Oct 2-3, 2026 Reno / Sparks
OffBeat Music Festival
Brewery District, downtown Reno
Two dozen-plus bands spread across the district's stages, headlined by of Montreal. One of the best weekends of the year to hear new music in Reno.
Things to Do in Northern Nevada
What's Happening in Northern Nevada
A calendar-style guide to the festivals, farmers markets, concerts, art walks, and holiday happenings locals actually keep, from Carson City to the lake.
Every event below was verified with its name, date, and location on this run. Things shift, so the golden rule is the same as anywhere: check the official calendar before you drive, and confirm holiday dates with each town as December approaches.
A Note From Dennis
Check Back Weekly, and Share What You Find
I refresh this calendar every week with newly confirmed events across the region, and my What's Happening posts on the blog go week by week through the season. Know a festival, market, or neighborhood gathering that belongs here? I would love to add it. Call or text me at the number below, or send the details through the contact page.
Fall Festivals & Halloween
October 2026
October is when Northern Nevada shows off: scarecrow festivals, haunted history, a music festival in Reno, and Nevada's birthday parade wrapped up in one busy month. Bring layers, the high-desert evenings get crisp.
Oct 3, 2026 Carson Valley
Gardnerville Coffin Races & Fall Festival
Heritage Park, Gardnerville
The valley's quirkiest tradition: coffin races down a hay-lined street, live music, vendors, and the East Fork Gallery Scarecrow Festival.
Oct 3, 2026 Carson City
Carson City Ghost Walk
Bob McFadden Plaza at Third Street Stage, Carson City
A flashlight tour through downtown's spookiest corners with local historians and storytellers. It sells out most years, so grab tickets early.
Oct 3, 2026 Carson City
Carson City Wine Walk
Check-in at the Brewery Arts Center, downtown Carson City
Sample downtown tasting rooms from 1 to 5 p.m. A relaxed way to meet the neighborhood crowd after the summer rush.
Oct 3-4, 2026 Lake Tahoe
Oktoberfest at Camp Richardson
1900 Jameson Beach Road, South Lake Tahoe
Bavarian music, food, vendors, and family games on the lake's south shore, free to attend. The lake's big fall send-off before the snow flies.
Oct 3, 2026 Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe Mushroom Festival
The Hangar Taproom & Kitchen, South Lake Tahoe
Foraging talks, local fungi, and mushroom-forward food and beer at the lake's favorite taproom, starting at noon.
Oct 10-11, 2026 Reno / Sparks
Eldorado Great Italian Festival
Virginia Street, downtown Reno
Food, wine, live music, and the famous grape stomp as Virginia Street closes to traffic for the weekend.
Oct 17, 2026 Carson Valley
Genoa Oktoberfest
Genoa Town Park, Genoa
The Town of Genoa's one-day Oktoberfest with music, food, and the Sierra views that made Nevada's oldest town famous.
Oct 23, 2026 Carson City
Nevada State Museum Halloween Block Party
Nevada State Museum, 600 N Carson St, Carson City
Trunk-or-treat around the museum grounds plus hands-on activities and light Halloween fun for families, 5 to 8 p.m.
Oct 24, 2026 Carson City
Motors & Monsters Trunk or Treat
395 Motorsports, 951 Jacks Valley Rd, Carson City
Classic cars and costumes: a family-friendly trunk-or-treat on the south edge of town, 4 to 7 p.m.
Oct 30 - Nov 1, 2026 Carson City
Downtown Carson City
Nevada's birthday! The 10 a.m. parade along Carson Street is the centerpiece, with a pancake breakfast, balloon launch, rock-drilling contest, and family fun all weekend.
Oct 31, 2026 Reno / Sparks
Trick-or-Treat at The Outlets at Legends
The Outlets at Legends, Sparks
Shop-and-treat night for kids at Sparks' biggest outlet center, starting at 3 p.m.
Oct 31, 2026 Lake Tahoe
Tahoe City Downtown Trick-or-Treat
Heritage Plaza, Tahoe City
Family trick-or-treating through downtown Tahoe City from 4 to 6 p.m., a safe and friendly tradition put on by TCPUD.
Oct 31, 2026 Lake Tahoe
South Lake Brewing Candy Crawl
South Lake Brewing Company, South Lake Tahoe
A free family candy crawl in costume, then stay for a pint while the kids trade candy, 3 to 7 p.m.
Happening All Month Long in October
These run for weeks rather than a single day, so there is room to plan: the pumpkin patches and haunted houses stay open through Halloween, and the Carson Valley Art Studio Tour opens a weekend of working studios and galleries each October, with the Arts Council setting the exact weekend annually.
Daily through Oct 31, 2026 Carson Valley
Corley Ranch Harvest Festival & Pumpkin Patch
Corley Ranch, Gardnerville
Pumpkins, pig races, and old-fashioned fall fun on a working ranch in the Carson Valley.
Sept 19 - Oct 31, 2026 Reno / Sparks
8100 Pyramid Way, Spanish Springs
A five-acre corn maze, pumpkin patch, and Zombie Paintball on one of the Reno area's biggest fall farms.
Sept 25 - Nov 1, 2026 Carson City
Nevada State Prison, 600 N Carson St, Carson City
One of the most talked-about haunted houses in the West, inside the historic state prison. Not for young kids.
Markets, Openings & Veterans Day
November 2026
November is the shoulder season, and locals love it for that: quiet trails, empty tasting rooms, and the first turns of the ski year. It is also when the holiday trains start rolling and craft fairs take over the weekends.
