Travel Nevada - What's Hot in Nevada - Time a Nevada road trip with one of the Silver State’s many cultural and colourful signature annual events
- peri861
- Jan 15, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 25, 2025
Year-round, Nevada plays host to a varying selection of annual events that celebrate the state’s eclectic, offbeat way of life, mixed with its Native American traditions, Western heritage and cowboy culture.
Plan ahead and time a visit with one of Nevada’s signature events for a road trip to remember.
National Cowboy Poetry Gathering | 27 Jan to 1 Feb, 2025
Thousands flock annually to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering held in Elko along the Cowboy Corridor, a week-long celebration of authentic western cultural arts. Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025, the event is more than just poetry. First originating when several folklorists wrangled a handful of poets together to share an overlooked American tradition, the event has blossomed into an incredible six days of poetry, music, dancing, workshops, exhibits, conversations and food drawing revelers from all walks of life — western and beyond.
Eagles and Agriculture | 6 to 9 Feb, 2025
This yearly winter festival in Carson Valley offers a weekend of tours, tastings, and teachings for photographers, birders, and wildlife lovers, and is Nevada’s premier wildlife photography event. The program includes a wildlife photography competition and exhibit, attending falconers with their birds, a wetlands birding tour, an “owl prowl” and historic barn tour, a raptor highway and byway tour, various photography workshops and clinics, guided hikes, and the annual Falconers’ Dinner.
Genoa Western Heritage Days | 2 to 4 May, 2025
Set against the snow-covered Eastern Sierra in the heart of Nevada’s oldest town, this three-day festival is cherished by history buffs and live music lovers alike. The schedule includes a progressive dinner, and a variety of both free and ticketed events, honouring cowboy poetry, authentic Western music and involving plenty of family-friendly fun.
Extraterrestrial Full Moon Races | 10 to 11 May, 2025
The organisers of the Extraterrestrial Full Moon Races invite runners of all skill levels to the town of Rachel for an anything-but-ordinary experience. Taking place along the famous Extraterrestrial Highway, this overnight race begins and ends at the Little A’Le’Inn. Course distances include a 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon, and a 51K, named in honour of nearby Area 51.You might not be able to outrun a UFO, but you can look for them while competing against fellow racers during the Extraterrestrial Full Moon Races.
Electric Daisy Carnival | 16 to 18 May, 2025
Each May, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway comes alive with sound and color at the most famous of North Las Vegas events. Easily the biggest, greatest electronic dance music festival in the US, Electric Daisy Carnival packs three days with stacked lineups, mesmerising light and pyrotechnic shows, and more than 400,000 revelers dancing to EDM
Reno Rodeo | 19 to 28 June, 2025
Reno’s cowboy culture lives on at the century-old, week-long Reno Rodeo, nicknamed the “Richest Rodeo in the West”. The event kicks off with the annual cattle drive, as 300-head of cattle are herded from Winnemucca Ranch and through northwestern Nevada’s wide-open terrain before filling Reno’s city streets lined with cheering fans to the Livestock Events Center. Over ten days, be dazzled by a variety of colourful entertainment sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) including bull riding, steer wrestling and barrel racing.
National Basque Festival | 5 to 6 July, 2025
The National Basque Festival is celebrated annually each July in Elko. First starting in 1964 as a local gathering for sheepherders and cattle ranchers, today the two-day festival draws thousands of visitors to celebrate Basque food and culture, with dancing, traditional music, woodchopping competitions, mouthwatering paella and lamb, and chances aplenty to taste the unofficial state drink, the Picon Punch.
Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival | 5 July to 24 Aug, 2025
Experience classic Shakespearean theater outdoors—the way it was meant to be—at the spectacularly scenic Sand Harbor. Every summer, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival brings award-winning performances to an exceptional setting with the “Jewel of the Sierra Nevada” serving as one majestic backdrop. This year’s line-up features Peter and the Starcatcher and Twelfth Night, along with a live entertainment lineup full of ballet, jazz, rock cover bands, and more.
Great Basin Astronomy Festival | 18 to 20 Sep, 2025
With the darkest, quietest skies in the Lower 48, Great Basin National Park is the perfect place for an astronomy festival. Unbelievable stargazing takes center stage over the course of three event-packed days (and nights), featuring everything from star parties and constellation talks to astrophotography workshops and Art in the Dark creations. A free event for stargazers to take in the spectacular star-studded skies.
Pahrump Social Powwow | 21 to 23 Nov, 2025
Hundreds flock to Pahrump, home to Western Shoshone and Paiute tribes, for this free cultural and educational experience that’s held annually the weekend before Thanksgiving. Nevada’s rich American Indian heritage and tradition is honoured at one of the largest Powwows in the Silver State, with three days of dancing, music and ceremonies, traditional foods and craft stalls.
For more inspiration on Nevada’s rare and unusual events: travelnevada.com/events
Feeling inspired to trailblaze Nevada? Start planning at travelnevada.com
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