The year in Grimes: the annual events worth marking.

Every town has a rhythm, the handful of dates that anchor the year. Here are the ones that matter in Grimes, from the big June festival to trick-or-treat and the holidays.

Governor's Days (June)

Governor's Days is the town's signature festival, held in early June at the South Sports Complex (750 S James St). The Grimes Chamber & Economic Development organizes it with volunteers. The 2026 dates were June 4 to 6, with the grand parade on Saturday morning at 10 a.m., and the festival ran to a fireworks show at 10 p.m. Saturday. It packs in a carnival, live music in the entertainment garden, a bags tournament, food and craft vendors, and the Lions Club pancake breakfast. The library opens late, at noon, on parade day, and lists the 2027 parade for Saturday, June 5. Named, like the town, for Governor James W. Grimes. Dates and the full schedule are at governorsdays.com.

The farmers market and the Fourth

• Grimes Farmers and Community Market: Saturday mornings, 8 to noon, at Heritage Park, roughly June through September.
• Fourth of July fireworks: at the South Sports Complex. See our fireworks guide.

Halloween and the holidays

• Trick-or-treat: Grimes holds trick-or-treat on October 31, generally 6 to 8 p.m. Confirm the year's posting on the city calendar.
• Halloween 2026: trick-or-treat is Sat. Oct. 31, 6 to 8 p.m., and the city Trunk or Treat is Sun. Oct. 25. Every date, plus haunted houses near town, is in our Halloween in Grimes guide.
• Grimes Holiday Celebration: the first Sunday of December, with Santa arriving by fire truck. See our holiday lights guide.

City holiday closures

Grimes city offices close for the standard holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.