Tune in for Festival 2026!
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Tune in for the next installment of the Tractor Wars series, discover some of the nation’s most talented artisans, enjoy music from Barbra Streisand and Barry Manilow, and trace the history of the Irish during Festival 2026. Taking place February 28–March 15, 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. 

Saturday, February 28

  • 2:30 p.m. Epic Train Journeys From Above: The Glacier Express — The Glacier Express train in the Swiss Alps is an engineering marvel traveling over treacherous gorges and through huge mountain ranges.
  • 11:00 a.m. America’s Home Cooking: Flavors of the Fourth — This new special from Chris Fennimore and the America's Home Cooking team celebrates picnics and barbecue! Recipes include horseradish potato salad, baked beans, apple hand pies and other summer favorites.
  • 11:00 p.m. More Deconstructing The Beatles — Acclaimed "Beatle-ologist" Scott Freiman guides viewers, step-by-step, on an educational journey through several of The Beatles' milestone albums and the fascinating stories that accompanied them.

Sunday, March 1

  • 10:30 a.m. America Made With Love Part 2 — Discover the ingenuity, vision and unparalleled talent of some of the nation's most extraordinary artisans.
  • 8:00 p.m. All Creatures Great and Small: Seasons of the Dales — Revisit the most picturesque scenes from the beloved series in a relaxing trip to the idyllic Yorkshire countryside.
  • 9:30 p.m. The Forsytes: An Inside Look — Go behind the scenes for an extended sneak preview of the upcoming Masterpiece series.

Monday, March 2

  • 7:00 p.m. Tractor Wars II — Between 1929 and 1959 tractor makers fought for market supremacy, and worked to make mechanized farming part of everyday life in rural America. And everyone—from board rooms to farm fields—searched for a balance between power and affordability.

Tuesday, March 3

  • 9:00 p.m. Of the People: The Women of the Civil Rights Movement — The courage, intellect and activism of Fannie Lou Hamer, Angela Davis, Delores Huerta and Yuri Kochiyama helped shape the course of the civil and human rights movements in America.

Wednesday, March 4

  • 7:00 p.m. Nature: Parenthood: The Greatest Adventure — Parenthood is the ultimate journey, full of danger. Lionesses teach their cubs how to survive by showing them how to tackle giant buffalo. Burrowing owls provide an underground nest for their chicks and mimic a rattlesnake’s sound to protect them.

Thursday, March 5

  • 7:00 p.m. Barbra Streisand: Timeless—Live in Concert — This concert film celebrates Streisand's critically acclaimed "Timeless" concerts, recorded in Las Vegas on December 31, 1999 and January 1, 2000. Staged as an original, Broadway-style musical, the production featured a video montage of some of her most famous duets.
  • 9:00 p.m. Barry Manilow: Live by Request — Originally broadcast live throughout the U.S. in December 1996, this special features the beloved singer/songwriter in top form as some of his most ardent fans call in to request their favorite songs and chat with the star in real time.
  • 10:30 p.m. Neil Diamond: Hot August Night/NYC — Recorded live at New York's Madison Square Garden in August 2008, this concert features career-spanning hits from Neil's phenomenal four-night sold-out run at the fabled concert hall.

Friday, March 6

  • 10:00 p.m. Brit Floyd—The Moon, the Wall and Beyond — This monumental new production celebrates two of the most iconic and influential albums in rock history with a breathtaking show that captures the spirit, sound, and spectacle of the legendary band.

Saturday, March 7

  • 7:30 a.m. Epic Train Journeys From Above: Australia’s Outback Railway — Crossing the harsh terrain of the Australian outback, the Ghan, a luxury train, and its 3,000 kilometers of track need constant and skilled maintenance.

Sunday, March 8

  • 7:30 a.m. Wisdom Keepers: Healing a Divided People — Hosted by journalist Ray Suarez, this program is a deep dive into humanity’s timeless questions. It features conversations with leading thinkers on life’s biggest mysteries.
  • 8:00 p.m. Pavarotti 90: The Man Who Moved the World — Filmed in September 2025, this tribute concert celebrates what would have been the acclaimed tenor’s 90th birthday. Featuring world-renowned opera and pop artists, the performance showcases the two diverse musical sides of Pavarotti.
  • 10:00 p.m. Barry Bostwick Presents Classical Rewind (My Music Presents) — The stories of great compositions are woven together with visual interpretations of the music set to iconic images of nature, fantasy, historical locations, architecture and art.

Tuesday, March 10

  • 7:00 p.m. The Making of the American Revolution — Go behind the scenes with Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, David Schmidt and their team to learn about the production, which took nearly a decade to complete. The program includes clips from the series and visits several stops on the film’s cross-country tour.

Thursday, March 12

  • 8:30p.m. Country Classics — Celebrate the timeless legacy of country music in this unforgettable special, where today’s biggest music stars honor the genre’s most iconic legends.
  • 10:00 p.m. The Great Irish Songbook — Join internationally acclaimed Sligo-based band Dervish and a stellar lineup of artists to celebrate the uniquely powerful Irish tradition of song, a tradition as powerful in America as it is at home.

Saturday, March 14

  • 1:00 p.m. Cooking With Legends: Ming Tsai & Rick Bayless — Grab a seat at the table with these two award-winning chefs as they share recipes and dish on their inspirations. Join them on a field trip to Chicago’s Lao Peng You for dumplings, and to Rick’s restaurant, Frontera Grill, for cocktails and stories.

Sunday, March 15

  • 8:00 a.m. From That Small Island: The Story of the Irish — Narrated by award-winning actor Colin Farrell, this film tells the fascinating history of an island people who have truly left their mark on the world.