Seeing Shinedown at the Nugget Event Center was an absolute blast, and the energy of the show made it an incredible night. The venue itself is beautiful, well-kept, and very manageable. Finding parking was easy and entry was smooth, and concession and restroom lines moved surprisingly fast throughout the evening. We were seated all the way up, section 302 WAYYY up in the back! The sightlines were fantastic...you get a great, clear view of the stage no matter where you are, if you are in the bleachers. That said, there are two main drawbacks to keep in mind: 1. The Sun Exposure: For early evening shows, the sun is directly in your face until it dips down behind the surrounding buildings. We had a very hard time seeing Ashes to New or Coheed and Cambria, but we got lucky that it finally set right before Shinedown took the stage, but definitely bring sunglasses and a hat for the openers. 2. Sound Mixing Needs Work: The audio was fairly distorted, and the vocals often got lost or drowned out beneath the volume of the instruments. Having been to several other outdoor amphitheaters with dialed-in acoustics, the sound engineering here definitely has room for improvement. Despite the audio quirks, the performance was insanely good, and we loved every second of the night. Shinedown brought phenomenal energy, and sharing the experience with great company made it completely worth it. I would definitely come back for another show! In conclusion, It's a great place to see a show, they just need to fix a couple issues. Shinedown was incredible!! read more

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Great venue. Weather cooperated. Our 203 section had actual seats, which was nice in between bands. Entry was fast and bartenders and staff were friendly. Looking around the venue no seat was a bad seat. Plenty of bars available and a couple spots for memorabilia. Parking was easy as paid covered garage parking was available which we took advantage of. ($20) read more

Worst place for a concert. I was sitting in the cheap seats which are aluminum bleachers with no seat backs. Deep Purple wasn't that great. Ian Gillan, the lead vocalist, doesn't have the same voice that he had in the early seventies. read more

10/6/2024- Hmmm... marketing did a good job getting me to the Oktoberfest .. We only come down for the Ribfest- Received a flyer for free entry into the Oktoberfest- free comparative stein and food-am I to say no??.. Plenty of parking on the street and in the lots!.. not like the Ribfest- I parked all the way around.. Walked in and got the plastic commemorative stein and tickets for bratwurst .. unlimited drinking- Noon was my slot time- Walked over to get the bratwurst and they were not set up.. Got the beer- but they ran out of Co2 for the grapefruit beer.. Decided to leave... won't fall for this one.. but always a must for the Ribfest.. read more

Nugget Event Center - Performing Arts Near Me - Sparks, Nevada

We attended the Keith Urban show on June 12, 2026. Our tickets were $200.00 per person. We were in section 302, row I seats 1&2. The idea of spending that kind of money to sit on metal benches is ridiculous. I carried a small purse and was told by security that I could not bring the purse in the venue. My boyfriend had to walk back to our car to secure my purse. If the rule was enforced for everyone trying to enter the venue with the wrong size purse I would understand; however, that is not the case. There were a lot of women carrying purses much larger than the one I was carrying that were allowed to enter the venue with their purses. It was incredibly frustrating to say the least. If you are going to have a policy regarding the size purse that can be brought in then enforce it for everyone. read more

Seating and venue issues. Sat in section 107 (floor) and with everyone standing couldn't see a thing. No one would sit down the entire time. Stage should be higher. Stage Black curtain was only up halfway and cutoff images. Too many people in a small venue where liquor lines and portable bathrooms intersected. read more

In an age where outstanding customer service has largely gone by the wayside, so shines a good deed on a Saturday night in Sparks. We're in town for business and Mrs. E. buys concert tickets from stub hub and gets stiffed. A lovely young lady named Rose at the Nugget patiently does her best to work with us, but it's entirely outside her control. Numerous calls to this sketchy reseller of tickets has netted us empty guarantees and promises of a full refund that may take 5-7 business days, yada yada yada. For you see, the seller has decided not to sell their seats (smells like a scam). We return to will call to find Kaycea has taken over. Bless her heart, she's come up with two seats in the last row, minutes before showtime. Perfect for us. Thank you I did notice that every employee we spoke to in the casino, the ballroom and at the hotel was smiling and they all parted on a positive note. "Good luck, tonight", "Enjoy the Show!" Next time we visit North Nevada we'll be back in here, thanks to folks like Rose and Kaycea, 11/24 read more

