With the changing of the seasons comes a new lineup of shows for central Iowa.

Whether you’re looking for celebrity tours like Elton John and Justin Bieber, Broadway shows like “Hamilton” and “Hadestown,” or local festivals like GDP, Des Moines has you covered. Here are 14 of the most notable local and traveling events of the coming months.

Tickets can be found via ticketsmarter.com.

Traveling show “Hadestown”

Dated: March 22-27

Or: Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St.

Spring has returned, and the start of the season in Des Moines is a spectacle about the changing seasons as the Tony-winning musical “Hadestown” arrives at the Des Moines Civic Center.

“Hadestown” takes the mythical story of Orpheus and Eurydice and tells it like a vibrant folk opera. Although this story of the greatest musician who ever lived and his love stolen from hell is of Greek origin, “Hadestown” borrows its visual aesthetic from the American mining towns of the early 1900s.

Tickets for the show range from $59 to $155.

Continued:Anaïs Mitchell, creator of “Hadestown”, returns on tour with her first solo album in a decade

Elton John ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’

Dated: March 26, 8 p.m.

Or: Wells Fargo Arena, 233 Center St.

Acclaimed British music icon Elton John is finally bringing his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour to Des Moines.

Known for songs such as “Rocket Man”, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, “Crocodile Rock”, “Tiny Dancer” and “Bennie and the Jets”, John originally planned this stop in Des Moines for June 2020. The latter tour is being billed as the musician’s last through North America and Europe.

Tickets for the event range from $69.50 to $224.50.

Des Moines Book Festival

Dated: March 26, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Or: Various locations

For the first time since its inception in 2019, the Des Moines Book Festival plans to return to an in-person format.

The festival offers dozens of events throughout the day as well as a host of notable authors. Featured authors this year include Angeline Boulley – award-winning author of ‘Firekeeper’s Daughter’ – and Imbolo Mbue, author of the New York Times bestseller, ‘Behold the Dreamers’.

Although programming is free, there are VIP packages starting at $55 offering “prime seating”, an autographed book, 20% off purchase at Beaverdale Books, and other perks. More detailed information, including a full schedule, is available at dsmpartnership.com.

Continued:Des Moines Public Library AViD Returns to In-Person Programs with NYT Bestselling Authors

Korn

Dated: March 28, 6:30 p.m.

Or: Wells Fargo Arena, 233 Center St.

Frequently cited as the forefathers of nu-metal, Korn is making its way to Iowa this year. Korn produced ‘Freak on a Leash’, ‘Twisted Transistor’ and ‘Here To Stay’ are just a few of the hits the band has released for nearly three decades.

This latest appearance from Des Moines comes as the band tour their latest album “Requiem”, released in February. The first single from this album, “Start the Healing”, debuted late last year.

Tickets for the event, which will also feature Chevelle, range from $29.50 to $105.

Ballet Des Moines: “Of gravity and light”

Dated: April 22, 7 p.m.

Or: Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St.

Now that Ballet Des Moines’ new Artistic Director Tom Mattingly has a local production of “The Nutcracker” under his belt, he’s next looking to partner with composer Beau Kenyon to create an all-new show.

“Of Gravity and Light” is an original ballet designed to explore the ethereal and immaterial aspects of our universe through dance.

Tickets for the one-hour show range from $42.50 to $71.50.

Continued:New characters from Ballet Des Moines add a modern twist to Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker’

GDP Music Festival

Dated: April 23, 4:30 p.m.

Or: Western Gateway Park

GDP, an acronym for Gross Domestic Product, is an Iowa-centric music festival that has been absent from Des Moines since 2019 but returns to Western Gateway Park on April 23.

Hosted by the Des Moines Music Coalition (DMMC), the same organization that hosted the Riverview Music Festival last year, GDP brings together a dozen musical artists from across Iowa for an evening of performances in a variety of genres.

DMMC has created a Spotify playlist for those who want to hear music from featured artists. This playlist as well as more information about the artists can be found at desmoinesmc.com. Advance tickets for the festival are $18 in advance and $20 at the door.

Continued:Gross Domestic Product Features These 12 Iowa Artists For Local Music Festival Return

Justin Bieber’s “Justice World” Tour

Dated: April 24, 7:30 p.m.

Or: Wells Fargo Arena, 233 Center St.

At the end of April, pop star Justin Bieber will return to Wells Fargo Arena for his Justice World Tour. This latest appearance will include special musical guests Jaden Smith, ¿Téo? and Eddie Benjamin.

Bieber, who hit the music scene as a teen idol in the late years, is famous for songs like “Baby” and “Sorry,” and in 2021 he charted with his song “Yummy.” In his career so far, Bieber has won two Grammys and 20 additional nominations.

