THE SEARCH LEDGER · DES MOINES, IOWA · ENTERTAINMENT
Every month Des Moines types 28,920 entertainment searches into Google. This is the public record of what those searches are, what they cost, and who currently answers them.
Relative search interest by month, indexed 0–100. The pink outline marks the peak. Interest runs highest in AUG and lowest in NOV.
SRC: Google Trends relative interest for the Entertainment category in Des Moines — a 0–100 index, not a search count. One curve per category is the granularity available; it is not split per keyword.
The 20 highest-volume of 49 tracked keywords, priced at what advertisers actually bid. The dearest click here is “des moines civic center tickets” at $3.96.
| # | KEYWORD | VOL/MO | CPC | DIFFICULTY | INTENT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iowa state fair | 14,800 | $1.41 | branded | |
| 2 | iowa events center des moines | 5,400 | $1.98 | branded | |
| 3 | iowa state fair grandstand des moines | 1,600 | $1.03 | informational | |
| 4 | des moines events | 880 | $1.78 | informational | |
| 5 | weekend events in des moines | 880 | $2.78 | informational | |
| 6 | des moines concerts | 720 | $0.48 | informational | |
| 7 | wells arena des moines | 590 | $1.44 | branded | |
| 8 | beaverdale fall festival | 390 | — | branded | |
| 9 | events in des moines today | 390 | $2.10 | informational | |
| 10 | des moines today events | 320 | $1.71 | informational | |
| 11 | live music in des moines tonight | 260 | $3.12 | branded | |
| 12 | comedy club des moines iowa | 260 | $1.11 | branded | |
| 13 | des moines events calendar | 210 | $3.43 | informational | |
| 14 | live music des moines | 210 | $1.00 | branded | |
| 15 | des moines civic center tickets | 170 | $3.96 | informational | |
| 16 | journey concert des moines | 140 | $1.53 | informational | |
| 17 | concert des moines tonight | 140 | $0.39 | branded | |
| 18 | des moines civic center upcoming events | 140 | $2.12 | informational | |
| 19 | events in des moines tonight | 110 | $1.08 | informational | |
| 20 | des moines world food and music festival | 110 | $0.17 | branded |
SRC: DataForSEO, Des Moines metro, Aug 23, 2026. Volume and CPC are Google Ads twelve-month averages, so neither moves week to week. Difficulty is DataForSEO’s 0–100 score; blank where it has not been scored.
Live position tracking for 3 of the tracked keywords in this vertical — who Google puts in the map pack, and who holds page one.
SRC: DataForSEO, Des Moines metro, Aug 23, 2026. LOCAL marks an organic domain that matches a business tracked in this metro; an unmarked domain is simply not one of them, which includes directories and firms we do not track.
The 12 most-reviewed businesses we track in this vertical, with the profile signals that put them where they are.
| RANK | BUSINESS | RATING | REVIEWS | CATEGORY | WEBSITE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack, & Hotel | 4 ★ | 10,735 | Casino | YES |
| #2 | Adventureland Park | 4.3 ★ | 9,116 | Amusement park | YES |
| #3 | Breakout Games | 4.9 ★ | 6,490 | Tourist attraction | YES |
| #4 | Merle Hay Mall | 4 ★ | 5,976 | Shopping mall | YES |
| #5 | The Southridge Mall | 3.6 ★ | 4,539 | Shopping mall | YES |
| #6 | Valley West Mall | 4 ★ | 4,078 | Shopping mall | YES |
| #7 | Cinemark Altoona and XD | 4.5 ★ | 3,281 | Movie theater | YES |
| #8 | Flying J Travel Center | 3.6 ★ | 2,949 | Truck stop | YES |
| #9 | Best Buy | 4 ★ | 2,917 | Electronics store | YES |
| #10 | Cinemark Century Jordan Creek 20 and XD | 4.5 ★ | 2,496 | Movie theater | YES |
| #11 | The Palms Theatres & IMAX | 4.7 ★ | 2,475 | IMAX theater | YES |
| #12 | Southgate Shopping Center | 4.1 ★ | 2,398 | Shopping mall | YES |
SRC: Google Maps listings, DataForSEO, Des Moines metro, Aug 23, 2026. Ranked by review count, which is a proxy for how established a listing is — not a ranking claim.
Branded demand is the clearest read on who has built recall here — searches for a business by name, the volume nobody has to bid for.
SRC: DataForSEO, Des Moines metro, Aug 23, 2026. Brand searches identified from the tracked keyword set.
People Also Ask questions collected verbatim from Des Moines entertainment results — the literal wording Google is already surfacing.
Is the Iowa Events Center the same as the Casey's Center?
How much is parking at the Iowa Events Center?
What events are happening at the Iowa Events Center today?
How many people does the Iowa Event Center hold?
What are some free things to do in Des Moines this weekend?
What events are going on in Iowa this weekend?
What festival is in Des Moines this weekend?
What are the best Des Moines events for adults?
SRC: Google People Also Ask, DataForSEO, Des Moines metro, Aug 23, 2026. Questions are reproduced as collected; we do not answer them here.
Everything above is the market. If you want to be in it, start with where you stand today.
Every other vertical we track in this metro, with its monthly search demand.
ENTERTAINMENT IN OTHER METROS
HOW THIS PAGE IS MADE
Every figure is collected, not estimated. Keyword volume and cost-per-click come from Google Ads via DataForSEO and are twelve-month averages, so neither moves week to week — a weekly delta on either would measure the averaging window, not the market. Map-pack and organic positions are a live SERP read taken Aug 23, 2026. Sections with no data are omitted rather than filled.
Des Moines, Iowa · Entertainment · 49 keywords · collected Aug 23, 2026