Why is Nevada Day on Halloween?

Nevada Day is Friday — and you may have noticed that’s when Halloween happens too. Is there room for two celebrations on the same day? Of course! (This is Vegas, after all.) But it doesn’t always have to be that way.

🤠 What Is Nevada Day?

Nevada Day marks the date when Nevada joined the Union: Oct. 31, 1864. Falling just days before the election, statehood was a rush job to ensure extra votes for President Lincoln’s reelection while the country was embroiled in Civil War. Considering the circumstances of the time, few probably noticed or cared about the overlap with Halloween, which wasn’t popularized in the U.S. until the 1920s.

🎃 Is It Always On Halloween?

Not anymore. The state legislature voted to observe Nevada Day on the last Friday in October, beginning in 2000, giving some consistency to the event. Nevada Day was originally Admission Day, acknowledged with little fanfare as a judicial holiday in 1891. The name was changed to Nevada Day when it was declared a discretionary state holiday in 1933.

As pioneers died off, parades and celebrations in Reno and Virginia City fizzled out. Official festivities moved to Carson City in 1938 and a law passed the following year to make Nevada Day an official state holiday, which means schools and government offices are closed 🥳 The official parade continues to take place in Carson City on the Saturday after Nevada Day.

🎉 Celebrate Nevada Day in Las Vegas

Springs Preserve will have free admission on Nevada Day (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), including access to the on-site Nevada State Museum to check out Nevada-themed activities and a new exhibit, “The New Deal in the New West: On the Road with Arthur Rothstein in Nevada.”

Natural Grocers, which has locations in Henderson and North Las Vegas, is celebrating Nevada Day on Friday by giving out free tote bags and $5 gift cards.

Kids 13 and under get their first ride free on Oct. 31 at FlyOver on the Las Vegas Strip.

The Nevada State Railroad Museum in Boulder City is giving kids 17 and under free train rides this weekend: 10 a.m. and noon on Oct. 31 and 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m. Nov. 1-2. Adults can ride too for $12.