to the organizers and sponsors of this event. Informative website and engaging presence on Facebook as well (it was raining on Friday and they gave updates that the event was still on).
I found it a great chance to try some of the caterers from our area that don’t have brick and mortar restaurants. I tried the following vendors: Beaverdale Confections, Cupcake Addict, Ethiopian Association of Iowa, Kabab Café, Papilon Bosnian Food and Patton’s Restaurant & Catering.
CHANCE OF RETURN (in 2016 of course): ¹⁰⁄₁₀

The weekend of the Food festival is without a doubt one of my favorite weekends in Des Moines. You would be crazy to be here and not attend this great event! Every year I go it seems to grow and bring great new treats. The great kicker here is all of the vendors are required to have a sample for just a dollar, but all of the vendors have a bigger menu beyond that. I find some of the highlights to be the Caribbean food, Bosnian, Ukrainian, so many great desserts. This year I was a bit disappointed because I could not find Sorrel, a Caribbean drink, that can only be described as tasting like Christmas. The one downfall to this event, is in my opinion some of the music acts should have been vetted better. A few of them were really bad cover bands, but they really don’t take anything away from this amazing event. This is an event I hit 2 – 12 times in the one weekend it goes on because there is too much to eat in just one trip through it.

This year was the first year I checked out the World Food Festival and had a wonderful time. Few notes to start, parking may be tough in the downtown area so walking will be required on some level to reach the venue. Also, there are a ton of people here which is a good or bad thing depending on how you feel about that.
There were dozens of vendors here which was awesome. I recommend you look at the vendors list before the event so you have an idea where you wanna stop at. There are vendors who are local businesses and others I’ve never heard of. You can try so many different types of food here from all sorts of cultures around the world it’s a grand experience.
The prices are responsible and the long lines go by quicker than they appear. They also offer live music and beer from around the world to purchase for consumption with your meal.
I will definitely stop by here again next year, but will be more prepared and read up on the vendors I’m interested in so I know where go first. The atmosphere is great if you just want to walk around and enjoy the sight.

Had a marvelous time at the Wold Food Festival last Friday!
So fun how every ethic food tent has a 1 dollar sample of something. Great for trying new things!
I also love that they serve Beers from around the world and have live music as well! Friday night I was bopping my head to a killer Reggae band!
All in all this is a wonderful festival with cooking demo’s, cool bands, worldly beers, and food from every corner of the world!

This was my first time attending the World Food festival, and it is definitely a place to check out! It’s pretty much foodie heaven! You can try food from many different countries for «$ 1 tastes» and if you want a specialty drink/​entrée, it ranges from $ 3-​$ 5! They have a huge craft beer and wine tent, also. There is a stage set up where there are live performances (bands), a salsa tent where people teach you how to salsa, and face painting for the kids! Next to the face painting there is a shop that sells clothes for kids and women. Make sure to wear comfy shoes (so no one steps on your feet) because this place can get CROWDED! It’s nice that there is no admission to come to this festival (unlike the Iowa State Fair), but I definitely would not have minded paying an admission fee for more walking/​sitting space! (Maybe find a new area to have this festival?) They do have tables in the center of the bridge where the tents are, and then more tables off on the sidewalk, but they were all taken up. I literally felt like I was back in New York when walking here today. I docked one star because I feel like they could find a way to improve the walking area and also because of cleanliness. The fact that there are tents right across from the other makes lines from both tents merge together so it’s impossible to get through. I think it would be better if the booths had separate lines for $ 1 tastes and $ 5 entrees. Also it would be great if they had some staff cleaning up the walkways as the festival went on (we kept walking into plates and napkins on the floor). Parking was difficult to find during the festival, but besides all of the things they could improve on, it’s definitely worth checking out! Considering going again tomorrow to try different food from other places!

They do a great job at this festival, it has culture and great food. Very electric athmosphere! Check this out every September, will get food you will love and hear great music.

The World Food Festival is a large celebration of food from different cultures. It is a celebration of Iowa’s unique and diverse culinary tradition. They have so many different cuisines from American, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cajun, Latin American, Hawaiian, Mesopotamian, Greek, Bosnian, Ethiopian, Indian, French, Filipino, Turkish, Ecuadorian and the list goes on and on! There was even a section for international and craft beer and wine. The festival itself reminded me a lot of the Taste of Chicago, except smaller and more enjoyable.
They had «taste portions» of food which cost only $ 1. If you wanted a larger portion, the cost ranged from $ 3 to $ 5. Admission is free and there are areas where parking is free too, so there is no excuse to go! They have a main stage for entertainment, and other areas in the festival where they will teach festival goers how to breakdance or salsa. A great place to take the family!