What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 6:30pm - 8:30pm Thursday 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Band of Iron Lions

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Des Moines, IA
Band of Iron Lions

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The Band of Iron Lions is a nonprofit Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) school and living history reenactment group.

Band of Iron Lions operates as a registered 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization. Our core focus lies in the realm of Historical European Martial Arts (H.E.M.A), where we diligently train our students and practitioners using a blend of practical methods, including shadow training, drills, and sparring with both synthetic and steel swords. Beyond honing our craft, we showcase our skills within our local community and at events such as Renaissance Faires. We take great pride in imparting our techniques to guests and patrons, alongside sharing the rich historical context of our time period and martial arts practices. Moreover, our members actively engage in tournaments, where they showcase their prowess, forge connections within the H.E.M.A. community, and uphold the spirit of camaraderie amongst skilled fighters.

10/21/2026

We love to teach and had the best time doing so this past weekend at the Iowa Renaissance Festival! From our sword rack to classes, we thoroughly enjoyed having you visit!

10/19/2026

It's time for a break!
After a long and wonderful fall Renaissance Festival season, the Band of Iron Lions, will be hibernating until spring! Don't worry though, there will still be classes and events throughout the winter.
We want to thank all of you for your attendance at our shows, interactions at our encampment, and all the wonderful memories you shared with us this year. Huzzah!

10/18/2026

Sometimes, we just have some fun! Today, at the Iowa Renaissance Festival, was no different. During our encore performance at 4 pm, we had our peasants take on one of our German knights!

10/17/2026

This weekend at the Iowa Renaissance Festival is our last faire of the season! Come out to see us at our encampment, and our demonstrations at 11 and 3 daily!
We hope to see you there!

10/11/2026

We had a wonderful first day at the Iowa Renaissance Festival! Come out and see our encampment and our shows at 11:30 and 2:30 tomorrow.

10/10/2026

We're out here at the Iowa Renaissance Festival in Amana, IA. Our show times are 11:30 and 2:30. We look forward to seeing you all here!

10/08/2026

Come out and see us this weekend at the Iowa Renaissance Festival this weekend. Our showtimes are 11:30 and 2:30!

09/21/2026

📢 Our showtimes this weekend are 12:30 and 3:30! We look forward to seeing everyone this weekend at the Greater Quad Cities Renaissance Faire!

🏰The Greater Quad Cities Renaissance Faire is almost here!

And trust us… you’re going to want to make time for the entertainment! There’s a LOT happening throughout the faire grounds, so grab your friends, bring the family, and get ready for a weekend full of music, magic, mischief, battles, pirates, royals, and plenty of laughs.

~Here is the weekend #1 tentative entertainment schedule. This is subject to change if needed~

🎭 On the stages, you’ll find:
🏴‍☠️ The Pirate Stage — Incendiary NPCs & B***y Buccaneers will be bringing the fire & shenanigans all day long!
🌿 Theater on the Green — Clan McSwade, Molotov Stoopid Human Tricks, The Brotherhood of Steel, Inc, and Band of Iron Lions!
👑 Royal Stage — Meet the Faerie Queen Titania, encounter Barely Believable Magic with the Magic of Andrew and meet Queen Katherine of the Royal Merry Miscreants
🎶 Minstrel Stage inside the Lodge building — Cockatoo Encounter, Droopel The Barbarian and Orckes & Trolles / Top Hat Carolers.

🐴 And don’t miss the Joust with Equus Nobilis at 12:00, 2:00 & 4:00 on the Tournament Field!!

🐎 Loyal Horses will also be making appearances at 11:30, 1:30 & 3:30 in their arena!

And that’s not even everything! You’ll also find Odin, Mischief and Positivity, Juke the Song Dealer, The Wandering Pascal and more roaming the lanes. Plus, Band of Iron Lions and Brotherhood of Steele will be in encampment!

Basically… you could spend the entire day wandering from one bit of fun to the next. And we highly recommend you do. 😉

📅 September 26 & 27, 2026
⏰ Gates open at 10 AM and close at 6 PM
🏰 Credit Island Park, 2200 W. River Drive, Davenport, IA

And remember—Weekend #2 is October 3 & 4!

🎟️ Get your tickets and all the faire details at www.midwestfests.com!
Tickets are also available all day, every day, at the gate cash or card.
ATMs onsite
Free parking onsite
Bags & strollers are allowed
Water bottles & food needed for allergies/infants/children is allowed

Come for the jousting. Stay for the pirates. Laugh with the performers. Meet the royals. And maybe get into a little Renaissance mischief of your own.

We’ll see you at the faire!

09/17/2026

A bit late, however we are filled with joy to announce that we turned 5 yesterday! 🎉🥳🎂
Thank you to everyone who was a part of our journey so far. Whether you were a member, student, patron, vendor, fellow performer, or business partner, we are grateful to each and every one of you for helping to support us in acheiving this massive milestone! 🙏 No organization survives without support, seen or unseen, from folks working tirelessly to keep it going, and we are no exception. And so we say a humble Thank You, and heres to many more years of sword fights, education, and history! We still have 4 more weekends this year, all back-to-back, starting next weekend as we travel to eastern Iowa for the Greater Quad Cities Renaissance Festival, followed by the Iowa Renaissance Festival. We invite you to join us as we continue to do what we love and share our passion for swords and history! Huzzah! 🎉🥳🎊

09/01/2026

⚔️ Thank you for kicking off our fall season with us at the Nebraska Renaissance Festival! ⚔️

We hope you had a fantastic time meeting new people, seeing new faces, and catching up with some familiar favorites. We certainly enjoyed having you there!

Address

Des Moines, IA

Opening Hours

Tuesday	6:30pm - 8:30pm
Thursday	6:30pm - 8:30pm

Website

https://www.bandofironlions.org/, http://www.linkedin.com/company/the-band-of-iron-lions/

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