From foodies and stargazers to metalheads and carnival lovers, everyone has plenty of fun to look forward to when it comes to Nevada festivals in 2025.
If you’re like us, your calendar is already quickly filling up, but don’t forget to leave some time for outings with family, friends, your significant other, or, hey, even just yourself. From finding community in a national park to hearing glorious music statewide, Nevada’s 2025 festivals are already looking hot—and not just because of the weather—thanks to mouth-watering food, uber-romantic lantern send-offs, and more.
So, without further ado, check out these 20 Nevada festivals that could spice up your life in 2025.
1. Fire and Ice Winter Festival
Where: Ely
When: January 17-19
Cost: Free
The annual Fire and Ice Winter Festival heats up Ely with electrifying events held across the city, ranging from karaoke and sports tournaments to hiking and ceramics. Entertainment also abounds here, with movies and free concerts drawing large crowds year after year. This festival is unique because it spreads the love throughout the city, with some events being held simultaneously rather than everything being centrally congregated. This just means that you’re never far from stopping into one of the festival’s many events and enjoying yourself. To learn more, click here.
2. Jewish Nevada International Film Festival
Where: Las Vegas
When: January 23-February 8
Cost: Festival Pass: $136, Individual Movies: $15 each
The organization Jewish Nevada is beginning its annual film festival at the end of January with the goal of helping people understand the Jewish lived experience. To bring this venture to life, the organization has partnered with three locations across Las Vegas, meaning you can catch films throughout the festival window no matter where you are in the city. Worth noting is that you save $89 if you purchase the festival pass, as all of the individual movie tickets at $15 a pop would far exceed the pass’ $136. Viewings during the festival include “Midas Man,” “Bad Shabbos,” and “Highway 65.” To learn more, click here.
3. Dream Asia Festival
Where: Las Vegas
When: February 14-16
Cost: General Admission: $12, VIP: $45
There’s a food festival for every type of cuisine, and if you’re someone who generally loves Asian flavors, ingredients, and cooking techniques, then the Dream Asia Festival in Las Vegas is precisely where you need to be this February. At this year’s event, you can expect to see 93 different vendors slicing, dicing, and serving dishes from all across Asia, as well as Asian-fusion items. It sounds too delicious to be true, but trust us, you don’t want to miss this one. Plus, it would make a perfect Valentine’s Day outing. Who wouldn’t want to slurp noodles from various vendors à la Lady and the Tramp? To learn more, click here.
4. Lake Tahoe Reggae Festival
Where: Stateline
When: February 15-16
Cost: One day: $90+, Two day: $228+
Held on the beautiful coast of Lake Tahoe, this annual festival celebrates all things reggae in the Tahoe Blue Event Center, and if you ask us, there’s nothing more serene than swaying to good music and having good drinks and fun with friends while it’s frosty outside. This year, the festival’s performers include Dirty Heads and Iration on Saturday, February 15, and Rebelution and Steel Pulse on Sunday, February 16. Just don’t forget your “[p]ositive vibez & big sunny smiles”—they’re strictly “required,” per the festival’s official website. To learn more, click here.
5. Tacos & Tamales Festival
Where: Las Vegas
When: March 28-30
Cost: One day: $7 for Adults & $3.50 for Children, Multi-Day: $12.50
It’s no secret that Nevada has some of the best Tex-Mex food in the country (sorry, Texas!), and those flavors come through boldly and proudly at the annual Tacos & Tamales Festival. Held at the Desert Breeze Event Center, the event sees local vendors who specialize in taco and tamale dishes feeding the masses with their staple menu items, as well as items dreamed up specifically for the event. It allows chefs to get creative and crafty, and it gives foodies the chance to taste their way through the city’s Hispanic food scene in one fell swoop. To learn more, click here.
6. Las Vegas Balloon Festival
Where: Las Vegas
When: April 5
Cost: TBD
If you drive by Sky Zone Las Vegas and see the clouds above colorfully dotted more than usual, you’ve more than likely stumbled upon The Las Vegas Balloon Festival, which is kicking off on Saturday, April 5 this year, according to the event’s Facebook page. Here, you can see hot air balloons galore take to the clouds, watching them as they’re lit, become fully inflated, and lift up, up, and away. But that’s not all, of course. Live music will serenade the balloons’ ascent, and local vendors will be grilling and frying up delicacies for all of the guests. This is a wholesome, good time, and it’s worth visiting, as it’s the perfect outdoor event before summer’s hot onset. To learn more, click here.