I Saw Keith Urban, and there is not a lot that could ruin that for me...LOL. The venue is small, and I found it to be really great! We were in section 202 and it was a perfect view. This gets 4 stars bc it is attached to the Nugget Hotel which is AWFUL! We stayed there for the convenience and it was truly awful. Also, they do post on the Event center website that your purse size must be 4.5"x6.5" or smaller, or you can bring a little larger see through bag~ TRUST ME GET A SEE THROUGH BAG! My friends had the perfect size purses and they could not come in. Don't chance it. Bring a clear bag. read more

The Nugget Event Center was built with good intentions, but in the long run, it finished off the acres of the area's free parking. The multitude of high-rise apartments began ruining parking for steller events like the Farmer's Market, Hot August Nights & the annual Rib Cook-off. . The Nugget Event Center has a capacity of nearly 9,000 people. The music & crowd noise bleeds into homes blocks away. The music volume is so loud that it makes listening to your own TV impossible. Also, now having to ride a shuttle bus to get to an event just proves the point. read more

Nugget Event Center - Performing Arts Near Me - Sparks, Nevada

Great concert in a great venue. Concert season is back in full swing after hibernating for a few years. This venue is small enough so every seat is in the action. Floor seats boasts bucket stadium seats where as Sections 200+ & 300+ has bench seating. One advantage of the floor is that you don't get the direct sun in your eyes and the heat. But sunset gives everyone a comfortable view and cooling temperatures. Couple of VIP tower suites flank the edges. Plenty of access to drinks and portable restrooms. Traffic control keeps a tight ship outside the event center. Lots of bars and restaurants in walking distance of the event center for a pre- or post-game meet up. Food trucks outside the event center are slow. I experienced a 45 minute wait for food at the food truck so be careful you don't miss part of the concert waiting for a "quick" snack. Matchbox Twenty with Matt Nathanson were fantastic. Nearly 3 hours of high energy, top hits, including songs from their latest release. Production value is top notch. read more

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I've seen 2 concerts here and I have to say this is one of the best venues in Reno/Sparks. I love outdoor concerts, I find the energy is better and it's enjoy able to be out listening to music on a beautiful summer night. It's a big venue so we've not had trouble getting tickets, and the overall setup is nice and open, with vendors all around for drinks and food. My one gripe for me personally is the lack of General Admin standing room areas. I love to dance at concerts and while we were able to find a spot to get our groove on, it would be nice to have an open area dedicated for the dancers in all of us. Overall very happy this venue has opened and glad they are brining in some great talent for us to enjoy, can't wait for the next show! read more

Nugget Event Center - Performing Arts Near Me - Sparks, Nevada

We went to see Kevin heart it was a decent show my issue is with the event center. I called a week in advance to set up wheel chair assistance for my husband with a broken foot they said yes we offer it call day of. I called day before and day of and was assured they will have a wheel chair to help him to his seat and they kept telling us to proceed and someone would help us when we got closer. I spoke to 4 employees who all kept saying yea we will help just wait until you get closer. We were in the venues and now to our seat.... They do not even have a dang wheel chair nor do they offer ada services so be sure you have your own scooter or wheel chair along with someone to push you along the way. In Portland at the moda center they helped us so well and assisted my injured husband with a smile. Take note or remove wheel chair assistance off your website. read more

After the closing of the outdoor concert venue at the now GSR, Reno had a major hole to fill. Nothing sounds better than an outdoor concert. The facility at the Nugget fills that perfectly. Not sure about the negative reviews, but last night's Matchbox 20 show was one of the best we've attended (we've been to a lot, coast to coast). Both the Nugget and Ticketmaster send out emails instructing the facility's do's and don'ts, parking and entry instructions. Regarding parking, if you're not doing a taxi, Uber or Lyft, you have to park in the west parking lot or, even better, the Galaxy covered garage. The emails state the Nugget garage is for hotel guests or Platinum level card holders. All others will be turned away. It was a beautiful night, easy walk people!! Sold out show, entry was quick and efficient. Sections, rows and seats clearly market. We were in Section 102 (front center, which I highly recommend), easy to find seats. There were food trucks parked outside, and numerous libation stations on both sides of the venue. Great setup, large monitors left and right stage, and the sound was what really makes it. Perfect acoustics. Tip: as with most concerts, you can actually get great seats day of show at the box office on site. After 2 years of delays, the show was worth the wait. Rob Thomas and the band put on a supercharged, engaging show...almost 2 hours on stage. We only got to see the opener Matt Nathenson's last song...but the one he's known for (slow service at the Oyster Bar...another review). Going back for Train next month. Yeah our new go-to concert venue...if only we can do something about the egregious ticket service fees!!!! read more

