Trying to make this an annual visit. This year - 7/31/26 to 8/9/26. Quality/Quantity 8/2/26 Bonanza - Disappointed. Both in cars and attendance. And only one beer stand which was unstaffed. Was it supposed to be self service...? LOL. Maybe due to the Wings Festival in Downtown Reno today...? See my other review and pictures. A great free event. Car show, entertainment (I believe a cost for some of the concerts at different locations), vendors, etc. Also a fundraiser. So far we have attended the event at Bonanza, Peppermill, and Atlantis.... Peppermill wins! Peppermill's was the most organized. And I think my wife spent the most on buying gifts here again, lol. My favorite of the 3 places we visited this year. I wanted to buy a 40th anniversary shirt, but did not think it was worth $65. Maybe next year I will buy (if on sale, as you only get one 40th anniversary. lol). Atmosphere - Depends on the resort, participation, attendance, etc. See my excessive pictures. Again, Peppermill was the most organized. We/I enjoyed this event the most. It also had the most tented shade. It is HOT August Nights, lol. Atlantis was okay, no complaints. Service - Self service today, everyday. Price - Free. But it also depends on what you do, buy, eat or drink. I am trying to collect a shirt from each year, well not this year. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 1986. We really appreciate and enjoy your events. Happy 40th Anniversary! read more

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I was only in town for Monday, the first night of hot August nights in Reno. I would've liked to go to both the Peppermill and the Atlantis, but I couldn't make it to both, so I just did the Atlantis. Amazing! Lots and lots of cars on display. People love their classic cars, and they take very good care of them. They love talking about their cars also. Such nice, down to earth people. There was also entertainment, and even a swap meet with lots of different stuff for sale. I had been to hot August nights many years ago for the weekend celebration, including the cruise downtown. Unfortunately, I'm not able to make it this year. If it's anything like events in the past, this weekend is going to be epic. Even more so, as it's the 40th year. I hope everybody has a good time. Thanks, and keep on cruisin' !!! read more

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The place at Atlantis is really well organized. We got VIP tickets so we got some food and watched the vintage cars go by. Honestly this is better than Peppermill's event. Check it out. read more

Hot August Nights - Festivals Near Me - Sparks, Nevada

So this is a Classic Car parade event that is spread out at multiple casino hotel locations between both Sparks and Reno. Each casino and area has events, competitions, concerts and sales booths. You can even park and whip out your foldable chairs or blankets along Virginia Street as the locals do. They have their own parties complete with food and music. It is a sight to see at least once in your life. All the love, care and $$$ that went into getting these machines functioning is noteworthy. read more

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This event changes, some for the better and some are not. I was fortunate enough to be at the first year of Hot August Nights in 1986 just after my high school graduation. It was the Convention Center originally. I have attended or participated every year since. This event has become bigger but not always in the best ways. This year's event had WAY less collectable classic cars at each venue and almost none of the serious car collectors participate in the nightly cruise. Who can blame them? They do not want to risk their $200,000 to $300,000 cars driving along side thousands of low riders hitting the switches, junkers and clunkers, and people in jalopies doing burn outs in the lanes. European cars that were never and will never be classics should be carefully accepted. Same with lifted Jeeps, K-5 Blazers, 70's general pickups or a Pintos, a Vega, or a Chevette... Just removing the exhaust system don't make a car classic. It starts at the top. The previous people running the event were car collectors and participants that wanted to maintain a safe and authentic family friendly event. The current administration drives around in a brand new $100,000+ Yukon Denali XL and reserves special parking to show off their spoils. No surprise that they are trying to add participants by opening registration to "ANY CAR WILL DO". The exclusivity is gone, they didn't even sell out the event prior to registration. Sparks Victorian Square was just about empty compared to years past. This is partially the City of Sparks fault for installing thousands of apartments and taking way even more parking and event space. My hat is off to the first responders and city workers that are stretched thin but keep showing up. Plus the HAN volunteers that keep things moving. I won't miss the 40 year anniversary next year but it is hard to recognize the current event compared to the glory years of HAN. read more

