Reno’s July arts festival is not playing small in 2026.

In this episode of the Ask-Reno.com Podcast, we dive into the newly released 2026 Our Town Little Book and unpack the themes hiding beneath the massive calendar: a free July 4 kickoff at Mackay Stadium with the Reno Phil, military flyovers, and a 500-drone light show; the new Our Town Passport challenge inspired by pilgrimage; a plastic-free month that bans bottled water sales at marked events; and a festival-wide shift from passive spectatorship into full-body participation.

After Smash Mouth kicks off the 500 event marathon, choose between Ukrainian folk singing and contact improv to Shibari, miniature galleries, garlic basket weaving, live cheetah painting, augmented reality along the Truckee River, and watershed art made from thousands of steel pins, this year’s programming feels less like an event schedule and more like a civic stress test for attention, comfort, habit, and imagination.

See the complete daily guide for Artown 2026 at https://ask-reno.com/artown