2024 Iowa Sweet Corn Festivals: Where, When and More to Find a Sweet Corn Festival Near You!

Looking for a Sweet Corn festival in December 2024? There is no other listing as complete and current as this list, just updated! Sweet Corn festivals are held through the United States, Canada, Britain, and Australia and much of the world. All the Sweet Corn festivals we can find are listed on this page! If you love Corn, look for a festival near you below! And I'm looking for more Sweet Corn festivals! Please write me, if you know of any to add!  I update the dates as soon as the festivals publish their information, but you can always click on the links (usually the name of the festival) to see the current information on the festival's own website. 

Especially this year, due to Coronavirus, be sure to click on the links (the blue, underlined name of the each festival) to confirm this year's dates on the website for each festival. If they don't have a website, call the phone number provided, but ALWAYS CONFIRM THIS YEAR'S DATES AND TIMES BY EITHER VIEWING THEIR WEBSITE OR CALLING.

Click here for the form to add a festival and have detailed information; or click here if you have general information and are not connected with the event!

2024 Iowa Sweet Corn Festivals

Iowa

Corn typically ripens from  to in Iowa. July and August dominates throughout most of the U.S.as the months for Corn production (and festivals) .

There are two general types of Corn festivals 1) community festivals, usually organized by a church, school, local Chamber of commerce or a town and 2). Corn festival held at and by a farm. They are different in what they offer, and community festivals tend to be less expensive so they are grouped separately. (of course not all states and areas have both.)
Following the festival listings are links to our easy to follow directions about making freezing corn, canning corn much more.

Community Corn Festivals

• Christ the King Annual Sweet Corn Festival - Friday and Saturday in August
  5711 SW 9th St, Des Moines, Iowa 50315. Phone: (515) 285-2888. Bounce houses - inflatables, hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, music, bingo, trivia night and more.
• Adel - Des Moines Sweet Corn Festival (40th Year) - August 9, 2019 and August 10, 2019
  Adel,  Iowa. Email: chamber@adelpartners.org. 40th Annual Sweet Corn Festival Aug 9 Shucking of the Corn 5pm; Aug 10th  5K Run at 8Am, Parade 9:30 am, free corn 11 am. The princess contest and shucking of the corn is Friday, August 9. Join us at 8am for the 5K race then watch the biggest parade in Dallas County. After the parade FREE sweet corn provided by the Adel Partners Chamber along with food, craft, art and information vendors. All day fun with car show, inflatables for the kids and music by Suede. The evening street party starts at 6:30pm and is Open for all ages. Super heroes from 6:30-7;30pm with High South from Nashville performing until midnight. Adult beverages available along with a special brew from Firetrucker Brewer.
• Gladbrook Gladbrook Corn Carnival Corn Festival - Thursday to Sunday in mid June
  Gladbrook, Iowa. The Gladbrook Corn Carnival is an annual event celebrated in Gladbrook, Iowa. It is well known for its Friday evening Grand Parade. There is Free entertainment every night. Many families and friends gather during the Corn Carnival celebration, and Gladbrook/G-R High School class reunions are often held concurrently with Corn Carnival festivities. The parade starts at the corner by Peace Church heading east on Johnston St for 5 blocks, then south on King St. for 1 block, and back west on 4th St going by the City Park for 5 blocks. Parade questions should be directed to Parade Chairman, Keith Sash at 641-751-8541.
• Iowa State and National Corn Husking Contest - corn husking contest,
  59256 380th Street, Hasting, IA. Email: frankhennenfent@yahoo.com. Open: Saturday October 19 and Sunday October 20. Over eighty one years ago there were 80 minute contests to determine who was the best person at picking corn by hand. Today the National Cornhusking Association sponsors a contest the third weekend in October to determine who is the best . There are twelve classes that are from ten to thirty minutes long that people can participate in. There are nine states that are members of the National Cornhusking Association, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, South Dakota and Nebraska. .See How to pick corn.
• Millersport Sweet Corn Festival - always held the Wednesday thru Saturday before Labor Day - August 28th to August 30th from 5 p.m. to 11 pm. and August 31st from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
  Millersport, Iowa. 40-467-3639. Email: webmaster@sweetcornfest.com. They have concerts, rides, games, animals, tractor pulls, contests, prizes and more!
• Cedar Rapids St. Jude Sweet Corn Festival - August 9, 2019 to August 11, 2019; Fri: 5 pm to 11 pm; Sat: 11 am to 11 pm, Sun: 12 pm to 6 pm.
  Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Since 1976, St. Jude Sweet Corn Festival has been a top Carnival in Cedar Rapids. We offer guests of all ages the chance to enjoy our many entertainment services in a safe and fun-filled environment
  THERE WILL BE AN ADMISSION CHARGE IN 2019
  The St. Jude Sweet Corn Festival will charge $5 daily admission in 2019. There will be no charge for pre-registered volunteers, children 10 & under, and seniors 60 years and older. All bags brought onto the grounds will be subject to a bag check.
  FREE PARKING AND FREE SHUTTLES
  Shuttles will run continuously out of the old K-Mart West Parking Lot. The business at that location is now MidAmerican Aerospace. The parking lot is located behind the El Rancho Restaurant at the intersection of Williams Boulevard SW and 16th Avenue SW. They may run later if necessary to get patrons back to their vehicles.
  The following are not allowed: No Backpacks, No Weapons, No Bikes, No Scooters, No Smoking, No Pets (Service Animals Allowed), No Coolers, No Skateboards.
  
• West Point Sweet Corn Festival - early August 
  West Point, Iowa 52656. Claims to be Iowa's largest sweet corn festival. Home, Shuckfest, Contact Information, Schedule of Events, Corn Cob Countdown, Past Highlights, Games, Links.  How does all this corn get shucked? At the Shuckfest! Take a look at scenes from Shuckfest 2003. As many as 25,000 visitors attend this premier annual festival, which has grown to be one of the region's largest community festivals, held in City Square Park during the second week of August from Thursday through Sunday inclusive and serving all you can eat free sweet corn and free stage entertainment. Barbecue pork chop and chicken dinners served daily. Archway Amusements Midway, arts and crafts, bingo, 5K and 10K run, Queen crowning, children's contests, garden tractor pulls, a parade, and more. Nearly the entire population turns out for Shuck Fest on Wednesday afternoon prior to the festival to shuck the 17 tons of sweet corn. Contact City Hall at 319-837-6313 for schedules.

Farm Corn Festivals

In addition to community and church festivals, some private farms have their own Corn festivals.  See each farm for this year's dates (they often do not announce them until the end of June). Also, scroll down to see the links to recipes, freezing, canning and jam making directions at the bottom of the page.

• We will be adding these as we find them;  Please write me, if you know of any to add!

Related Corn Information:

• Harvesting, storing and cooking corn.

Freezing Corn

You can easily freeze the sweet corn and have that great taste in the dead of winter! 

• Freezing whole ears of corn on the cob
• Freezing corn, cut off the cob

Canning Corn

This too, is easy... but it DOES require a Pressure Canner.  You cannot safely do this with a water bath canner.  Food poisoning is no joke!

• Here is how to can corn!
•  how to make canned creamed corn.
• Southern Chow-Chow (also called Piccalilli)
• Pickled corn relish
• How to make sweet corn ice cream

 

For other fruit and vegetable festivals, see this page!