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Reno has outgrown this event. It's time to move on. All this event does is paralyze the city to fill a few rooms. The people that come for this event don't gamble or do anything other than stand outside and stare at cars. It causes massive congestion and blocks off major retail venues. There are a multitude of cities that would be better to host this event. Maybe somewhere In Nebraska. read more

I wanted to take a moment to say Thank you to the Volunteers in the Garage Tent at UNR! My husband and I did the passport weekend, and he won two daily wrists bands for the week! We had an amazing time!! It's a small world when you find out Vance lives around the corner from you! We knew Gisele from Woody's. We made new friends on Saturday night and saw friends working in the Sponsors tent prior to our arrival! We had such a great time! Thank for making it a memorable experience!!! I have to say one thing being a part of HANs for 36 years - I do miss the GSR. read more

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Hot August Nights is a must if you love cars of all eras and power. First time ever coming to one of their events and I really enjoyed it and everyone was super chill and just having fun. Cars were really cool and eclectic. Saw so many really unique autos and beautiful paint colors and design. Muscle cars were out in droves. Loved everything from Camaros to the 1920's Fords. read more

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It's my favorite event EVER! Always amazing and so wonderful to have it start even earlier this year!! What a treat for us!! read more

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I'm reviewing the HOT AUGUST NIGHTS event Aug. 4th through Aug. 9th. We have been in this event from the beginning. It has a great family event with 50s and 60s music. The cars were pre 1970s. It has become newer car and LOUD BOOMING RAP MUSIC! There used to be a rule, no exhibition of speed, or you would have your entry window number card revoked. But, it was never enforced by the HAN Organizers or sponsors. The days of taking pride in a nice classic car are over. So many of the entries are junk cars that have loud mufflers and old trashy panel trucks, jeeps and cars that have been driven off the junkyard and become drivable. If they put some money and effort to fixing up the cars, that's great. We heard several comments, while we were cruising, saying "Finally a nice car!" and "that's the best car in the cruise!" An our car is not perfect, but we do take pride in keeping it clean and well maintained. The check-in at Js went smoothly. As usual the staff at check-in were friendly and helpful. We miss the free meal that we used to get with our entry. read more

Hot August Nights - Our 1969 Plymouth Road Runner. - Festivals Near Me - Sparks, Nevada

Worst ever HAN. Who decided that UNR was a good place? Tried 2 nights in a row to see the vendors and cars. First no parking was available within a quarter of a mile. I am handicapped and it pains me to walk that far. Parking staff was a Real joke as none had the foggiest idea of what was happening and what they were doing. The casino cruise was very slow and stopped in many places. Seems like the people downtown were fewer than past events. Will I pay $$$$$ for a hotel room that is just that to attend another HAN, bet big money it won't happen. read more

A few thoughts about 2025. If I every got the check in email, I couldn't find it. They really need to title that one IMPORTANT CHECK IN INFORMATION or something. Luckily, when I called the office on the Saturday before, a real human being, June, answered the phone. She was great; very patient with walking me through the website and clearly explaining what was needed to check in. Check in at the J was easy after that. Our two favorite events are the Poker Run and the Sunday morning parade. We got to Sumit Racing at about 930am on Thursday. The line went to the back of the parking lot and people told us that they had waited more than an hour. We decided to skip the cards and went to the Atlantis. Classic Chevys was again covering that spot and patiently listed to our complaints about check in. The Atlantis pastries were great. We then went to Take 5 oil change. They has put a coupon in the HAN emails and were more than willing to accommodate us. Most quick oil change franchises just wave us away, saying that they don't do classic cars. Hector the friendly manager even took a picture. The Parade was great. Nice to start at 9am and we had very few stops. We have been doing HAN for over 30 years and would like to extend a big thanks to all of the volunteers who make the event possible. read more

Hot August Nights - Check in line for the Poker Run. - Festivals Near Me - Sparks, Nevada

8/6/2022 It's towards the end of Hot August nights, and being a Reno..ite I thought I should do a review.. I remember long ago, a co-worker would always talk about coming to Reno for Hot August Nights.. Residing now for five years, and it is a great event! Lots of tourism and great for our community.. It's great to see the enthusiasm still going strong .. Until next year! read more

