Hot August Nights
This event recurs every year, but the organiser has not published this year’s dates yet. The dates shown mark the period it normally occupies — check the official site before booking around it.
The largest classic-car event in the country takes over downtown Reno and Sparks for ten days — cruises, show-and-shines, and several thousand pre-1979 cars.
Hot August Nights is the week Reno is most itself. Thousands of classic cars fill the casino lots, Virginia Street becomes a slow-rolling parade most evenings, and the whole city smells faintly of unburnt fuel.
If you are not here for the cars, be warned: hotel rates roughly double and downtown parking becomes theoretical. This is the single biggest demand event on Reno's calendar.
The 2027 dates are not published yet. The organisers open 2027 registration on 1 September 2026, and the dates normally follow. The window below marks the stretch it has historically occupied — the end of July into the first full week of August — and nothing more.
When things happen
- The cruises are the evening event — Virginia Street through downtown, most nights from about 6pm until late.
- Show-and-shines run in daylight in the casino lots, typically from mid-morning.
- The auction and the headline concerts are separately ticketed and have their own times; check the official schedule for the day you are here.
- Where
- Downtown Reno and Sparks, multiple venues
- Admission
- Many street events are free to watch; show entry and events are ticketed.
- Category
- Cars & MotorsportFestivals
- Dates
- 10 dates, Friday, July 30 to Sunday, August 8
Previous years
- 2026
The fortieth running, and the largest in some years — the anniversary drew entries and spectators well above a normal August.