Tickets for the show range from $61.50 to $201.50.

Morgan Wallen “The Dangerous” Tour

Dated: April 29, 7:30 p.m.

Or: Wells Fargo Arena, 233 Center St.

Country singer Morgan Wallen, known for hits like “The Way I Talk,” will come to Des Moines as part of his “Dangerous” tour with special guests Larry Fleet and Ernest, both fellow country artists.

Wallen previously performed in Des Moines in early 2020 while traveling with country artist Jason Aldean’s “We Back Tour.”

Tickets for this latest appearance range from $100.75 to $305.

Continued:Controversial country star Morgan Wallen announces Des Moines tour date

The righteous brothers

Dated: April 30, 7:30 p.m.

Or: Hoyt Sherman Square, 1501 Woodland Ave.

The Righteous Brothers, Bill Medley and Bucky Heard, arrive at Hoyt Sherman Place on the last day of April.

The duo, originally made up of Medley and the late Bobby Hatfield, are famous for songs like “Unchained Melody” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'”, the latter being the most played radio song to date. in 2019.

Tickets for the show can be purchased for $39.50, $59.50, $69.50 and $89.50.

Continued:The Righteous Brothers bring that feeling of love to Des Moines in April

Steve Martin and Martin Short

Dated: May 14, 8 p.m.

Or: Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St.

According to the name of Steve Martin and Martin Short’s latest comedy tour, “You won’t believe what they look like today!”

Martin and Short are no strangers to collaborating on their performance. From the 1986 comedy “Three Amigos!” on the recent Hulu crime comedy series “Only Murders in the Building,” the pair have decades of collaboration together.

Their latest appearance at the Des Moines Civic Center has tickets ranging from $79 to $230.

Continued:Q&A with Steve Martin and Martin Short, from their 2018 Ames performance

Traveling show “Hamilton”

Dated: May 17-June 5

Or: Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St.

The fatherless $10 founding father is back this spring as “Hamilton” returns to the Des Moines Civic Center.

“Hamilton” heavily infuses hip hop music into a traditional musical theater format to tell the story of the first United States Treasury Secretary, Alexander Hamilton.

When the musical first came to Des Moines in 2018, it drew an estimated total of 65,000 attendees across 24 performances — the same number of performances the show is scheduled for now.

Ticket prices range from $59 to $229.

Continued:Tickets are on sale now for ‘Hamilton’ at the Des Moines Civic Center. Here are 3 songs to know before you go

‘Riverdance’ – 25th anniversary

Dated: June 10-12

Or: Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St.

“Riverdance” is among the productions set to come to the Des Moines Civic Center in 2020 before COVID-19 hit Iowa. Now, production is finally starting to return to the Hawkeye state in late spring.

“Riverdance” started life as a Eurovision performance in the mid-90s with traditional Irish dance choreography. Within a few years, the showcase expanded to a two-hour show that premiered in America and reached No. 1 on the Billboard World Music Chart.

The show has five performances in Des Moines, with tickets ranging from $35 to $105.

New Kids on the Block “The MixTape” Tour

Dated: June 12, 7 p.m.

Or: Wells Fargo Arena, 233 Center St.

The New Kids on the Block are back in town in June as the boy band that rose to fame in the 1990s comes to Wells Fargo Arena with “The MixTape” tour. The band’s appearance will include other artists like Salt-N-Pepa and Rick Astley as special guests.

New Kids on the Block has charts like “Hangin’ Tough” and “Step by Step” in its song catalog. In 2020, the group released the single “House Party” with a music video which featured Boyz II Men, Mark Wahlberg, Jordin Sparks and others.

Tickets for the Des Moines show cost between $29.95 and $159.95.

Boyfriend

Dated: June 15, 7:30 p.m.

Or: Hoyt Sherman Square, 1501 Woodland Ave.

One of the last shows of spring is legendary blues guitarist Buddy Guy at Hoyt Sherman Place.

Throughout his career, Guy has produced songs like “Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues”, which is part of a 1991 album of the same name, and “The Blues Is Alive And Well”, which is also the title track of his 2018 Album.

The 85-year-old blues artist was recently the subject of two documentaries, last year’s “The Blues Chase The Blues Away” as part of PBS’s “American Masters” series, and “The Torch,” which hit theaters on March 18. .

Guy appeared in Iowa as recently as November 2016 when he performed three shows across the state. Tickets for his latest show start at $55.

Continued:Singer and guitarist Buddy Guy brings his legendary blues to Hoyt Sherman

Isaac Hamlet covers arts, entertainment and culture at the Des Moines Register. Contact him at [email protected] or 319-600-2124, or follow him on Twitter @IsaacHamlet.