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It's Hot August Nights 35th Anniversary! If you love shined up, muscle, and classic cars this is the place for you. You get live music playing on the stage and aisles and aisles of cars spruced up and looking their best for you to view. We were lucky enough to go on a beautiful day. It was a great walk around and a treat to see car models that bring back memories from within our own childhoods. Throughout the grounds there are vendor stands, from car parts, to food to memorabilia, or if you're into it, you can watch the flawless art of car waxing. To be honest, it's pretty mesmerizing. The VIP tickets for the events at GSR are awesome. Everything was set up generously. You get both lunch and dinner provided for your day, as well as dessert and drinks in shaded seated areas. Everyone, from participants and judges to viewers are all friendly and ready to introduce themselves and strike up conversations and just have an all around good time. This was actually my first time going and I have to say, I'm sorry I didn't start coming sooner in previous years. Makes me want to muscle car up and get involved! read more

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I caught some early morning Show & Shine in downtown Reno on Virginia Street. I wished it would post longer than 12 seconds so you could see all the cool cars I captured! read more

Hot August Nights - Festivals Near Me - Sparks, Nevada

A Reno/Sparks staple! I unfortunately didn't get to experience it to the depth I normally do this year as we were in the middle of moving, but what I did see, I loved as usual. In years past, we frequent Victorian Square for the cruise and GSR to walk around. The event is always well organized and everyone seems to have a great time at each location! I've been on both sides - watching the cruise and in the cruise itself in my grandfather's Camaro. It is such a blast. I love the nostalgic feeling of walking around and viewing all of the classic cars. Everything is laid out well and easy to navigate. I've also had the opportunity in the past to view the Drag Races at the Nugget and they are also a great time! read more

We attended Saturday this year at the Atlantis. As always the cars were amazing. Pretty disappointed in the food and especially the clothing/craft vendors. Not much going on while we were there. Hopefully there's more going on next year. read more

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Come to Reno unexpectedly Thursday. First time at Hot August Nights since I'm not a fan of rowdy busy crowds. Loving all the hot rod cars. Love the sounds, smells, colors and mutual love of cars and the eras. Shut down the surrounding streets downtown and parade started at 7pm. So many cars from so many brands. There are fun trunks, beer vendors and goods to buy in areas on the street. Planning on coming next year but, I will be here Wednesday and Thursday and leave the weekend to the hard-core pros. Vroom - Vroom. read more

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Summers in Reno are always fun-filled. There are events almost every other week and most of them are usually free to attend! Hot August Nights is one of them. It's a week long event celebrating classic hot rods and muscle machines. My uncle back home from Hawaii, who absolutely loves cars, always makes a trip to Reno just for this event. My friend lives in downtown so Hot August Nights was literally a five minute walk from his condo. When we arrived, we walked down South Virginia Street and we noticed the streets were blocked off and were set up for "The Cruise"; where those classic cars parade around downtown and spectators and car enthusiasts alike watch in admiration. There are a few food and drink vendors and a couple stages with live bands performing for entertainment. There were also tents posted selling merchandise as well. We didn't stay too long, but these free to attend events are always worth the experience. If you're someone who likes to enjoy the event for what it is, then you'll have a fun time. For car enthusiasts, this event is a no brainer! Looking forward to next year's Hot August Nights. read more

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The smoke & heat ruined this year's event. The turn out was minimal & the Poker Run was a disaster. The visibility in Carson City, Minden and Gardnervulle was less than one block. The climb ro Virgunia City had the 50 year old + cars broken down in the 103° heat. There were 10 minute gaps on the cruise route in Sparks, but it didn't much matter because so few people showed up to watch the cars go by. It's been several years since this event has sold out participants. You can only subject people to 55 56 and 57 Chevys for so long before interest wanes. read more

We have been going to HAN since it started in 1986. We always stay at the Peppermiil. We start in Virginia City and then on to Reno and Sparks. We produce a video every year and wind up with 20-25 hours of footage. We edit it down to about 20-40 minutes. Great time, large crowd. Lots of cars, some we havent seen before. The only disappointment were the official Hot August Nights t shirts. Since HAN decided to take over the official stands in Reno, Sparks and virginia city the quality and designs have hit rock bottom. The shirts are cheap $2 tees and they went to two colors instead of multi colrored designs. The designs they did have were all on the front. They only had one design on the back of the shirt. Prices were up 4$ to 28 dollars a shirt. People were walking out empty handed, the tents were not really crowded like years before. We usually spend $500 to $800 dollars on shirts for all of our kids and grandkids. This year we spent nothing. Hopefully that will change next year. Here is a link to last years video 2022 and this years video 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35b6xwlwUI&t=77s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWN3Sx9XFYo read more