7. Great American Foodie Fest
Where: Henderson
When: April 11-13
Cost: General Admission: $10, Tasting Experience: $50
The Great American Foodie Fest’s website describes itself as “one of the largest food centric festivals on the West Coast,” and after seeing everything it has to offer, we’re inclined to believe it. You can’t often find scrumptious food trucks, carnival fare, top-cut chefs, and a beer and cocktail garden all in one place, but you can eat your way through all of that and more at this festival. There’s no shortage of food or drink, and it’s all so good that you’ll be left wanting more no matter how full you actually are. You can even buy the Tasting Experience pass if you want your experience to come with popular menu items from top-tier specialty food vendors baked into your ticket. To learn more, click here.
8. Reno Fest
Where: Reno
When: April 17-27
Cost: TBD
Held at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center, Reno Fest is one event you don’t want to miss no matter where you live in Nevada. The giant carnival is put together by the Nevada State Fair each year, and it’s essentially an amped-up version of your local town fair. Think whirling rides, deep-fried everything, stunning crafts and art, breathtaking music, and more—everything you need to get a grin that will last for days after you visit this magical pop-up event. To learn more, click here.
9. Electric Daisy Carnival
Where: Las Vegas
When: May 16-18
Cost: $699+
As if Sin City couldn’t get any brighter, the Electric Daisy Carnival is a three-day rave event held each year at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and it’s exactly the neon fever dream you’re likely envisioning (in the best way). Here, the energy is electric because the performers, the attendees, and the atmosphere are electric. Pyrotechnics light up an already brightly lit venue, and the live music replaces your heartbeat for 72 hours. You’ll see folks from all different backgrounds, from corporate workers to drag queens, let loose and unabashedly love life for the weekend, which is what it’s all about. Your feet will hurt by the end of the event, but you’ll never be happier to be achy. To learn more, click here.
10. Punk Rock Bowling
Where: Las Vegas
When: May 24-26
Cost: $250-$6,500
Punk Rock Bowling is exactly what it sounds like: a three-day bowling tournament that doubles as a music festival. Yes, actual bowling is not only played but also battled during the event, with someone ultimately winning the tournament. The musicians slated to put the punk rock in Punk Rock Bowling this year—the event’s 25th anniversary!—include Social Distortion, Peter Hook & The Light, Power Trip, and many, many more. The fun extends past even bowling and live music, too, with book signings, pool parties, and lounge performances also adding some extra pizzazz to this Memorial Day weekend. To learn more, click here.
11. Rock Force Festival
Where: Las Vegas
When: June 6
Cost: $39 ($44.45 after fees)
The Rock Force Festival is slated to pump up the jam at Las Vegas’ Sinwave, a music venue and full bar, this June. A true one-night-only event, this festival is set to bring together rock artists and groups from several countries, including the United States, Spain, Mexico, and Australia, for a night of heart-pumping fun. Acts include No Raza, Lethargus, Dave Evans, and more. To learn more, click here.
12. Sierra Nevada Lavender & Honey Festival
Where: Reno
When: July 13
Cost: Free
Though it sounds like a through-and-through food festival, the Sierra Nevada Lavender & Honey Festival is only half about the food—it’s a bona-fide cultural festival full of music, demonstrations, arts and crafts, and more. Of course, nearly everything at the festival is themed around the festival’s namesake ingredients, so you’ll easily find lavender-infused drinks and honey-tinged foods. The best treat? Seeing all of the lavender growing in the area. It’s a purple haze to end all purple hazes. To learn more, click here.
13. Night in the Country Music Festival
Where: Yerington
When: July 24-26
Cost: $220-$525
So far, we know that Nevada will be home to festivals for rock, reggae, and EDM music this year, but we’re not done yet. Enter the Night in the Country Music Festival, which will have the small town of Yerington crooning for three straight days this July. Performers slated to bring this rural town to life include Ashley McBryde, Joe Nichols, and Koe Wetzel, among others. Camping is also encouraged for this event, allowing you to truly soak in the country vibes underneath the sweet Nevada sky. To learn more, click here.
