July Family-Friendly Activities in Reno, Sparks, and Beyond

We are sharing July Family-Friendly Activities in Reno, Sparks, and Beyond. If you’re a mom, dad, or caregiver and you’re looking for the ultimate guide to Nevada, Nevada Moms is the spot.

We are the #1 family guide to Nevada experiences and activities. From upcoming events, kid-friendly activities, local businesses to check out, and more – you don’t want to miss it.

By local moms for local families.

Don’t forget to bookmark our website and follow along with us on Instagram @northernnevadamoms and Facebook @northernnevadamoms. As always thank you for supporting our locally owned and operated small business.

ONGOING ACTIVITIES IN OUR AREA

Northern Nevada has something to offer year-round!  You can check out any of these family-friendly activities on the days you aren’t looking for a specific event to attend:

• The Complete List of Farmers’ Markets in Reno, Sparks, Carson City
• Indoor Activities in Northern Nevada
• Best Parks in Reno, Sparks, and Carson City
• Free Storytime Locations

Looking for local discounts for Nevada Moms readers to enjoy? Check all of our active offers and promo codes over here.

THE BEST LIST OF CARSON CITY, SPARKS, AND RENO FAMILY EVENTS

Keep scrolling if you’d like to read details on events, however, we do also offer the best list of Carson City, Sparks, and Reno events in town!

Our calendar is updated as soon as new events are shared and businesses can even submit their own events if they are family-friendly. Click the link above or here to access the FULL calendar as below is just a preview.

SUMMER FUN

Summer is here so check out our most viewed Summer articles!

• Summer Rules to Keep Kids Motivated FREE Printable + Summer Reading Program
• 4 Splash Parks in Reno, Sparks, Carson City, and Beyond
• 24 Things to Do This Summer | FREE Printable: Summer Bucket List
• Family-Friendly Lakes To Visit

CLICK HERE FOR OUR COMPLETE LIST OF 4TH OF JULY EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Enjoy 4th of July with the family!  We’ve compiled the most complete list of activities and events for your family!

July Family-Friendly Activities in Reno

ARTOWN

Date: July 1 – Jul 31, 2022

Location: Various Locations

Enjoy Artown events throughout the month! including children’s art workshops, concert series, movies in the park, historic and cultural tours, and art exhibits. For a full list of events and more check out the schedule here.

DRAGON LIGHTS RENO

Date: July 1 – August 12, 2022

Location: Rancho San Rafael Regional Park

Dragon Lights Reno will once again illuminate the Wilbur D. May Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in Rancho San Rafael Park with all new lantern displays.

Forty-two larger-than-life lantern sculptures, made of steel, fabric and thousands of LED lights, will transform the arboretum into an illuminous wonderland during mid-summer nights. This immersive walk-through experience will entertain and thrill people of all ages.

Make sure to get your tickets ahead of time. General Admission (Age 12+): $20, Child (Age 3-11): $15, Infant (Under 3): FREE, Family 4 Pack: $55 (2 General Admission & 2 Child tickets), Season Pass: $55 (unlimited entry for 1 person during the festival season).

GALENA CAMPFIRE PROGRAM SERIES

Date: Every Friday, June 24 – August 5, 2022 at 8:30 P.M

Location: Galena Creek Regional Park,  18250 Mt. Rose Highway

Join Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space for a fun family program around the campfire! Each week will feature a different presenter for kids of all ages to enjoy!

The campfire will be lit each week at 8:00 P.M. for marshmallows and s’mores, generously provided by the Library Tap House! Bring the family out early for a picnic!

Eagle Meadow is located inside the north entrance to Galena Creek Regional Park at 18250 Mt. Rose Highway (Galena Creek Visitor Center entrance). The programs are free, but a $4/person donation is requested to help us fund the program.

FEED THE CAMEL

Date: Every Wednesday, June 1 – September 14, 5pm-8:30pm

Location: Mckinley Arts Center

Reno’s “best-kept secret” food truck event is taking over the McKinley Arts and Culture Center for its eighth year!! Happening EVERY Wednesday in the summer, Feed The Camel presents the best food trucks throughout the Truckee Meadows. Grab the kids, and a blanket, and meet us “under the Keystone bridge” for your favorite food truck eats, local beer, and a chill evening.

RENO ACES BASEBALL 

Date: July 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

Location: Greater Nevada Field

Take the family out to the Reno Aces baseball game!  Enjoy the game, good food, and the fireworks after every Friday home game!

THE DISCOVERY ROOM

Date: Wednesdays, Thursdays, & Fridays from 10am-1pm

Location: The Discovery Room @ Rancho San Rafael Park

Come have fun with arts, crafts, coloring and storytelling.  The suggested ages are 3-10.

RIVERSIDE FARMERS MARKET

Date: July 7, 14, 21, 28

Location: McKinley Arts Center

Enjoy Reno’s year-round farmers market! Fresh local food, vendors, and more!

alists, clips from iconic Disney movies including Frozen, Beauty & the Beast, The Lion King and more, and some of the best known film music in cinematic history. We invite you to be enchanted with this full-length concert and enjoy your favorite Disney songs in a whole new way

LAKE TAHOE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

Date:  July 8 – August 21, 2022

Location: Sand Harbor State Park

Enjoy two productions this season Much Ado About Nothing and Mama Mia! Get your tickets ahead of time.

SIERRA NEVADA LAVENDER & HONEY FESTIVAL

Date: July 10, 2022 from 10 am – 6 pm

Location: Idlewild Park

This “scent-sational” event features all things lavender and honey along with arts and crafts, food, demonstrations, music, entertainment and more. It’s a festival for all ages, so invite your friends and family to enjoy a beautiful day.