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Hot August Nights transforms Reno and Sparks into a classic cars haven that is long on nostalgia. Growing up in the Bay Area, I remember commercials showing on KBHK-TV 44 and KOFY TV 20 regarding Hot August Nights in the late 80's. I could still hear that deep, raspy and booming voice saying we should visit Reno and enjoy a hot summer there and see some classic cars. Back then, I would've probably said, "Why the f*ck should I go there?" Fast forward to present day and I would've probably replied to my young, punk self that it's because it's f*cking cool. From what I know, this event started in August 1, 1986 when thousands of revelers were waiting to be let in at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in anticipation of the Righteous Brothers, Wolfman Jack and Jan & Dean performing live. People that attended re-lived their childhood years of the 50's and 60's and the birth of Rock & Roll. The highlight of the event was the parade of classic cars that rolled by Virginia St. where people admired the rows of cars with oohs and aahs. It was in August, it was Hot and that's how it started as Hot August Nights. Since then, people have flocked to Reno and Sparks every August for 6 days of fun-filled events which cumulates to the parade of classic cars at night. It has also gotten so big that it's celebrated all over Reno, Sparks and even Virginia City, Nevada. Of course people go there for the classic cars, but there are plenty of things to do and see from arts and crafts, souvenirs, drag racing, swap meets, burnouts, live bands and plenty of deep fried food to clog the arteries of every engine on every car on parade and then some. But the stars of the show are the classic cars and the people who have preserved, maintained and transformed these magnificent cars into works of art. Hot August Nights is pretty cool in my book. read more

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Just another Reno event? Maybe. Always the first week of August this week long event celebrates classic cars that over 30 years old. Each large casino hotel sponsors its own show and shine and cruise. The casino venues are nice because they seem to have easier parking. As well as food vendors and different live stage shows all evening. Each night streets downtown are blocked for classic cruising, which can be a pain if your trying to get around Or really cool if you pick a curb spot and watch all the great cars go by. There's a car auction towards the end of the week with some pretty fancy cars and big price tags. Sparks also has its' own cruising events. And the Nugget sets up and sponsors drag racing for a ticket price. Always a great week to enjoy cars from several decades. read more

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Such a fun night walking around these vintage classics. Like a kid in the candy store! The Peppermill always has a great turnout and easy to walk around. I can never decide which cars are my favorite, but the people you meet make it fun and enjoyable. read more

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I love this event. This was my 23rd year attending the event, most years we are at a venue 5 or 6 days / nights during the week. I will agree that Sparks has really screwed the pooch and attendance seemed to be way down at Victorian Ave this year. Atlantis, Peppermill and GSR are always rockin'. I was a participant in a new event called Tomorrow's Classics, which gets a 1 star review. What a bust that was. "Limited to 100 entries" and exactly 22 cars showed up. Too bad. read more

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Muscle Cars Heaven! If you are a muscle car buff, this is the place to be. You get to see them up close, under the hood! If you haven't seen a HEMI, this is the place. They have classics as well, but I'm more into torque. Back in the days when I owned a 69' Cougar, XR7 with a 351ci Windsor, man... that car was so sweet with the sequential tail lights! It even came with the original 8track radio, olive green leather, a/c, the works for that year! Mercury (Ford) sure got it going! Seeing the 57' & 58' Tbird here was also awesome. The 65' Catalina convertible, I've always wanted to own that mammoth car. I even saw the 1967, Ford Thunderbird Fordor Landau (suicide doors), and the ole time favorite, the 62' Impala that sold for more than $75,000 I was told. Man, that was like a dream come true for me to see it up that close. It was a ground up restoration. Maybe someday, I'll get to own one too! Hot August nights is one of the busiest time in Reno/Sparks. Most of the hotels are booked especially those near downtown Reno (Virginia St.) Visitors here like to kill two birds with one stone. They like to see the awesome classics and muscle cars, see the beautiful women in their 2 piece bikini, go out gambling, get drunk, and go home a winner? Not necessarily in that order. "fml" Cheers! :p read more

