Hot August Nights is coming home.
Almost four decades after the very first Hot August Nights show-n-shine was held in the parking lot of Lawlor Events Center on the University of Nevada, Reno campus, the 2025 event is returning to UNR due to construction scheduled to take place at Grand Sierra Resort.
Hot August Nights made the announcement at the university last week. UNR President Brian Sandoval said that having the opportunity to host an event on the magnitude of Hot August Night was a no-brainer.
“You know the energy for Hot August Nights – it’s one of America’s great events. We are a university with a great history, and putting them together will really take the event to a level never seen before.”
A change of venue wasn’t the only big announcement for this year’s event. Hot August Nights Executive Director Deny Dotson said the event will run a full 10 days beginning Aug. 1 and include two weekends for the very first time. In past years, the event kicked off in Virginia City before beginning midweek in Reno-Sparks. Opening up HAN to two weekends allows more participants to enjoy the event and avoid the congestion associated with the closing weekend (it’s usually a nightmarish bumper-bumper slog traveling west Interstate 80 after large special events).
“This is an opportunity for Hot August Nights to become an even bigger event,” Dotson said. “Going to 10 days is a big deal in terms of room nights and economic impact. It really opens up a lot more options.”
Hot August Nights activities will be set up in the parking lots at the far northwest corner of the university grounds that border north McCarran Boulevard and Virginia Street. It’s one of the few neutral places in town with enough space to host the event, Dotson said.
The space will be set up with the same HAN amenities found at the Grand Sierra Resort: A main stage for premier concert entertainment, ample parking for thousands of classic cars, vendor booths, beer garden, and a VIP area. One of the biggest challenges, Dotson noted, is that there won’t be a 2,000-room hotel right next to the site.
Christopher Abraham, senior vice president of marketing for the GSR, told NNBW the resort will provide shuttle service for guests to and from the event. The logistics will likely be challenging, though – the region’s largest hotel is always completely sold out during HAN, and its outdoor stage and concert grounds are always packed during shows.
Discussions continue with the university to determine the best ways to move people in and out of the area this August, Dotson said.
It has yet to be seen if the move will stick for 2026. This summer, the GSR plans to break ground on the first phase of its unprecedented billion-dollar investment into an entertainment district that includes a new arena for the Wolf Pack men’s basketball team. With the property unavailable, GSR executives suggested having the university take its place as host, Abraham told NNBW.
“Hot August Nights has been a great partner of ours for more than 30 years, plus we are great partners with the University of Reno, Nevada, so we suggested that they talk to each other,” he said.
“With anything we do, we want to make sure it’s a world-class experience,” Abraham added. “With the arena construction going on, it would be difficult for us to provide that experience this year.”
Abraham said if the parking structure for the new arena is completed by summer 2026, there’s a possibility the event could return that year, but it’s far too early to tell.
“(Right now), it’s hard to envision exactly what it will look like in 2026,” Abraham said.
The university, meanwhile, would gladly host the event for multiple years, Sandoval said.
“We will make (space) available as long as we possibly can,” he said. “We will leave it up to HAN what they want to do, but as long as they want to be here, the space will be available. I love Hot August Nights. Thousands of people come to our community every year, and to make the university a part of it is a great honor.”
Hot August Nights announced a partial list of entertainment scheduled for this year’s event. Grand Funk Railroad will play at the University of Nevada stage on Aug. 8, while the Commodores will play at the Nugget Events Center on Aug. 9. Friday’s headliner at the Nugget and Saturday’s headliner at the university stage will be announced soon, Dotson said.