FAMILY DAY AT BUNDOX BOCCE

Date: Every Sunday from 12pm-4pm

Location: Bundox Bocce

Bring the family for FREE bocce play every Sunday from noon to 4pm. Check their website for date exclusions and closures.

MIDTOWN RENO FIRST THURSDAY

Date: July 7th, 2022

Location: Midtown Reno, NV.

Join in the MidTown Holiday Festivities every 1st Thursday of the month!

Be sure to treat yourself to a day at your favorite MidTown retailers, services, bars, and restaurants. Our local businesses plan exciting in-store events including food and beverage tastings, local art exhibits, live music, and more.

Each merchant creatively plans their own event so check each listing for individual hours and details at

FOOD TRUCK SPRING FEST

Date: July 7th and July 21st, 5pm-9pm

Location: Reno Experience District

Open to the public enjoy foods trucks and a movie on the big screen

FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY

Date: Every Friday starting June 10 – August 26, 2022, 4pm-9pm

Location: 1800 Idlewild Dr, Idlewild Park Reno, NV 89509

Bring the family down for Food Truck Friday at Idlewild Park, Reno.  Over 45 food, dessert, craft beer, wine, and spirits vendors. Live Music.  Bring a picnic blanket or chairs to enjoy on the grass.

HANDS ON! SECOND SATURDAY

Date: July 9th, 2022  (Second Saturday of each month), 10am – 4pm

Location: Nevada Museum of Art, 160 West Liberty, Reno, Nevada 89501

This monthly event is free for the community and is fun for the entire family.  Enjoy hands-on art activities, a tour of the museum, live performances, and more.  Head to nevadaart.org To find a full schedule and upcoming themes for Hands ON! Second Saturday.

ELF THE MOVIE 

Date: July 15, 2022 @ 8:30pm

Location: Village at Rancharrah

Celebrate Christmas in July with Elf the movie! Starting at 8:30pm.  Bring a blanket or low back seats.

FAMILY FILM NIGHT ON THE FARM

Date: July 22, 2022 7pm-10pm

Location: Urban Roots

Bring the whole family for an amazing, summer night out underneath the Reno-Tahoe stars! You’re invited to join us on July 22 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Urban Roots for Movie Night on the Farm.

Lay out your blankets and set up those chairs as we gather around with the kiddos to watch the feature, Biggest Little Farm.

Enjoy a bouquet-making class, seedling planting for the kids, food trucks, and live music to make it something special for the whole entire family.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for the kids!

SWAN LAKE

Date: July 22nd, 2022, @ Eldorado Casino and Resort in Carson City and July 25th, @ Sand Harbor/Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival

Location: Eldorado Resort Casino at THE ROW & Sand Harbor

This full-length dramatic love story with roots in reality as well as fantasy tests the character of the hero, Prince Sigfried, as he matures into manhood. An avid hunter, Sigfried encounters Odette, the Princess turned into a Swan by evil sorcery, and his life is altered forever. The ballet traces the struggle of Sigfried through a series of exciting encounters ending dramatically in a fierce battle.

A timeless story filled with drama, sorcery, seduction, bravery and devotion with a strong message, Swan Lake is one of the earliest ballets and highlights the human struggle between the pure love of the soul and the seductive attraction of worldly life.

BIGGEST LITTLE CITY WING FEST

Date: July 29 – July 30

Location: Reno (downtown)

Cooks compete for your tasting pleasure at the Biggest Little City Wing Fest in downtown Reno. More than 20,000 pounds of chicken wings will be slathered in sauce, smoked, fired and grilled to perfection. There will also be live entertainment to pair with your tasty wings and a craft fair, all located on Virginia Street.

SPARKS

LAZY 5 SUMMER MUSIC SERIES

Date: July 6, 13, 20, 27 @6:30pm

Location: Lazy 5 Regional Park, Sparks, NV

Enjoy music at the park during the summer music series!  Bring a chair or some blankets.  Pack a picnic or there is usually 1-2 food trucks and a beverage truck there too!

MOVIE NIGHT ON THE GREEN 

Date: July 21, 2022

Location: Red Hawk Golf and Resort

This is a FREE event and takes place right by the 18th hole of the Lakes Course.  Bring a blanket or low back chairs and enjoy with the family.

3RD THURSDAYS

Date: July 23rd from 4-9pm (third Thursday of every month)

Location: Victorian Square

This includes good food, cold drinks, live entertainment, crafts, chef demos, movies on the big screen, and all the art you can handle! Downtown Sparks is the place to be this and every 3rd Thursday of the month, all year round!

CARSON CITY

SATURDAY NIGHT STAR PARTIES

Date: 2nd and 4th Saturday

Location: Jack C Davis Observatory

The Jack C Davis Observatory hosts free star parties on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month year-round, starting at 7:30 p.m. For more information, please get in touch with Mike Thomas at mnethomas@sbcglobal.net or Dr. Tom Herring at Thomas.Herring@wnc.edu.

VIRGINIA CITY

HOT AUGUST NIGHTS KICKOFF RALLY

Date: July 29 – 30

Location: Virginia City

Hot August Nights Kick-off & Cruise brings together old cars and an old town. Step back in time and revel in the sights and sounds of yesteryear with the region’s most prominent classic car event. The town comes alive with rumbling engines and nostalgic tunes to kick-off the event along with a classic parade of classics. Walk around the historic streets to see an array of cars and enjoy free entertainment. As the host venue for the official kick-off for the weeklong festival, it’s a party with free live music, a poker run, cruises and a celebrity Show-n-Shine.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FUN

What July family-friendly activities in Reno are you looking forward to attending with your family this month?

Have travel plans to the Las Vegas area? Check out upcoming events in Southern Nevada for the month of July.