Nevada Day 2024 — The Best Day of the Year in Carson City

If you ask me what my favorite day of the entire year is, the answer is easy: Nevada Day. No hesitation. It's not even close.

There is something about that last Saturday in October in Carson City that just hits differently. A sweet chill in the air, the sun shining bright, leaves falling off the trees and drifting across the street like nature's own confetti. Everyone we know comes out in force — friends, family members we might only see once a year, neighbors, riders, locals, and visitors who make the trip just for this. The street becomes our dance floor. The leaves are our confetti. The sun is our spotlight. It's a party unlike any other, and I look forward to it every single year.

What Is Nevada Day?

For those who didn't grow up here, Nevada Day celebrates the anniversary of Nevada's admission to the United States on October 31st, 1864. Nevada became the 36th state during the Civil War — admitted in a hurry, famously, because President Lincoln needed the votes to pass the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery. The full text of Nevada's constitution was transmitted by telegraph, the longest such transmission in history at the time.

Carson City has been celebrating Nevada Day with a parade since 1938, making it one of the longest-running state holiday parades in the country. It draws tens of thousands of people to the capital every year — marching bands, floats, horses, classic cars, motorcycles, and more Nevada pride than you can fit on one street. For those of us who live and ride in Northern Nevada, it's a homecoming. It's our day.

Riding Willow in the Parade

This year I had the absolute pleasure of riding in the parade on a beautiful Indian Scout named Willow. She's a 2018 stock model in willow green and cream — a color combination that is just stunning in person, especially on a crisp October morning with the fall light hitting just right. She had tan fringe, and I'd like to think I complimented her appearance reasonably well.

Willow was a dream to handle on the slow parade crawl down Carson Street. If you've never ridden in a parade, the challenge isn't speed — it's the opposite. Keeping a motorcycle moving at a walking pace, staying in formation, being present for the crowd while also keeping your eyes on the road. The Indian Scout handled it beautifully. Smooth, balanced, and easy to maneuver. Everyone along the route loved her color, and more than a few people called it out from the sidewalk.

Riding in the Nevada Day Parade is one of those experiences that reminds you why you got into motorcycles in the first place. It's not about going fast. It's about being part of something — a community, a tradition, a moment that belongs to everyone watching from the curb.

The Crowd, the Energy, the Feeling

What makes Nevada Day special isn't just the parade — it's the people. Standing in the street for hours on end doesn't feel like standing. It feels like being exactly where you're supposed to be. You run into people you haven't seen since last Nevada Day. You meet new people who just moved to the area and are experiencing it for the first time. You watch kids on the sidewalk scrambling for candy and think about how this tradition is going to outlast all of us.

For VCMCo., Nevada Day is also a reminder of what this brand is rooted in. We're not a brand that happens to be based in Nevada. We're a Nevada brand — built around the history, the landscape, the riding culture, and the people of this state. Virginia City is in our name for a reason. Days like Nevada Day are why.

See You Next Year

If you've never made the trip to Carson City for Nevada Day, put it on your calendar. Last Saturday of October, every year. Come for the parade, stay for the energy, and if you see a willow green Indian Scout rolling down the street — wave.

For more from the day, follow along on Instagram @virginiacitymotorco. And if you want to wear something that says Nevada loud and proud, you know where to find us.