14. Burning Man
Where: Black Rock Desert
When: August 24-September 1
Cost: $575+
Many people have heard of Burning Man but don’t know exactly what it is, and that’s where we come in. Though the event’s website claims “Burning Man is not a festival,” it’s generally known as one, as it’s a paid experience that brings together thousands of folks for a short period of time to celebrate culture, art, and humanity. To be fair, Burning Man does also have a larger movement that includes regional events, but the main focus each year is the return of Black Rock City, a temporary desert town where ticket holders live for a week and form new social connections, exhibit and create art, and soak up and perform music. It’s a chill time, and it’s one of those things many people have on their “I-want-to-do-that-once-in-my-life” lists. To learn more, click here.
15. Sample the Sierra Farm-to-Fork Festival
Where: South Lake Tahoe
When: September 6
Cost: TBD
Come September each year, chefs and foodies across the South Lake Tahoe area gather for a day of delicate feasting, tasting everything the region has to offer at the Sample the Sierra Farm-to-Fork Festival in Bijou Community Park. Here, local ingredients, ranging from produce to meat, shine, which brings festival-goers closer to their community. Naturally, local brews and spirits are also celebrated here, and you might just find yourself catching some local talent performing live music or selling their art. It’s a food-forward event, but it’s rooted in culture and community. To learn more, click here.
16. Northern Nevada Pride Festival
Where: Reno
When: September 6
Cost: $10-$125
The Northern Nevada Pride Festival unites LGBTQ+ folks and allies from across the state for a day of colorful, explosive love, joy, and celebration. This is a place to simply be your authentic self and be surrounded by folks who understand you, see you, and support you. Throughout the festival, you can watch a vivid parade, check out local food and art vendors, catch live music and drag performances, and so much more. To learn more, click here.
17. Great Basin Astronomy Festival
Where: Great Basin National Park
When: September 18-20
Cost: TBD
The Great Basin Astronomy Festival is a gathering of stargazers and space lovers in the Great Basin National Park, and it’s always in commemoration of September’s new moon, meaning its specific dates change each year depending on when the September new moon is. It’s not all stargazing, though, even if we’d be happy if it were. Here, art displays and talks from professors and other astronomy experts are common, and everyone comes together to commune with good food and drinks. You can even tour the Great Basin Observatory! To learn more, click here.
18. Lake Tahoe Wine + Feast
Where: Lake Tahoe
When: September 18-21
Cost: TBD
This September, sommeliers and wine lovers will congregate in Lake Tahoe to imbibe in good drinks among good company—oh, and don’t forget the good food, too. This is a more upscale event compared to others on this list, as seminars are included in the festivities to help bridge the gap between one’s knowledge and taste buds, all in hopes of attendees having a deeper appreciation for the drinks and foods they’re consuming. Did we mention that more than 150 wineries and chefs combined will be providing their drinks and dishes? To learn more, click here.
19. RISE
Where: Mojave Desert
When: October 3-5
Cost: TBD
RISE is the “World’s Largest Sky Lantern Ceremony,” according to the event’s website, and it certainly seems to fit that title. This annual event sees flocks of folks driving into the Mojave Desert and gathering on the Jean Dry Lake Bed to celebrate art, culture, and life. During the event, lanterns are lit and lifted to the heavens above—hopes, dreams, and love drifting away until they’re nothing but extra stars in the sky. It’s a spiritual experience to some, and it’s also filled with live music, dancing, and art to elevate the communal vibes even further. To learn more, click here.
20. When We Were Young Festival
Where: Las Vegas
When: October 18
Cost: $325
Nevada’s no stranger to music festivals, and 2025 is bringing yet another fun one to the masses: the When We Were Young Festival. This event is geared more toward the alternative crowd, featuring iconic performers and bands like Panic! At The Disco, Blink-182, Avril Lavigne, Weezer, and so many more. Even groups you may not have heard in a hot minute, like Boys Like Girls of “Heels Over Head” fame, are taking the stage, so don’t hesitate to grab tickets before they’re gone. You may just reignite a passion you’d forgotten was dominant inside you. To learn more, click here.
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
