Downtown park hosts major events, family fun and recreation galore

Sarah Cook, reno.com
April 25, 2007

"What goes on at Wingfield Park?" you ask. I say, "What doesn’t?"

So many awesome events are held at this park, partly because it’s in the heart of downtown Reno and not to mention, huge. Whether or not there’s something official going on, there’s always something going on. If it isn’t a summertime concert or an Artown event during the month of July, it’s a bunch of dogs running around or people just lying around and happily taking in the sunlight.

Wingfield Park has its own amphitheater, so live music at this grassy hangout is always a promising thing. So far, I’ve seen about five different shows at Wingfield; one was the best mini-reggae show I’ve ever witnessed. The concerts are usually packed with people of all ages who like to get their groove on.

So much stuff takes place here, it's impossible to write about it all, but here's a roundup of the best events. For starters is the magnificent River Festival, which is full of kayaking competitions, various water races, good food and live entertainment. This year’s River Festival will be held on May 10-13. For more information on the RiverFest, check out our Special Events story here

Then there's the annual Basque Festival, usually in late July. Dancers perform, stones are lifted as a Basque sporting tradition, good food is happening all over the place, and the community comes together to recognize and appreciate the Basque culture that is such a part of Northern Nevada.

The entire month of July is devoted to Artown: A huge gathering of artists who come to town to show you what unique and creative ideas they’ve put together for the public. From live performances to art shows, demonstrations and living art, this event is totally cool. More information on Artown can be found here

What else? Every September, the Great Basin book festival takes place; there are free movies shown on Friday nights during July, and there are tons of races and competitions that go all over town, but start with a bang at the park.

On top of all this, Wingfield is also the location of our local kayak park, which has been not only a huge benefit to local outdoorsmen, but also to anyone who loves to play in the water. Clearly, the biggest benefit of this park’s location is that it’s right on the Truckee River. So, if you get all hot and dirty from dancing around to live music in the park with your compadres, you can just toss yourself (safely) into the river and carry on. Plus, it’s really neat to see the kayakers and inner-tubers float past you while you’re relaxing on the grass.

Most events at Wingfield are free and family friendly, so when you're looking for something to do this summer, head on down to Wingfield park ... everyone else is already there!


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