Our first concert and the venue was amazing! Small, outdoor location with great assigned seating! We saw Kid Rock and he was incredible! There were plenty of drink locations and many highly visible employees available to assist guests with finding their seats and other needs. The only downside is there are only Sani-Huts, no real bathrooms. But, there were a lot of them, and they were clean. We will definitely be attending more events there! read more

Nugget Event Center - Kid Rock - Performing Arts Near Me - Sparks, Nevada

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This is overall a pretty great outdoor venue for our area. The location is easy to access and I personally haven't had a hard time parking. It's lovely to watch the sun go down over the concert, but sunglasses are definitely needed beforehand! My first concert was when the venue opened with Toby Keith in 2019 and while the concert itself was absolutely fantastic, I was wildly disappointed with our seats. The bench seats are terrible based on sizing: You're essentially sitting on top of one another and there is no way to avoid your knees going directly into the back of the person sitting in front of you. Our only exception was that we were on the very last row and stood on top of the bench against the fence most of the night. There was also zero signage to direct us how to get to our seats (by way of going around the back). So, we had to wander around quite a bit before we got there. On my most recent visit, my mother and I came to just sit outside and listen to the band (Better Than Ezra and Train). We sat outside the main gates, and thankfully it wasn't too busy because there isn't much seating right now as they do construction. I was under the impression the improvements would be done before the 2023 concert season began. This unfortunately wasn't the case. I am hopeful that it will be a nice area once complete. We eventually were actually gifted two tickets so we decided to go in for the main show. Our seats were in the lower level so there was much more room and they were way more comfortable - I would say they are definitely worth the extra money. We ended up going to the ground and standing for most of the show and it was a great time. No one was too crowded and the staff were good at keeping an eye on the crowd. There really aren't any bad seats in terms of viewing the stage - just for what's comfortable. There are plenty of vendors to purchase beverages from inside the venue (Cash Only though). I would agree with another review that security isn't much... They are kind and quick, but in my opinion really don't do a thorough job. They glance in bags and move people through. The music is loud, but not too loud. I can actually usually hear it from my front porch at home which is quite fun for the summer nights. read more

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So disappointed that I paid over $300 per VIP ticket (which got us nothing extra) to get a view of the stage pole and screen. We couldn't even see the entire band. What a joke. We would've been much better off in the cheaper seats. Plus to not have hot food or mixers for drinks, not everyone likes soda as a mixer, some juice choices would've been great. Do better Nugget! read more

Nugget Event Center - View from our seats in the front row - Performing Arts Near Me - Sparks, Nevada

This venue is somewhat a joke. It's poorly organized and the parking is complete trash. So expect to park several blocks away. We arrive and the Ticketmaster app malfunctioned so we had to go to the box office and get printed tickets. Going through the security check point the older lady picked and chose who's bags to go, but whatever. Security it a joke and had nothing under control whatsoever so what's the point of having them. Overall, I highly doubt I would go back to this venue. I am happy to have seen Hall & Oates. read more

Obviously outdoor concert venues have such a different vibe than indoor- more like a festival feel. I saw Tim McGraw at the Nugget Event Center 09/15/23. I parked for free at a lot near the Nugget. I gambled a bit and had a drink at the casino before the show. There were a few food trucks outside of the venue. Security quickly looked in my bag and I passed through a metal detector. There were numerous drink and snack vendors- cash and card are accepted. Ushers/security were plenty and helped me find my section. The sunset that evening was beautiful. The seats are very close together and not very comfortable. I usually stand for the entire concert, so the plastic seat didn't bother me that much. Exiting the venue on the southwest side was like a herd of cattle waiting to be let out to pasture. People began to push,shove, and step on my feet. Sadly, that's become the norm. I would definitely be up for seeing more shows there- weather permitting. read more

