PHOTO BY ROBIN OPSAHL/IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation July 8, 2026 announcing Iowa would host “America’s Harvest Festival” Oct. 24, 2026 at the Iowa Capitol Complex as part of national celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Iowa will host “America’s Harvest Festival” at the Iowa Capitol grounds Oct. 24 as part of national celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding, Gov. Kim Reynolds, state officials and sponsors announced Wednesday.

“It’s been four days since the Fourth of July, and while the parades, picnics, and fireworks are over here in Iowa, the best is yet to come,” Reynolds said as she signed a proclamation announcing the event on the steps of the Iowa Capitol.

Reynolds said the event would be a highlight of Iowa’s celebrations for the 250th anniversary, focused on “showcasing how Iowa agriculture has helped build our nation.” Scheduled to start at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, the event will feature a variety of vendors, exhibits and more for Iowans of all ages.

“The Harvest Festival will highlight our agricultural roots and how they have shaped who we are as both Iowans and Americans throughout centuries,” the governor said. “Visitors of all ages will enjoy a wide range of exhibits that educate, engage, and entertain, from hands-on experiences and historical reenactments to all kinds of family-friendly activities, there will be vendors featuring handcrafted products made in Iowa, live entertainment and music — and of course, we are Iowa, so there will be plenty of food — and it will be available to everyone with no charge for admission. America’s Harvest Festival celebrates Iowa’s unique spirit and story, and I can’t wait to share it with visitors from across our state and beyond, right here in October.”

The event is led by the state’s America 250 Task Force. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig, a co-chair of the task force, said while many of the events centered on celebrating the U.S. 250th anniversary have been focused around July 4, the Harvest Festival “really does allow us to gather again and maybe put a bookend on this year of celebration” in Iowa.

“It’s really a yearlong celebration, an opportunity to reflect on our nation’s history, celebrate our communities, and recognize people that continue to make America strong,” Naig said.

The event is occurring “during the actual harvest season here in Iowa,” Naig said, and will give a chance to highlight the important role Iowa has played in American history, particularly in regard to agriculture. He said the event will be a celebration of Iowa agriculture, and it will also showcase Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Choose Iowa program for agricultural products grown, raised and based in Iowa.

“We know that from the very beginning, agriculture has been foundational to our country’s success,” Naig said. “Food security is national security, and has been from the beginning. And many of our farmers were some of the first defenders and protectors of this country. And for the last 250 years, farmers have fed and fueled and sustained this nation, producing the safest, most abundant, most affordable food supply in the world, and Iowa has played an outsized role in that story of American agriculture.”

The event is sponsored by Hy-Vee, Fareway Stores and the Iowa Farm Bureau. Representatives from these groups spoke at the announcement, with Hy-Vee President Aaron Wiese saying the grocer company was “really proud to be one of the premier sponsors of this historic event, honoring 250 years of this great nation and the essential role agriculture has played in writing America’s story.”