REMINDER: Des Moines will host its annual Waterland Children’s Festival this Friday, July 18, 2025, bringing a free afternoon of family-friendly fun to Field House Park from 1 to 5 p.m.
Organized by the city’s Community Enrichment Department, Recreation Division, and the Des Moines Police Department, and presented with support from the Des Moines Legacy Foundation, the event features bounce houses, live entertainment, creative booths, and more.
Event Details:
Legacy Events: 1–5 p.m.:
- Interactive Bounce Houses and Slides (4 total) for all age groups staffed by Family Fun Bounce House professional vendor Alec Phommavong, Owner 253-247-3505. Provides set up, event staff, and generators.
- Magician/Balloon Artist Taylor Kyle – Artist will be roam throughout the site, perform magic, make balloon art, and perform at 4:30 p.m..
- Hydroplane Decorating Booth staffed by Yacht Club volunteers- Provide stickers, paint markers, and crayons for decorating.
- Jr Parade Float Building Booth staffed by Des Moines Gospel Chapel Youth Paster and volunteers- Provide duct tape in multiple colors, paints, decorations, and suspender material.
- Shark in the Park Art Coloring Booth – Artists have supplies, staffed by Fred Andrews and Artists.
- Hat & Bows are staffed by Miss Melanie’s Dance Studio. Provide paint markers, jewels, tattoos, glue, fabric finisher, cleaning supplies.
- Kite Customizing Booth. Provide kites, paint markers, tattoos.
- Face Painting, staffed by Shauna Valesquez and Jude, Crazy Hair, and Photo Booth, staffed by Volunteers. Provide Face painting Kit.
- Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles Booth staffed by volunteers. Provide Bubble solution, Plastic wands, and bubble machine. Have bubble give-away.
Antique Fire Truck/ Jr Parade Sign Up Area: 1–5 p.m.:
- Check in/Refreshment Booth – Water, Soft Drinks, and Juice Boxes in iced water bins, first aid kit, kids sun protection spray, white fans give away. Location of Magic Show at 4:30 p.m..
City of Des Moines Camp KHAOS Events: 1–5 p.m.:
- Organized Activities will be run by a high-energy, upbeat Camp KHAOS Staff Member on the hour and half-hour, utilizing the sand baseball field on the Grandstands side of the park. The activities will take 5 minutes to explain, and last 5-15 minutes in duration.
- The city will create signage to put around the field letting people know what activity is happening when, so that they can plan their visit around the activity. Legacy can print the signs, information needed by 7-15-25.
Schedule:
- 1:00 p.m.: Relay Races Down & Back in teams (egg carry, potato sack, wheelbarrow race, bouncy ball race. Prizes awarded to winning team, 4-5 large)
- 1:30 p.m.: Musical Dots (rubber floor dots instead of chairs, players sit on their dot. Prize awarded to last player on dot, 1 large)
- 2:00 p.m.: Hula Hoop Competition(s) (who can last the longest, hoop on different body parts, play a few rounds with players sitting down once they’re out. Prizes awarded to winners, 2-3 large if one for each round)
- 2:30 p.m.: Water Balloon Toss (players toss the balloon back and forth, taking one step back for each successful catch. Team is out if balloon is dropped/broken. Prize awarded to winning pair, 2 large)
- 3:00 p.m.: Sponge Race (players have “car wash sponges” and race to fill their team’s bucket a distance from the big bucket of water. Prize to winning team, 4-5 large)
- 3:30 p.m.: Rock, Paper, Scissors Hula Hoop Showdown (hula hoops are set up in a snaking line, one player hops in from each side, meeting in the middle for a round of rock, paper, scissors. Winner continues, losing team sends a new competitor from their starting side. Play continues back and forth until one team makes it all the way across. Prize awarded to all winning team participants.
- 4:00 p.m.: Musical Dots (1 large prize)
Station Activities – will be set up for people to come and go as they please, without a designated start or end to the activity. Camp KHAOS will have a junior leader or two at each station to supervise the area and make sure that the equipment is being reset periodically for use by more participants.
Sports Area: soccer goals, soccer balls, jump ropes, parachute.
Lawn Games Area: giant Jenga, bocce, lawn bowling, bean bag tic-tac-toe
Splash Pad Area: hose from building with sprinkler, giant buckets of water with assorted water toys (water shooters, sponges, reusable water balloons). This will likely need to be set up between the bottom of the slide and the edge of the ballfield fence nearest 220th St. for the hose to reach. Outdoor Games: Musical Dots, Potato Sack and Bouncy Ball Races, Hula Hoop Competition, Parachute, Splash Pad and Water Games, and/or other activities as planned and staffed by Camp Khaos staff and volunteers. Legacy purchased needed supplies.
Bicycle Safety and Helmet Give Away Booth (20 helmets) and Police Department Swag staffed by DMPD, Tanya Seaberry
Community Events – 1–5 p.m.
- Mt Rainier Pool Duck Pond Game staffed by Lifeguards- Need access to fill up pool with water- Own tent/set up.
- NW Karate Club Exhibition and activities staffed by Club- Own set up.
- Antique Fire Truck/ Jr Parade Sign Up Area – staffed by Pedersen Family- Own set up.
- KC Des Moines Library – Crafts, Stories, and Reading: staffed by KC Library System- Own set up.
Free Food Area:
- Des Moines Area Food Bank Picnic in the Park: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 2:30-4 p.m. staffed by Food Bank
Paid Food Vendor Area:
- Food Truck Vendor – Taste of Samoa TBD
- Slushies Vendor – Louisiana sneauz- Joshua Arp
- Kettle Korn Wagon – Tony Benson, Owner