Have seen 3 concerts at this venue this year, first time since I've lived here. I kept trying to like it. I gave it a few chances; view of mountains is amazing, summer nights feel delicious, one of my favorite bands. Still, I cannot recommend it for a few reasons. First, the seating/bleachers are janky as hell. Do not feel stable, are not comfortable to sit in/on. Get cold, are wobbly, hard to navigate stairs after suns down. Second, the sound and acoustics are horrific. I understand this is outside and by a freeway - still, difficult to hear any nuance or words sung. Third the parking is a nightmare and can be even worse when numerous events are taking place. Did I mention the interesting crowd outside the venue? No judgement, just sharing my experience. read more

What a poorly run venue. Finding parking is a so unorganized. No signs. No cops helping move cars in the right direction. And, once at the venue, long, long lines to get in. With thousands of people outside still, the show started a couple minutes early! Once in, the sections were very poorly marked. So hard to find our seats. Then the final insult was finding ourselves in front of two drunk a**holes. They spilled drinks on us and screamed constantly. We left. read more

We went to see Tower of Power at the indoor event center. I can't complain too much about the way they handled the crowd. I think the event was sold out. We had good seats. ***The band was phenomenal, as it always is!*** I think my husband suffered a bit due to the parking situation, but he didn't complain to me about it. Tickets weren't as expensive as I thought they could be. Overall, I'd do it again! read more

Just saw Kid Rock in the outdoor event center and it was fantastic! It was conveniently located outside the Nugget hotel and was a quick walk through the casino. Once we got there, the security lines were fast and efficient however it emptied directly into the arena... then you got your ticket scanned however it seems like you could fall through the cracks and just walk in without a ticket. You wouldn't have a seat....but you prob could navigate through concerts standing if you wanted to see for free. Not advocating people should do that, cause it would be an asshole thing to do... maybe management will see this and make adjustments. We sat in section 302 which was fantastic!!! Directly in center of stage. The sound was perfect and show was great as always (I'm a fan). Lines for merch and alcohol went fast! Weather was perfect. Seats numbers on benches were a little close together but that is probably because my ass has gotten bigger with age!! The past line up seemed impressive and I had flown in for the night from Southern California (an hour flight) so it was convenient and affordable. I will definitely be back -- it was a nice overnight getaway. A+++ read more

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Came in for hot August nights to see War came in to the venue and went to the rail stood there for the entire opening act and right before War comes on I'm asked for a wristband that I don't have because there was nothing stopping me from going to where I wax. Unacceptable!!!!! And to add to that who books a band to play for cars as pretty as they might be I'm pretty sure the band wants to play for people and not a bunch of cars. Just an idea. read more

Came here to watch Brad Paisley and had a wonderful time! We were in section 302 G and despite being pretty far back, we still felt pretty close to the action. Would definitely watch a show here again. Parking was free in the parking garage nearby. Food vendors inside the even center take a card which is great because I never have cash. read more

Nugget Event Center - Section 302 G for Brad Paisley - Performing Arts Near Me - Sparks, Nevada

We've seen about 5 concerts here since the pandemic. Great spot on a warm night, which most are. Victorian Square was fast becoming a ghost town. This venue does cost some local parking, but it has made the area a hotspot once again. You can't have it all. Not a bad seat in the house . Now, I don't care for the bleacher seats as I get older. We do get free tickets on occasion, but I do upgrade to the "floor" when I can. It's fun and friendly. read more

I went to see Ruthie Foster last night at the new Nugget event center. 2 things. First. That girl can sing. What a great show. Second. What a great venue. Tons of potential. I don't know the capacity, but whatever it is, there is No reason why any Band on tour playing to similar crowd size should not stop here. The stage is simple but huge with giant I-beams capable of holding all but the most massive gear. Looks like the floor seats are permanent so no mosh pits and they did a lot with a little space. It does not appear that there is a bad seat in the house. As a bonus, there are some benches outside and I assume if you get there soon enough, you can just hang out and enjoy the show. Also, there are some completed apartments and some on the way that provide a pretty decent view if you happen to get one or know someone who does. Parking may be an issue, but there are ways around that. Anyhow, great show and nice venue. Looking forward to more. read more

