ArrowCreek's Nevada Day Has Two Fall Festivals, and Only One Runs After Dark
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
Last fall the Galena Creek Visitor Center ran its festival over two days. Friday was a daytime Family Pumpkin Bash and Saturday was an evening called Sunsets and Spirits. For its fifth year, the festival has folded both into one ten-hour day on Friday, October 30.
That Friday is Nevada Day, and The Club at ArrowCreek holds its own Fall Festival on the Grand Lawn the same afternoon. So for anyone in ArrowCreek, the holiday has two festivals on the calendar. One sits inside the community and one is a short drive up Mount Rose Highway, and they wind down at different times.
The new format changes the plan. In 2025 the daytime crowd and the evening crowd came on separate days. This year it's one continuous event that starts in the morning and runs well past sunset.
| 2025, 4th annual | 2026, 5th annual | |
|---|---|---|
| Daytime program | Family Pumpkin Bash, Fri. Oct. 31, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Single festival day, Fri. Oct. 30 |
| Evening program | Sunsets and Spirits, Sat. Nov. 1, 4 to 9 p.m. | Same day, running to 8 p.m. |
| Total | Two days | One day, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Lines up with Nevada Day? | Fell on Oct. 31 that year | Yes, the observed holiday |
The holiday date comes from state law, not from the organizers. Nevada Revised Statutes chapter 236 sets Nevada Day as October 31 and observes it on the last Friday in October. In 2026 that's October 30. Last year the 31st happened to be a Friday, so both lined up. This year they're a day apart, and the festival went with the holiday Friday.
According to the festival page, the day includes pumpkin smashing and carving, live music, local vendors and nonprofits, hot dogs, arts and crafts, kids' games, raffles with prizes donated by local businesses and community members, and adult beverages. Costumes and trick-or-treating are encouraged. The festival raises money for the Visitor Center's environmental education programs and camps.
The Club at ArrowCreek calls its Fall Festival one of its most cherished traditions. It's an afternoon of food, games, candy and costumes on the Grand Lawn, open to members and their guests. The Club says the activities change from year to year. Past festivals have had a pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, carnival games, a build-your-own s'mores station, custom cotton candy and fall cookie decorating.
It comes after a quieter stretch on the Club's outdoor calendar. The pool complex closed for the season at the end of the day on Sunday, September 13. The Grand Lawn concert series ended with The Novelists' For The Song show on September 20. Before the festival, the Club's golf calendar has the Men's Arrow Cup on October 23 to 25.
The Club describes its festival as an afternoon. The Galena Creek festival keeps going into the evening. Since one ends while the other is still running, a family can go to both without picking one.
The 8 p.m. finish is unusual for the Galena Creek Visitor Center at this time of year. The Forest Service's page for the center lists a winter season from October 16 through April 30. During those months the building is open Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. As of this week the center is on that shorter schedule, and the festival keeps it open four hours later than its usual Friday close.
The festival page sells those extra hours outright: "The Fall Festival doesn't end when the sun goes down!" The evening part includes fire pits, s'mores, live music, food, kids' crafts and activities, more pumpkin carving and smashing, and raffle drawings all day long. Last year that evening had its own Saturday. This year it follows the daytime festival on the same Friday.
A few details for planning the drive up:
If you want to give time instead of only showing up, the page has sign-up forms for volunteers, vendors, nonprofits, musicians and food vendors.
Because the Galena Creek festival moved to the holiday Friday, Saturday, October 31 is open. Halloween and the state's biggest Nevada Day event both land on it.
For adults, there's one more Friday option. South 40 at 1445 S. Meadows Pkwy is holding a High Desert Country Halloween Party on October 30 from 7 to 11 p.m., starting about an hour before the Galena Creek fire pits go out.
Friday has the Club's festival in the afternoon, the mountain festival into the evening and a later party in South Meadows. Saturday has the parade in the morning and trick-or-treating in the late afternoon.
Two Saturdays after the parade, the same thing happens. On Saturday, November 14, The Club at ArrowCreek holds its third-annual Holiday Bazaar. Local vendors set up throughout the clubhouse selling jewelry, clothing, pottery and art. Members and guests get champagne, spiked cocoa, fresh-baked breads and pies, and caramel apples and kettle corn to take home.
That afternoon, Washoe County Regional Parks has a ranger walk on the Galena Creek Trail from 1 to 2:30 p.m. The listing says the walk was moved to November 14, and Ranger Bob will cover the history of the Galena Townsite and the plants and wildlife along the trail. The meeting spot is the Galena Creek Trailhead at Phillip and Annie Callahan Park. The county's event listing gives 16036 Callahan Rd in one place and 15960 Callahan Road in another, so look at the map before you head out.
After that, the calendar turns to winter. Visit Reno Tahoe projects Friday, November 20 as Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe's opening day, and notes that projected dates can change. The Club's Thanksgiving To-Go pickup is Wednesday, November 25. Members can order turkey, New York strip loin or prime rib with all the fixings, and staff bring the meal out to the car.
On Nevada Day itself, the Galena Creek fire pits keep going until 8 p.m. on Friday, October 30.
Planning a fall full of these days, at home or in a new place along the Mount Rose corridor? I'd love to help you find the spot where your weekends already feel like this. Reach out to Jena Lanini and let's talk about the community that fits the way you want to spend a holiday Friday. Discover Elevated Living. Start Your Search.
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
Jena Lanini crafts refined real estate experiences with strategy, heart, and unmatched local insight. From Reno to Lake Tahoe, trust her to navigate your next move with clarity and confidence.