Held annually since 1958 (except in 2020 due to COVID-19), the State Center Rose Festival celebrates the history and charm of our beautiful town and historic Rose Garden.  Nestled near the center of the state, our town is the perfect setting to be known as the “Rose Capitol of Iowa” and host to this tradition.  Each year during the third weekend in June, the town comes alive as current residents host those who have moved away, those who are just passing through, and anyone interested in a weekend full of fun, family-centered events.  Visit our event schedule pages for a full listing of all the events!

Featuring a Grand Parade at 10:00 am on Saturday, the Rose Festival has something for everyone to indulge in throughout each day.  If you’re hungry, there will be a Rib dinner near the KCBS teams on Friday night, food vendors serving an array of tastes fill our food court area, and other local stands complete the menu.  Kids and adults alike will love the new Extreme FunZone, smaller kiddies can enjoy the kid’s RoseZone on the library grounds where there’s always something ‘wild’ to explore, shoppers can browse through our main street stores and Main Street Market, adventurers can join the State Center Fire Department for Sunday waterball fights, or if you need a tranquil setting tour the aromatic Rose Garden.  Evenings are capped off with main events like the Rose Queen coronation pageant, live music, and an explosive fireworks show.  Reigning over the festivities are the Rose Queen and her Princess, along with Little Miss Rosebud.

To learn more about State Center, we encourage you to visit our town’s website at http://www.statecenteriowa.org.