Music Festivals in Nevada 2027: Speedway Lights, Playa Spells and Reno's July

Twelve straight days of EDC is the headline of Nevada's 2027 festival year: for the first time, EDC fills the week between its Dusk and Dawn weekends with events around Las Vegas. When We Were Young returns in October after resting through 2026, and in January, Elko's cowboy poets gather for the 42nd time.

Between them, Black Rock City rises under the Spellbound theme, the University of Nevada, Reno hosts three days of jazz, and the city hands July to Artown. The desert ties it together after dark: Reno's airport averages 26.1°F on January nights, and Las Vegas still drops to 66.1°F on May nights after 88.5°F afternoons.

We designed these cloaks for exactly that trade between a hot afternoon and a cold night. Below are six Nevada festivals as their organizers had posted them by October 30, 2026, each with a night low from Reno or Las Vegas and one outfit idea apiece. Planning trips outside Nevada too? Start with our shortlist of the 2027 festivals worth the journey.

The Nevada calendar: six festivals, two weather stations

Every low in the table is NOAA's 1991–2020 monthly normal from one of two airports. Elko and Black Rock City carry Reno's number with a caveat on height: Elko stands at 5,112 feet, about 700 feet above the Reno airport, and the Black Rock lakebed at 3,907 feet, roughly 500 feet below it. For Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, turn to our guide to the whole Southwest; the 2027 festival calendar, sorted by month covers festivals everywhere else.

Las Vegas and the playa: EDC, Burning Man and When We Were Young

EDC Las Vegas: two weekends inside 12 Days of EDC (May 14–16 and 21–23)

EDC Las Vegas returns to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for EDC Dusk (May 14–16) and EDC Dawn (May 21–23). New for 2027 is the stretch between them: the organizer's 12 Days of EDC letter promises events, art and music around the city on the days in between, many of them free. For the first time, Camp EDC can also be home for all twelve days, in pre-pitched ShiftPods or your own RV.

Outfit note: bare shoulders while the gates are warm, then a hood as the night wears toward dawn. Our Dusk-to-Dawn EDC outfit plan follows the night from the first set to sunrise.

Burning Man: a Spellbound Black Rock City (August 29–September 6)

Burning Man builds its temporary city on the Black Rock playa for August 29 to September 6, 2027. The Spellbound theme imagines the city as "a bazaar of enchantments, a midway of magical delights," and first-timers are pointed to the 2026 Survival Guide and the Playa Primer. The project's event finder also lists guided nature walks at Fly Ranch in some seasons, past sculptures and, often, wild horses, jackrabbits and coyotes.

Outfit note: a theme about magic suits a hooded cloak. Our guides cover how cold the playa gets after sunset and which cloaks handle wind and dust; The Laminated Burner turns a first burn into a short story.

When We Were Young: back at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds in October 2027

When We Were Young, held at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, took 2026 off "to give this festival the care it deserves." Its site now confirms the return: Las Vegas, October 2027, with dates and lineup still to come.

Outfit note: Las Vegas October nights average 59.6°F. A band tee while the sun is up, then the Liquid Fire cloak zipped over it once the headliner starts.

Northern Nevada: Elko's poets, Reno's jazz and Artown

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering: "The Big Out There" in Elko (January 25–30)

The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering first met in Elko in January 1985 and grew into an annual midwinter week; in 2000 the U.S. Senate named it the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. The 42nd edition, January 25–30, 2027, takes the Owyhee country as its theme, "The Big Out There", with a poster painting by buckaroo and artist R. James Shoshone, Jr. Expect poetry and music shows, open mics, gear-making workshops and, per the dances page, Friday and Saturday night dances.

Outfit note: Reno's airport averages about 26 January nights at 32°F or colder, and Elko sits higher. Your warmest layer goes under a cloak between theaters.

Reno Jazz Festival: three days at the University of Nevada, Reno (April 29–May 1)

The Reno Jazz Festival is a three-day meeting of established jazz artists and student musicians hosted by the university's School of Music, with clinics, performance reviews, daytime concerts and evening jam sessions. The 2027 headliners play Nightingale Concert Hall: trombonist Nick Finzer with the Manzanita Quintet on April 29 and saxophonist Walter Smith III on April 30.

Outfit note: April nights in Reno average 38.5°F. Joggers and the bucket hat on campus, the cloak once the 7:30 p.m. concert lets out.

Artown: a month of arts across Reno every July (2027 dates TBA)

Artown has filled Reno with the arts every summer since 1996 and now runs through all of July. Its mission page counts nearly 500 events from more than 100 organizations, most of them free or low cost. Its 2025 Headliner Series brought Rhiannon Giddens and The SteelDrivers to Bartley Ranch.

Outfit note: July afternoons reach 93.9°F, nights 60.4°F. Bare shoulders and a brim in the park, something with sleeves once the late show starts.

How cold does Reno get at night compared with Las Vegas?

About 14 to 23 degrees colder, month for month. Reno's airport, 4,410 feet up, averages 26.1°F on January nights against 40.5°F in Las Vegas, which sits 2,279 feet lower; by May the pair reads 46.6°F and 66.1°F. Reno's late-summer normals, our stand-in for Black Rock City, slide from 58.1°F in August to 50.3°F in September.

In every month listed, Reno's afternoon-to-night drop runs about 22 to 34 degrees. Figures are NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 monthly normals, read October 30, 2026, for Reno Tahoe International Airport (USW00023185) and Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (USW00023169).