This review is for last years event. First of all I am just going to say it was HOTT, really really HOTT. I think what got me was we went into the casino first and grabbed something to eat and it's so dark and cool in there that when you step outside the sun light burns your eyes and the heat is just overwhelming. But the cars were so worth checking out. There were rows and rows and rows of beautiful cars. I could only check out so many before I had to go back into the casino to get out of the sun and get some AC. I wanted to go back again this year but we weren't able to make it. Hopefully next year! read more

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uh... wow can't believe this has already been reviewed. I would have never been here if it wasnt for my extreme family and their wildness. I felt like a fish out of water. waaaay too many horny old men, slightly entertaining but next year I'll wear something more appropriate minus high heels... ANYWAYS I AM WRITING THIS TO TELL EVERYONE THAT I... KRISTIIN. Saw Eleanor. no not a friend of mine. nor a human. a beautiful piece of muscle. she was stunning. I was in shock. and it made my night. ohhhh eleanor. I adore you. if you don't know what i'm talking about, asking some male figure of your's and im sure theyll inform you. go on now scurry along. read more

Hot August Nights - 1967 Ford Shelby GT Mustang "Eleanor" - Festivals Near Me - Sparks, Nevada

Finally, after all these years I found something at Hot August Nights that I really liked. Seriously how many times can you walk around looking at beautiful old cars. They seem to start looking alike after a while. However, you add smoking tires and speed!!!!! So now two of those beautiful old cars line up squeal their tires sending smoke billowing up. Revving the engines waiting for the lights.......red......yellow.....green.....and off they go.....and the crowd including me goes wild!!!!! A must do for now on!!!! read more

Yes, it's hot here during Hot August Nights. I like looking all the beautiful antique and custom vehicles. I agree with Kristiin about the men...old and horny. Gross! Otherwise, it's a good event. Bring plenty of water and sun block. read more

Hot August Nights - Festivals Near Me - Sparks, Nevada

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If you are in Reno during august for Hot August Nights than you already most likely know about Sparks. This little town hosts probably the best car show of the event. If you go down here once it is dark the entire area begins to revert back in time. You start feeling like you are in the movie American Graffiti. The cars begin cruising down road and they have quality live musicians at a couple different locations. The town of Sparks is also starting to develop nicely and there has been a new influx of things to do not related to gambling. They have a couple new breweries that are on the main drag along with some other nice restaurants. This is a great location to check out if you are here for the show. read more

Hot August Nights - Festivals Near Me - Sparks, Nevada

We are so lucky. Every summer and fall the cities of Reno and sparks have so many events , and many are free. My favorite is Hot August Nights. For years we have been hauling our chairs to Victorian square in Sparks to watch the cruise. This is such a family friendly event. We usually place our chairs at around 4pm, go have dinner at a local restaurant, then make our way back to our front row seats. The card cruising range from seriously huge bucks to buckets of rust. You will see, mustangs, Corvettes, Bel Air, VW bugs, vw vans, fire trucks, Jaguars, muscle cars, t buckets, pick up trucks, Camaros, road runners, z28, Porsche, rolls Royce, and much more. If you are a car enthusiast, this is a must do. If you are not a car enthusiast like me, it is cool to look and dream. read more

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I am not much of a car person, but once a year I love going to Victorian square to watch the cruise. We set our chairs out and watch all kinds of cars go by. Age range of fans run from kids in poodle skirts to old guy car enthusiasts. If you love cars and love looking at cars, they have quite a few cars on static display. And when you get tired ,grab a margarita, sit down and watch the cruise. read more

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The best car show in the West! It's a good time for everybody! The night time cruising in sparks and Reno is a must see. There is a lot going on at almost every Casino. My favorite is the show and shine and the special guest you get to meet. Can't wait for next year! read more

2014 Hot August Nights - actually it was late July, early August this year... Lots of fun Great cars Good fun..... Lots to see and do. read more

