Johnston, Iowa events calendar: the festivals, markets, and traditions worth marking.
Johnston packs a full calendar into a small-city footprint: a hometown festival with a parade and fireworks, a summer of free music and markets at the Town Center, and the seasonal traditions everyone plans around. Here's the year at a glance, the recurring events you can count on, organized by season. For the exact dates this specific week, we keep a running list on the homepage.
Johnston Parks & Recreation and local clubs fill the fields and diamonds as the weather turns. See our sports complexes guide.
Late May
Memorial Day & pool season
The city pools and Terra Park's splash pad open for the summer as the trails and parks come alive.
Summer
June through August
Early June
Johnston Farmers Market opens
Tuesday afternoons 4 to 7 p.m. at the Johnston Town Center (6221 Merle Hay Rd), running through late September. A Johnston tradition since 1989. See our farmers market guide.
Mid-June
Johnston Green Days
The big one. The city's signature festival at Terra Park, with a parade, family games, food, and fireworks. June 11 to 13 in 2026.
Select Thursdays
Tunes at Twilight
Free live music on the lawn at The Yard, part of the Town Center's summer series.
Select Fridays
Movies on the Yard
A free outdoor movie on the green at The Yard. Bring a blanket. See the Town Center guide.
Select Saturdays
Sounds of the Summer
Free evening concerts, roughly 7 to 10 p.m., at The Yard at the Johnston Town Center.
Fall
September through November
Late September
Farmers market closes out
The last Tuesday markets of the season, September 29 in 2026, as the harvest peaks.
Fall Fridays
Dragons football
Johnston High School fields a single 5A program in the CIML, and Friday nights fill the stands. See our Dragons football guide.
Oct. 31
Trick-or-treat (Halloween)
Starting in 2025, Johnston and the metro moved trick-or-treat to Halloween itself rather than the old night-before Beggars' Night. The city sets the hours each year, so confirm the current-year time.
Winter
December through February
December
Holiday season
Tree lightings, holiday markets, and metro light displays fill December. Nearby Jolly Holiday Lights and the East Village make an easy evening out.
Winter
Sledding, skating & indoor fun
When the snow flies, the park hills, the Johnston Public Library, and indoor options like Ignit take over. See things to do with kids.
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A nationally ranked art festival downtown, about 15 minutes away.
Mid-July
RAGBRAI
The world's biggest bike ride crosses Iowa each July, often with overnight towns an easy drive from Johnston.
Late July / early Aug
National Balloon Classic
Nine nights of hot-air balloons at dusk in Indianola, about 40 minutes south.
August
Hinterland Music Festival & the Iowa State Fair
Iowa's biggest multi-day music fest in St. Charles, and the legendary State Fair in Des Moines, roughly two weeks in mid-August. Confirm the current-year fair dates before you go.
Quick answers
Johnston events: FAQ
What events happen in Johnston, Iowa?
The annual highlights are Green Days in mid-June, the Tuesday Johnston Farmers Market from June through September, The Yard summer series at the Town Center (Tunes at Twilight, Movies on the Yard, and Sounds of the Summer), Dragons football on fall Fridays, trick-or-treat at Halloween, and holiday events in December.
When is Johnston Green Days?
Green Days is the city's signature festival, held in mid-June at Terra Park with a parade, family games, food, and fireworks. In 2026 it runs June 11 to 13. Confirm the exact current-year dates with the City of Johnston.
When is the Johnston farmers market?
The Johnston Farmers Market runs Tuesday afternoons, 4 to 7 p.m., roughly June through September at the Johnston Town Center (6221 Merle Hay Rd). In 2026 the season runs June 2 through September 29. See our farmers market guide.
What is there to do in Johnston this weekend?
For this weekend specifically, check the This Week list on our homepage or see What's On This Week. In summer the reliable anchors are The Yard series at the Town Center and the trails at Terra Park.
When is trick-or-treat in Johnston?
Starting in 2025, Johnston and the Des Moines metro moved trick-or-treating to Halloween itself, October 31, rather than the old night-before Beggars' Night. The city sets the hours each year, so confirm the current-year time.
Sources: City of Johnston (Green Days, farmers market, Parks & Recreation, trick-or-treat); Johnston Town Center and The Yard (Tunes at Twilight, Movies on the Yard, Sounds of the Summer); Johnston Community School District athletics (Dragons football); Des Moines Arts Festival, RAGBRAI, National Balloon Classic, Hinterland, and the Iowa State Fair. Recurring events are listed by their usual season; dates change each year, so confirm the current-year schedule before you go. Last reviewed August 2026.