Pink for the playa, fire for the Speedway: our Nevada wardrobe

The cloaks lead; joggers, a crop top and a bucket hat cover the hot hours.

Orchid on the playa. The Pink Cosmic Flower of Life women's festival cloak ($250) lays fine white rings, the Flower of Life pattern, across orchid pink, with darker plum scrollwork curling down the front panels and sleeves. White zipper tapes and white hood cords frame it, and the black lining shows at the collar. On a pale lakebed it reads from a long way off, which is why it's our Burning Man pick.

Under each hood sits the lining you picked when ordering, black faux fur fleece or white, sewn behind a micro-mink face weighing 200 g/m². When playa dust lifts, pull the heavy hood cords tight. A double front zipper runs hem to chin; inside hide two pockets, one that zips for a camp ID, and two more wait at your sides. Every size, XS through 5XL, fits unisex.

A Mojave sunset, zipped. The Liquid Fire women's festival cloak ($250) marbles orange, scarlet and violet down its length, with gold and lime streaks and flicks of cobalt and turquoise, all traced in black. Zipped to the chin on a black zipper, it turns the whole body into one swirl. We'd wear it for the last sets of EDC Dawn.

Sunset down each leg. The Angel Catcher Orange joggers ($100; $105 in 2XL, $108 in 3XL) fan orange and gold feathers down each leg over charcoal rings, with crimson rosettes and gold six-pointed stars at the thigh. Brushed fleece sits inside a 308 g/m² recycled-polyester knit. Thermals underneath for Elko? Take the next size in this slim XS–3XL cut.

Neon for the gates. The Psy Swirl Orange one-shoulder crop top ($40) sets peach-orange circles glowing inside hot pink spirals, gold speckle in between. It's a snug stretch knit at 230 g/m², XS–2XL, for an EDC sunset or an Artown afternoon in the park.

A brim for the desert sun. The Sacred Geo bucket hat ($50; XS, S/M or L/XL) wraps its crown in lilac and rose, crossed with gold star lattices and interlocking circles, and the underside of the brim turns dark with a fine Flower of Life grid that answers the pink cloak. Wear it on the Reno campus in April and through Artown's park afternoons.

Twelve days at Camp EDC, one cat-eared blanket

Twelve days of Camp EDC, or Black Rock City's run to Labor Day, adds up to a lot of slow hours between sets: breakfast, a nap in the shade, the dust settling at dusk. For those we pull on one of our hooded blankets ($150). Each one is cut from 300 g/m² polyester fleece as an oversized 4XL pullover, with a cat-eared hood, a short zip at the throat and a broad front pocket. Whoever in camp reaches for it first, it fits.

January poetry, April jazz, May lasers: the order dates

Nothing we sell exists before you order. We have every piece printed and sewn in Chatsworth or in China, 7 to 11 business days of work, and the mail then needs 6 to 14 more. In each pair below, the final call leaves room for all 25 of those days and the easy pace adds five more, counted back from the working day just before each festival starts; neither weekends nor federal holidays count. Our made-to-order explainer lays out the count.

• National Cowboy Poetry Gathering (opens Monday, January 25): easy pace Tuesday, December 8, 2026; final call Tuesday, December 15.
• Reno Jazz Festival (opens Thursday, April 29): easy pace Wednesday, March 17; final call Wednesday, March 24.
• EDC Dusk (opens Friday, May 14): easy pace Thursday, April 1; final call Thursday, April 8.

To have a gift in hand on Christmas Eve 2026, order by Tuesday, November 17. For Elko, where extra layers go on first, our FAQ has cloak and hoodie buyers go one step up from their usual size, or two steps when the layers run bulky. Lylyth sizes by email: send art@magusfawn.com your measurements before you check out, since made-to-order pieces are final sales. Carts at $70 and above travel free inside the US.

Saturday night's dance in Elko

The Gathering spends its week on verse, western gear and stories, then sends everyone onto the dance floor on Friday and Saturday nights. Somewhere between the cumbia workshop and the final song, a pink cloak hangs on a chair by the door, ready for the cold walk back to the hotel.

More for the Nevada calendar: women's cloaks · men's cloaks · joggers · snapbacks

Frequently asked questions

What happens during the 12 Days of EDC?

It's EDC's new plan to turn its 2027 run into 12 straight days in Las Vegas. EDC Dusk (May 14–16) and EDC Dawn (May 21–23) stay at the Speedway, and the days in between fill with events, art, music and community happenings around the city, some ticketed and many free. Camp EDC can be booked for all twelve days.

Can visitors take part in the Cowboy Poetry Gathering, or only watch?

Take part. The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, January 25–30, 2027, runs poetry and music open mics, hands-on workshops in western gear-making, cooking, dance steps and poetry writing, and closing dances on Friday and Saturday nights. Organizers also invite volunteers and suggest a deluxe pass for the daytime performances.

Is the Reno Jazz Festival for student bands or the public?

Both. Student musicians register to perform, then get expert-led performance reviews, clinics and daytime concerts at the University of Nevada, Reno. Anyone can buy single tickets to the evening headliners at Nightingale Concert Hall: Nick Finzer with the Manzanita Quintet on April 29, 2027, and Walter Smith III on April 30.

Written by Magus & Lylyth Fawn, the Los Angeles artists behind Magus Fawn. Magus makes VR and digital visionary art and produces Psy EDM. Lylyth makes fractal digital art and runs design and customer care. We've been selling wearable art since 2020 (4.8★ from 147 reviews as of October 2026), and every piece is made to order here at magusfawn.com. Come say hi on Instagram @magusfawn.