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Probably the worst HAN ever. Sparks was slow, again. GRS was a cluster F*. Even after spending a ton money for rooms, we could not find a parking spot for our registered classic car just about any time or any day. They have over-registered participant cars. Stay way from GRS. People staying at every hotel and motel for miles come and park their cars days before and leave them here. After 28 years of supporting them we have reached our limit with the HAN organization with their handling of GSR, the downtown cruise (get those unregistered cars OUT OF THERE SOONER not just after an hour of blocking traffic) and over registration. We'll go back to Sparks and hopes it comes back. read more

If you like American Muscle, than this is your Mecca. Hundreds and hundreds of custom hot rods and restored muscle cars come to Reno/Sparks the first week in August every year. Entire casino parking lots turn into car shows! Hotels always are always more expensive and packed that week. It's also usually really really hot and sunny, so bring hats and sunblock and water. and be ready to take a lot of awesome photos! read more

I absolutely LOVE Hot August Nights! I've been coming here for over 10 years and now my entire family seems to make a tradition of it! We stay in Sparks at the Nugget because downtown Reno can get a little ghetto with gangs etc. Sparks is a really good place for families who like to watch the cruise and have many food & vendor choices right in walking distance. If you love classic cars (like I do!) then Hot August Nights is the place for you. Yes, it's hot....but there are a ton of ways to keep cool in Sparks in August! From the water fountain in the middle of Victorian square, to the pools at JA Nugget. Not to mention several trees for shade, places to go inside and eat & misters around all the vendors. This year they seemed to have more vendors, which I appreciated so much! See ya next year! read more

I've been in Reno now for 6 Hot August Night seasons, and still nothing about the event seems worth walking around in the HEAT to look at old cars, its just not really my thing, but I have caught myself briefly being fascinated when I speed past some old classic hot rod thats driving in front of me at 15 mph BELOW the speed limit.... but thats a whole different story now isnt it? My reason for writing this review, is I was at the Raley's Grocery store across the street from the Atlantis parking lot where the HAN events were in full swing.... sitting in the car waiting on my friend to run in and out of the store, I was listening to (or maybe I should say I was subjected to) the live "music" going on across the street..... and in one word putting it mildly it was TERRIBLE!!!!!!! I couldnt see who was doing the singing, but I was sure he was in some sort of terrible pain. He totally butchered every "golden oldie" he tried to sing, and the band sounded like they were all on different pages of sheet music! It was so bad that the lady who was also sitting in her vehicle next to me had to roll her window up to save herself from the awful LOUD screeching sound! This entire 15 minutes I sat in the car listening to the "performance" was deafening, and I was minutes away from putting my fingers in my ears like a child - it was that bad. Now I understand one of the favorite things to do at HAN is to drink, and so maybe had I been drinking the singing wouldnt have been as terrible... but it truly reminded me of my drunken nights back in Texas when I use to go to the closest bar to my house, one in which I could CRAWL home from, and that happen to be a little hole in the wall Vietnamese bar and 4 nights a week they had karaoke, and if you've never been to a Vietnamese karaoke bar then you have no idea what I'm talking about - but if you have, then..... you know it requires at least 12 shots of something to not go tone deaf just being there..........another 12 and I was singing "I Got You Babe" with Huo Lu Chou and his friends.... GOOD TIMES GOOD TIMES! I wish I knew the name of the guy singing or the name of his band, but I dont, I just hope if they ever stumble upon this review they will recognize this as themselves and DONT QUIT THE DAY JOB, because seriously you SUCK!! read more

Wow is it just me or was 2016's HOT AUGUST NIGHTS the largest one we had in years???? You know it's the 1st week in August in Reno when the rumble of old mufflers shake the downtown corridor with a week's worth of show and shines and parades of nostalgic automobiles. Parking at the casinos become a challenge as many of the parking lots are filled with old cars on displays, booths selling nostalgia items, and a few outdoor band stands for live music. Love it or hate it Hot August Nights is part of Reno's history. I dig it. Sure I only do the show and shines on off hours. My favorite thing this year was the early morning traffic jam on the Virginia Street Bridge when all the cars lined up to get the best spot to show off their cars between 1st and 4th Street. Till 2017! read more