Greater Des Moines, touted as the Midwest’s “unexpected sports mecca,” sees many exciting games and sporting events in 2023. This year, the Iowa city hosts the first and second rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, March 16–18. This marks the third time the city has hosted college basketball’s Big Dance.
Running May 20–25, Des Moines sees the National Veterans Golden Age Games, in which 400 competitors aged 55 and up compete in 18 sports. These games include cycling, golfing, swimming and running track and field.
IRONMAN 70.3 hits the city June 11, while USA Swimming returns with Speedo Summer Sectionals July 13–16, at Wellmark YMCA pool. Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend, July 21–23, returns with a bang with more than 80,000 attendees expected.
The largest youth multi-sports event in the country, AAU Junior Olympics returns to Des Moines for the sixth time, July 26–Aug. 5. Some events of this series move to MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex, a 300,000-square-foot facility in west Des Moines.
Other events happening in 2023 in the city include RAGBRAI (July 26), Savannah Bananas (Aug. 25 and 26) and Major League Quadball (Aug. 26 and 28).
Des Moines welcomes new sports venues to the region in anticipation of these many events. Grimesplex is a sprawling, 50-acre outdoor complex planning to open fall 2023. Also slated to open this year, Ignite Johnston will soon feature Iowa’s largest indoor track and soccer field. Stage 2 of Prairie Trail Sports Complex opens this October, while DMPS Community Stadium, future home to four Des Moines football teams and Drake soccer games, expects to open this August.
Iowa’s first professional soccer stadium transforms a long-dormant section of downtown Des Moines into an energetic, 65-acre development project.
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