Tune in for Festival 2025!
Yellow background with Festival in black letters

Follow the training process for service dogs, visit the kitchen of The Great British Baking Show judge Prue Leith, enjoy music from The Texas Tenors, Tony Bennett, Willie Nelson and Fleetwood Mac, and explore the ways women helped turn the tide of World War II during Festival 2025. Taking place February 28–March 10, March 12, and March 15–16, this year’s event features local productions, music events, popular dramas and more.

During the pledge drive, viewers will have the opportunity to support the programming and services they enjoy all year long, ensuring that Iowa PBS continues to educate, inform, enrich and inspire viewers across the state.

Festival programming airs on Iowa PBS .1, Iowa PBS WORLD .3 and Iowa PBS Create .4. New programs airing on Iowa PBS .1 are listed below. 

Iowa PBS Productions:

  • Dogs of Service, Monday, March 3 at 7 p.m. — Thousands of people with disabilities rely on the assistance of service dogs. Follow the two-year service dog training process—from 8-week-old puppies to fully vested and evaluated service dogs—and hear the stories of their handlers.
  • Studio 3 LIVE: Best of Season 2, Friday, February 28 at 9 p.m. — Performing on the stage for season 2 were two different international bands, a ’90s throw-back act, a regional favorite, a Nashville up-and-comer and a legend from Chicago, just to name a few. Host Mickey Davis takes a look back.
  • The Texas Tenors: Faith and Inspiration, Saturday, March 1 at 8 p.m. — The Texas Tenors perform both classic hymns and contemporary music during this special presentation. From "Amazing Grace" to "You Raise Me Up" and everything in between, audiences will delight in the Tenors' moving performance that is both powerful and uplifting.

Arts and Entertainment:

  • Best of the ’60s, Saturday, March 8 at 9 p.m. — The decade of peace, love and happiness is celebrated in this music compilation. Legends from pop, folk, rock, the British beat, Motown and soul perform their biggest 1960s hits.
  • Earth, Wind & Fire: iHeartRadio Live, Saturday, March 1 at 9:30 p.m. — Join the legendary Grammy Award-winning band Earth, Wind & Fire for an unforgettable night of music and celebration. With their signature blend of soul, funk, pop and R&B, the band delivers a high-energy performance filled with timeless hits.
  • Fleetwood Mac: The Dance, Friday, March 7 at 10 p.m. — Recorded in 1997, this concert performance marked the return of the band's most successful line-up of Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie and Stevie Nicks, who had not released an album together since 1987.
  • Great Performances: Andrea Bocelli 30th—The Celebration, Sunday, March 2 at 7 p.m. — Experience the world-renowned Italian tenor’s 30th anniversary concert from Tuscany featuring global superstars Ed Sheeran, David Foster, Katharine McPhee, Sofia Carson, Brian May, Jon Batiste and others.
  • The Spinners in Concert, Saturday, March 1 at 11 p.m. — The Spinners created and came to define the smooth sound of Philadelphia Soul, channeling the highs and lows of romance and heartbreak into a catalog of classic hits loved by generations.
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble Live at the Elmocambo, Friday, February 28 at 10:30 p.m. — Filmed at the intimate El Mocambo club in Toronto, Canada, the program showcases the acclaimed rock and blues musician’s raw performance and his virtuoso guitar playing.
  • Tony Bennett: Viva Duets, Sunday, March 2 at 9 p.m. — Enjoy Tony Bennett's classic songs with an international flavor, as he performs some of his greatest hits with a celebrated roster of artists, including Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, Franco De Vita and Vicente Fernández.
  • Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday, Wednesday, March 5 at 9:30 p.m. — This star-studded concert event celebrating the country legend’s milestone 90th birthday features unforgettable interpretations of many classics from the Nelson songbook.

General:

  • All Creatures Great and Small: Wisdom of the Dales, Sunday, March 9 at 7 p.m. — This new special shares life lessons from the gentle, life-affirming series as well as from the actors, creative team and even the family of “All Creatures Great and Small” author, Alf Wight.
  • America Made With Love, Saturday, March 1 at 6 a.m. — From a masterful cowboy bootmaker to a jewelry artist crafting pieces inspired by Indigenous ancestry, this program celebrates creativity rooted in tradition and passion.
  • Women of World War II: The Untold Stories, Monday, March 3 at 10:30 p.m. — American women were the secret weapon that won World War II and changed the world in the process. Hear directly from the women who built the planes and flew them, fought on the warfront and the home front, and who broke codes and broke barriers.

How-To:

  • Prue Leith’s Cotswold Kitchen, Saturday, March 1 at 10:30 a.m. — Restaurateur, cookbook author and judge on The Great British Baking Show, Prue Leith welcomes guests into her Cotswold Kitchen, sharing cherished recipes, tips and handy culinary hacks.

Lifestyle:

  • Why You Like It: Decoding Musical Taste, Sunday, March 2 at 2 p.m. — Explore the science and culture behind musical taste with Dr. Nolan Gasser. With live music, animations and an interactive app, you will find more joy with the music that surrounds your life on a daily basis.