9/27/2025- Another successful trip to the Candy Dance-.. This year the parking was better- and more organized- No fault to the organizers who let some dumba$$ think they don't have to follow the line and pass everyone and park wherever she feels like... Other than that-.. I got way more yard art-.. I pre- ordered with the vendor to hold two snowflakes and one birdhouse-.. What happens... I found more .. A fish, moose, goat and sheep.. Will be placing in the backyard.. Perfect and beautiful day as always! read more

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It's like a live Etsy...on steroids...with food and drink. And of course CANDY. Over 400 vendors, the entire town of Genoa is packed with booths. I was so impressed with the artisans here! Every booth offered something different and unique. Jewelry, photography, woodworking, garden art, to name a few. Candy for sale at the city hall, and food vendors galore as well. $10 to park and there's a shuttle at the end of the lots. There's also street parking farther away if you're willing to hoof it. read more

Candy Dance - Orange float ($7) - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me

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I love the little town of Genoa. I've been bringing my oldest here since she was in my womb to their annual Candy dance festival. I've attended their dinner and dance a few years, but haven't for many years. I usually catch the last day because it's less crowded, but I've seen this festival grow in vendors over the years. I pop in and usually look for custom Christmas gifts and holiday home decor. Bring cash if possible, their reception to make purchases are difficult as you get further into the festival. My family and I enjoy visiting Genoa for this festival. We make it a full day of family fun. My daughter can't wait to take off and see the jewelry kiosks here. We had a blast and ran out of time to see everything. We always go home with custom finds and this year was no different. If you're traveling with little ones and plan on making purchases, look into bringing a wagon and paying for parking so you can get shuttled closer to your vehicle on either Jacks valley entrance or the Genoa turn in from 395. If you haven't been, check it out next year. It's always in September. read more

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I love the candy dance, I've been going every year since I moved to Reno in 1989. I use to go with all my girl friends. Then my husband went and we've gone every year for 14 years together. We always park at the Peddler's parking lot even if the guy is flagging you into the blue lot. Just tell him no! We usually start with my favorite place the Metal Pedals located on the far left up the hill from where the van drops you off. Adam and his wife are awesome! My front yard is his metal flowers, just gorgeous! My husband says you don't need another one, oh yes I do to support my friends from Idaho. Next stop to have the famous breakfast sandwich, but the booth is gone so sad. Although we did find the best breakfast served by the Douglas Masons it was only $10. The pancakes came right off the grill along with the tasty scrambled eggs and two little piggies (sausage links) with coffee. No OJ. I bought my mimosa with me! They even had a nice place for you to sit down inside with all the fixins. Now, it's shop till you drop before having the best rum runner at the Genoa Bar! I love sitting out on the picnic tables and making new friends or seeing your friends you haven't seen forever. Also, we stop and get the sausage, peppers & marinara sauce from the Fire Department . It's a tradition, although they moved from their normal spot to the left & up the hill. We always buy beer next to their booth! I have the same glass that I purchased 14 years ago to get my annual refill, now $4 use to be $2. It was a beautiful day and a few less people than normal. See you next year!! read more

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Great place! Lots of vendors and lots of food. Come early or you will be waiting in line. So many people come to this event We get the yard art from this vendor from Oregon. Check it out, the weather is great this time of year too read more

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As Genoa Residents, Gayle and I embraced Candy Dance 2023 as enthusiastic volunteers and community members. I was helping to sell candy at Town Hall, while as the Town's unofficial Volunteer Volunteer Coordinator, Gayle was helping to keep a lot of helper balls in the air. And if I wasn't doing that, I would have been at one of the Genoa Volunteer Fire Department stands selling adult beverages or logo accessories. Candy Dance is now a huge event and with crowds to match. As we're crowd averse, Gayle and I were more than happy to stay within Town Hall for Candy Sales. As I had my background check to be a cash handler, my efficient register skills (back to when I worked at my Dad's gas station back in Iowa) were in high demand. Gayle was handling credit card payments, while directing traffic among various volunteer and public inquiries. For Lunch, we did find peace and quiet at Daniel's (next door) over a brat and a beer (with salad). The dinner dance on Saturday evening in the Town park was also a pleasant time with friends and family. Next Up? Genoa Western Heritage Days in April read more

Went on Saturday morning about 11 and it was packed! Still love this festival but wish they had more holiday crafts for sale like they used to. The fire department Bloody Mary's are still the best! Attended the dinner dance and it was a lot of fun. The prime rib, au gratin potatoes and Brussels sprouts they served were really good and we sat at a table with some great people. read more

