July 1 marks the first night of Artown, the monthlong festival.
This nonprofit has been inspiring the community since 1996.
The festival kicked off with a free live concert with Grammy-nominated band Smash Mouth as the headliner.
The show started at 7:30 p.m., but many people showed up early, excited to get the fun started.
Concert attendee Nathan Willey told us, "I've been wanting to see them since I watched Shrek for the first time, when I was, like, four years old, and, I don't know, I've never seen them live, and this is exciting because I'm here visiting my dad, and it was just a free concert, so I'm really hyped.”
Many people we spoke with mentioned their excitement to see Smash Mouth because of the movie Shrek, but also said they are looking forward to creating new memories with the songs they grew up with.
Taylor Bauwens told us, "When I saw that Smash Mouth was coming to Reno for free, I was very excited because I grew up with Smash Mouth. I was nine when they debuted their first album, so I'm very excited, and I'm excited to bring my kids too because they know the songs from Shrek.”
The festival features about 500 events across 130 locations throughout the city and county.
Most events are free or at a low cost and give people an easy way to get out of their house.
People we spoke with said it’s nice to live in a city where events like this are put on.
Janice Craighton said, "It’s kind of nice not to have to pay 50 bucks to park, and you know, I wouldn't mind paying something for the concert because you're not paying it to park, you know, it's affordable, and it's nice, especially if you have a family, and it's so beautiful out here.”
The festival organizers work hard every year to bring music, art, and culture to Reno for 31 days straight.
Organizers say that their main focus is creating a place where community members can show up and clear their minds of everything that distracts them throughout their day.
Beth Macmillan, the Executive Director of the festival, told us what her favorite part is "being here with the community, watching them watch the show, watching them come here with their friends and their family, and enjoying the outdoors. And, you know, people are off their cell phones and just taking in the arts and just celebrating our community.”
Artown is committed to sustainability and is not going to be selling bottled water this year.
Instead, people can purchase a reusable cup and fill up for free throughout the events, but people also have the option to bring their own water container.
