Carson City is celebrating Nevada's birthday all weekend long. The Nevada Day Parade is Saturday, and it always draws a big crowd.
"It's electric; it's the happiest day of the year in Carson City," said Lydia Beck with Visit Carson City. "It's like celebrating a birthday, but everybody is a Nevadan and everybody is celebrating. You can imaging 14,000 to 16,000 people celebrating their birthday at the same time - that's what it feels like, and that's what it is. Nevada Day is really special for that reason, it's just a really fun day here in Carson City."
It's a day to celebrate Nevada's statehood, now in its 158th year. Saturday's festivities start early.
"We have everything from a balloon launch to a four-hour parade, a beard contest, rock drilling, there's a vintage market, a Fall Fest, an incredible amount of events in addition to the parade," Beck said. "That balloon launch is one of the coolest things, we launch from the middle of downtown."
It's a big day for local businesses, and a chance to take in some of the capital city's attractions.
"Almost all of the restaurants are open and doing some kind of special, so everyone is participating here in the downtown corridor and beyond," Beck said. "We have events Friday through Sunday, so if you want to check out one of the museums, it's free admission Friday and Saturday at the Nevada State Railroad Museum and the Nevada State Museum, and the Stewart Indian School is going to be open on Saturday."
The Nevada Day Powwow is back Friday through Sunday this year as well.
There's an app to help navigate the events: https://visitcarsoncity.com/mopo/