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Another fun trip to the Candy Dance Craft Show. Something for everyone, food, drinks and crafts. It was a great decision to no longer allow dogs, pavement too hot and too many people. We look forward to next year! read more

This is one of my favorite events and it's just right down the street. It attracts a lot of people so I suggest going as early as you can. I love the town hall candy they do an excellent job at organizing the candy sales. They will sell out so don't wait until the end! All of the vendors have great products. This year I was a bit disappointed there were so many of the same types of booths. I'm pretty sure I saw 10 different booths selling jerky. The food section also has a great selection although we prefer to go early, leave early, and go to lunch at a local restaurant. It was fascinating to learn the history of the candy dance this year and talk to some people that had last attended 40 years ago and explain how much it has changed! read more

Candy Dance - Fun candy dance mural - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me

Having spent more than a decade in Northern Nevada, I've heard about the good times you can have at the Candy Dance more than a few times. Yet with all that, I hadn't been until this year! The Candy Dance started more than 100 years ago as a way to fund improvements to the town of Genoa. Back then it was street lights, and today the funds raised still go toward preserving, maintaining and improving the town. It seems everyone in town pitches in to make this happen, from volunteers and vendors, to local landowners and businesses, not to mention all the vendors that come from all over to share their wares with the thousands of people that make it a point to visit Genoa for the event every year. What they've assembled in Genoa is pretty darn impressive and quite organized. Be prepared for traffic on Genoa Ln. There's a large pay parking lot with one entrance and cars are funneled in as efficiently as possible. From there they offer a shuttle that takes you to the far end of the festival or you can walk up Genoa lane to the center of it all. They have vendors placed everywhere! They start right outside the parking lot and if you look down the side streets and alleys you'll see pockets of tents, and as you get to the center there's a big main area too. Woodwork, metal work, oil paint, quilts, sewing, essential oils, if it's a craft, you can find it here. There's also a ton of food from kettle corn to award winning ribs, caramel apples and more! The reason for the four stars is the crowd and the prices, though mostly the crowd because it made the event un enjoyable. I honestly didn't see any of the event because it was wall to wall people from start to finish. We tried to check out the main vendor area but couldn't get off the main walking path. If you saw a spot to start meandering you were quickly cut off by wagons, strollers, and just a sheer mass of people. At the main intersection we could see down towards David walleys and all you could see was a sea of people. I think the trick is to start early if you really want to enjoy this event. Otherwise just get ready for stop and go! read more

We had some visitors in town and were taking them to see some of the local places and events. We knew the Candy Dance was occurring during their visit and we decided to take them there. 100 years ago, the Candy Dance was started to install street lights for the town of Genoa. Yes, this was the 100th Candy Dance. It has now evolved into a large craft fair with lots of food vendors. We even thought it was much bigger than we experienced a few years ago. For us, an experience at the Genoa bar is always really cool. So much history! Hoping to make it easier to get in and out, we took Jacks Valley road to get to Genoa. In the end, it seemed much easier. We parked at the cemetery for $5 and could take the shuttle for about 1/2 mile or walk into the Candy Dance. Overall, it was another cool experience in Genoa. We love this event! read more

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Fun and festive. Good assortment of vendors at the craft fair. Unfortunately last year in the post pandemic environment with everyone desperate to get out, it was crazy crowded. read more

Get here early as there is tons to see! Tons of food and crafts...be ready to walk at least a few miles. My favorites the Yerington Bakery and Carson City BBQ for the foods. As for the crafts there is something for everyone. Perfect fall weather to be walking around enjoying beautiful Genoa NV! read more

Candy Dance - A view of the craft tents with a view of the mountains. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me

PRO TIPS: Skip Saturday. Come on Sunday and if you plan things right, you are guaranteed either a $5 parking spot or free walkable parking spot if you arrive by 9:00 AM. Lots more vendors now taking debit and credit cards, but wifi can be very slow and many vendors were frustrated that they could not complete purchases due to the wifi signal dropping. read more

This is a fantastic, family friendly, popular festival! Corn dogs are gigantic, fried onion rings the crunchiest, but above all, the candy is so artisanal and delicious. This festival is probably the most successful and popular event in Genoa. Mingle with Cowboys, locals, and artists. Art and crafts are reasonably priced too! read more