Nov 5, 2026 (then monthly) Reno / Sparks
First Thursday Art Walk
Riverwalk Arts District, downtown Reno
Galleries open late along the river with live music and street food, 5 to 9 p.m. A great standing date once a month.
Nov 7-8, 2026 Reno / Sparks
Handmade for the Holidays
Red Hawk Golf & Resort, Sparks
Local makers, early gift shopping, and holiday cheer at the first big holiday craft fair of the season.
Nov 11, 2026 Regional
Veterans Day Observances
Carson City, Virginia City, and Reno
Ceremonies across the region, including the C Street parade in Virginia City. A moving way to spend the morning.
Mid-November (projected) Lake Tahoe
Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe Opening
Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe, above Incline Village
In a normal snow year the Nevada side opens first, with early-season turns close to home. Watch the resort for the exact date.
Late November through Christmas Virginia City
V&T Railway Candy Cane Express
Virginia & Truckee Depot, 166 F St, Virginia City
Santa rides the historic train through the Comstock, and the evening Holiday Train O'Lights glows with thousands of lights.
Holidays & Christmas
December 2026
Small-town Christmas is Northern Nevada's superpower: tree lightings in Carson City, Gardnerville, Minden, and Genoa, a Victorian month in Virginia City, and torchlight on the snow at the lake. Holiday dates below follow each town's established annual pattern (first Friday, first weekend, and so on); confirm the exact 2026 date on the official calendar as December nears.
Dec 3, 2026 (first Thursday of December) Carson Valley
Gardnerville Christmas Kickoff
Heritage Park, Gardnerville
Fireworks, Santa's grand arrival, electric carriage rides, and Dutch-oven cobbler kick off the Valley's holiday season.
Dec 4, 2026 (first Friday of December) Carson City
Silver & Snowflakes Festival of Lights
Nevada State Capitol grounds, Carson City
The capital's tree-lighting tradition with music, sparkle, and the capitol glowing for the season.
Dec 4, 2026 (Friday after the Christmas Kickoff) Carson Valley
Minden Tree Lighting & Caroling
Minden Park gazebo, Minden
S'mores over open fires, cocoa, cookies, and carols under a Sierra evening sky.
Dec 4, 2026 (first Friday of December) Carson Valley
Genoa Christmas Tree Lighting
Genoa Community Church to Hope's Tree, Genoa
Caroling at 5:30, a lantern walk to the tree, then Santa and a pancake breakfast at Town Hall Saturday morning.
Dec 4-6, 2026 (first weekend of December) Reno / Sparks
Sparks Hometowne Christmas
Victorian Square, Sparks
Tree lighting Friday, the big Hometowne Christmas parade Saturday, and a holiday market all weekend. The city confirms exact 2026 dates in the fall.
All December, 2026 Virginia City
Virginia City
A month-long Victorian Christmas: tree lighting, Parade of Lights weekends with fireworks or a drone show, gingerbread displays, and saloon caroling.
Dec 5, 2026 (first Saturday of December) Carson Valley
Carson Valley Parade of Lights
Highway 395 from Eddy Street to Minden Park
Holiday floats light up 395 with hot cocoa stands and cheering crowds all along the route.
Dec 5-6, 2026 Reno / Sparks
Reno Holiday Lights Festival
City Plaza, downtown Reno
The downtown tree lighting and a weekend festival of lights on the river.
Dec 11, 2026 (second Friday of December) Carson Valley
Christmas in Minden
Historic downtown Minden
Tree lighting at City Hall, the Reindeer Run 5K, and a Wine Walk through historic storefronts.
Mid-December, 2026 Carson Valley
Genoa's Country Christmas
Genoa Town Hall, Genoa
Festive music with drinks and dessert in Nevada's oldest town. A warm, candlelit evening stop.
Dec 12, 2026 Reno / Sparks
Reno Santa Crawl
Downtown Reno
A costumed crawl for grownups through downtown bars and venues. 21-plus, and it fills up fast.
Late November through year-end Lake Tahoe
Incline Village and Crystal Bay
The community's month-long celebration: the Jennifer Street Parade of Lights, Brunch with Santa, holiday concerts, and tree lighting.
Late November through Dec 31, 2026 Lake Tahoe
Heavenly Village, South Lake Tahoe
The 65-foot tree lights nightly at 5:30, with ice sculptures, Breakfast with Santa, and the Rockin' New Year's Eve fireworks.
Dec 31, 2026 Lake Tahoe
The Village at Palisades Tahoe, Olympic Valley
Torchlight parade down Exhibition run, fireworks over the Village, live music, and an East Coast ball drop for early bedtimes.
Standing Dates
Year-Round Favorites
A few events never really stop, and they are the ones transplants lean on while they learn the area. The Sunday market at Idlewild Park is the social anchor of a Reno weekend in every season.
Sundays, year-round Reno / Sparks
Riverside Farmers Market
Idlewild Park, Reno
The reliable year-round market on the Truckee, with farm goods and food trucks in every season. Best on sunny fall mornings.
Tuesdays through late October Reno / Sparks
Sparks United Methodist Church Farmers Market
1075 Pyramid Way, Sparks
A friendly neighborhood market that stays open into the fall, a dependable Tuesday stop while the season lasts.
Dates and details can change, and summer's big calendar (lake concerts, Artown, Carson Valley Days) is covered in our weekly What's Happening roundups as each season approaches.
Planning a Visit, or the Move Itself?
Tell Dennis what is on your event list and where you are looking. He will help you plan the trip, and find the community that matches how you actually want to live.