Artown runs the whole of July in Reno — 31 days, more than 500 events, most of them free. It mixes national headliners with local performers, and the National Endowment for the Arts rates it among the most comprehensive arts festivals in the country.
The 2026 edition runs 1 to 31 July. A handful of events fall either side of the month, so the published calendar is the only reliable source for dates and times; it changes every year.
Event Schedule and Planning
Because the schedule changes annually, visitors should check the official Artown website for the current calendar of activities. The festival includes events scheduled before and after the primary month of July.
Artown takes place at various locations throughout the city. Primary venues include:
- Bartley Ranch Regional Park, 6000 Bartley Ranch Road, about 6 miles south of downtown — the Monday Night Music Series, free, in the outdoor Hawkins Amphitheater
- Rancho San Rafael Park, 1595 N Sierra Street, 2 miles north of downtown — opening and closing concerts on the Helaine Greenberg Stage, plus Movies in the Park on Friday nights from 8 p.m.
- Reno Riverwalk and Wingfield Park, on the Truckee River in the middle of downtown — visual and performing arts, and the easiest venues to reach on foot
For those interested in hands-on activities, the festival offers art workshops where attendees can create mosaics, paintings, or stained glass.
At the airport
Reno-Tahoe International runs live music in the main lobby by the ski statue through July, as it has for close to 20 years. Free to anyone, ticket or not — but airport parking is charged at the normal rate, so it is worth the 3-mile drive in from downtown only if you are flying anyway.
Getting between venues
July in Reno is reliably hot and dry — daytime highs regularly over 90°F at 4,500 ft — and none of the passes are a winter problem in high summer. The constraint is distance: Bartley Ranch and Rancho San Rafael are 8 miles apart, so allow 20 minutes between them and more when a concert lets out.
Weather at Reno
- Today
- Sunny
- Temperature
- 63°F
- Wind
- 5 to 15 mph
- Zone
- NVZ003
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Forecast read
Use the following resources to check for potential delays or closures on the major routes leading into the city:
Major routes into Reno.
Festival Highlights
The festival typically begins with an opening night concert and concludes with a closing night celebration. Past opening night performances have featured bands such as Smash Mouth at the Helaine Greenberg Stage at Rancho San Rafael. The closing night celebration has previously featured groups like Playing for Change at the same location.
The Movies in the Park series at Rancho San Rafael Park has historically included films such as Mamma Mia, Hamilton, and Grease.
Beyond the festival, Reno carries more than 100 murals and several sculpture gardens, and the Nevada Museum of Art at 160 West Liberty Street is open year-round, five minutes on foot from Wingfield Park.