Candy Dance - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me

2019 marked 100 years of the famous Candy Dance and unfortunately the event didn't go as planned. The weather played a big factor ... it rained and snowed and ultimately the event was absolutely ruined. We attended the event with a group of friends. Thursday September 26th the organizers posted an update in their Facebook page that said that the dinner and dance will go on! Reassuring people that even if the forecast predicted rain and snow they had it all under control. We assumed that they were prepared ~ considering that they have having the event for literally 100 years!~ Well, it wasn't like that....we don't have control over the forecast but we have control over the planning of the event. There were not tents over the tables.... the wind blew up the entire decor ...the rain ruined the table cloths and napkins... people were not able to use the tables ... the power blew up and the band couldn't play... also, I personally spoke with one the members of the band who expressed to me his disappointment about the whole thing. They were also worry because they were playing at another event the next day and didn't know if there equipment was ruined. My entire party was shocked to witness the unpreparedness and no one seemed to be concerned about what was going on. read more

Seamingly never ending rows of vendors.....all the usual fair booths and food that you'd expect.....just doubled. I felt like Genoa was kept very clean and organized for hosting a gazillion people. This is my first time at this event, I must say I was shocked that nearly all the candy was sold out on Sunday. A lady over heard me saying that and she said that is normal, that if you want candy get there early Saturday. Also....I had no idea there was an actual dance too. Next year I'm planning better. I did get in on a delicious $5 Bloody Mary though....almost as good as candy. We took a shuttle from David Wally's to the event and walked back on the beautiful walking trail. I saw signs that said parking was $5 and spots seemed to be available. read more

Don't come to this giant street craft fair for Candy. You will be very hard pressed to find any. [There is 1 hall - inside with a few tables of homemade candy, but you'll have to look for it off the street]...What's good is Genoa's atmosphere on a Fall afternoon. The glorious old leafy trees and filtered light under a mountain forest. The shady breezes in the grove in the old Mormon stockade is best. Most of the several hundred booths at this ever expanding event are the normal crafty schlock, but there are a few interesting ones. It's surprisingly large. It's wonderfully atmospheric. This is old Nevada in the Sierras - the state's oldest Saloon there is a must anytime. The antique tractors and tiny old farm machines putting away by men in suspenders and long beards was wonderful. Victorian houses - including a pink restaurant where you can eat a decent lunch on the porch. Indian tacos, amber from Poland, English scones, Alaska beer on draft, local artist college bbq'ing burgers, firemen pouring beer, parking in cow patty fields - is all a taste of Mayberry. read more

Went on Saturday and had a great time. I don't think we even saw all of the vendors there were so many. The layout is great, shuttles to and from parking are free. Very organized, and yes, there was candy! read more

Very large crafts fair with music and food trucks. In the hours we spent there we didn't get to see the whole thing. Mind you this was 2 years ago. We did enjoy ourselves though but I was disappointed at the lack of sweets actually there lol read more

Well I made it to my first Candy Dance. For years I did not really know what this event was, a dance? a candy sale? It actually is a huge Arts & Crafts event, with a ton of food booths too. They also had a few kids activities, and places for the guys to get a beer. Women come prepared to shop, they bring carts and baskets to carry their purchases, and I've heard it is very popular with Christmas shoppers. I believe it has been going on over 100 years. The arts and crafts lean towards better quality, and I would guess that most things are made in America. Parking is in a field for $5 (goes to charity), and they shuttle you down. The main streets of Genoa are closed to cars, for the 2 days the event is going on. The place is packed, opens at 8am, but we heard people were there at 7am! Dogs are welcome. I will be back ;) read more

It's way to busy you can't even see the venders booths because they are so packed together we tried a few areas and then just gave up . We'll try on Sunday and see if it's less crowded. read more

Overall, very good event. There is free parking available and while this year's event was troubled by the heat, it was a very good time. Less booths than last year (nearly 100 less), but still a good selection of crafts, art and sundry. Some of the items on sale are tacky, but there are lots of good things as well. The food is typical fair food--greasy items, lemonade, etc. Certainly worth the drive. read more

This event is the main fundraiser for the Town of Genoa. It is mostly supported by volunteers, not just from Genoa but from all of the surrounding communities. As citizens of our little town, we have a lot to be thankful for. This is a great event with fun for kids and adults. They have special activities for the kids. As well as lots of handmade items such as jewelry, clothing, gifts, delicious food, beer, wine and fun. Please try to leave your pets at home. The pavement of the closed street gets hot for their little paws. Come check out this fun event next year! It is always on the last weekend September. Wear comfortable shoes as there is a lot of walking in order to see everything! read more

My first time at the Candy Dance and I had a blast. Even with the rain. I believe we will be back! :)

I have been attending the Candy Dance for over 15 years now. I do enjoy the festivities and the location. This has always been a fun event to attend with friends and family. The Candy has changed over the years but the town has not - it is still terrific! This is great place to go shopping for the holidays and find truly unique items that are quality. This is highly recommended! read more