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Well to be honest, we never got in. Had tickets to a concert tonight at the events center but never got in. An hour before the concert, all parking was full, the valet was backed up way down Nugget Ave and blocked off, and one of the attendants suggested we head down Victorian Ave about 3 blocks to park. After fighting for about 25 minutes we threw in the towel. I've learned I'll never look at events at the nugget again. Shameful. read more

If you are going to the Nugget event center for a concert, make sure you know where your seats are or take a screenshot of it. We had at least 4 different staff members tell us different places for our seats, none of them checked where these two girls were sitting in our seats until we raised our voices. I am appalled that literally none of the staff know the layout of the seats. We had a guy tell us we were in section 107 when we were clearly in section 104 and he quickly took off. I love the view from our seats and I don't there there is a bad place to sit, but like I said, know where your seats are because the people that work there surely cannot tell you! read more

We went to the first concert there, Toby Keith, on 6/15/19. The entrance has a few screening lines but no signage about what is and what is not allowed and therefore left it up to the discretion of the screener. We had a small bag with us carrying two sweaters and eyeglasses along with medications and the young guard held out an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper, telling us that if the bag didn't fit inside that boundary that it couldn't come in! My lady has MS and needed the items but the guard held out although other screeners were allowing much bigger items in. A Nugget staff member was able to contact a security supervisor who overruled the guard and we were allowed to enter with the bag. There is also no signage in the venue concerning ADA and the only accommodation we saw was a few accessible porta-potties. Unless your seats are floor level, access to raised seating for motion-challenged people is very difficult. Seats in the 200 level are narrow plastic seats without arms and 300 level are metal bleachers like you'd find in a high school stadium. Leg space in either is also lacking as our seats in section 302 were cramped and we had knees in our backs thru the evening as did the folks in front of us. The raised seating does have a good view of the stage, however. The ground level is just that.. ground level so if folks in front are standing, you probably will need to also. With this being the first event there, they need to work out a few glitches as far as screening but I'm sure they will. Positives include security. The screening included metal detectors on everyone and they had quite a few Sparks Police Officers on hand along with a lot of private security guards. We also saw officers on nearby roofs at times during the event. The "Nugget Crew" with their red shirts were also very helpful and seemed to be enjoying their job. Overall, it will likely be a good event site once they get on the same page and address a few issues. read more

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Worst concert venue I have ever been to. Squished in like sardines. No COVID rules. No one wearing masks including bartenders. No vaccine cards required. Security was a joke. We had two obnoxious people behind us screaming and spitting on us and spilling drinks on us. Security wouldn't do anything and told us we had to stay at our seats or leave. Awful! Stay away no matter who is playing. We were there for Rod Stewart. read more

0 stars if I could. Paid over $100 a ticket to be crammed into a space smaller than a Southwest flight. People literally can not walk down the isles. Honestly don't know how this place is not a fire hazard. I was scared of having to go to the bathroom as I'd have to make at least 15 people get out of the row to let me out. Speaking of bathrooms, there are none. How do you have a concert venue with no bathrooms? No, I don't consider a row of ports potties a bathroom. In my option those are for temporary events. Bathrooms seem like an obvious thing to have, but then again there's not much parking either. The Nugget itself was so overwhelmed with the influx of people, that it was an hour wait to get seated at a restaurant and another hour to get food. We gave up on that and hit the food trucks in the square, which actually wasn't bad. Of course you can't bring your food into the venue. Which probably wasn't such a bad thing as it would have been difficult to try to eat squished in the way you are. Horrible tiny little fold out metal seats, no arm rests. Unbelievably uncomfortable and squished, piled in on top of each other. I've never experienced such an awful venue. I was shocked at how bad it was, I can't imagine why the Nugget would invest in something so cheap and horrible. 100% not worth the money. I won't be back, next time someone I'd like to see is playing, I'll just go hang out in Victorian Square and listen. read more

Went to see Journey Saturday night as the Band itself was great The nugget could have done better. The remote Screens need to be raised when people stand no one can see. Spent nearly 380.00 for two tickets and could only listen and not see the concert. No snacks or food should also be considered, read more

People smoking pot, blowing smoke in your face and the security is a joke. Parking is not easy. They block the street off and make you walk another 1/2 mile to get in. The sound system was so bad Hank William's Jr added lyrics to his music to comment how bad the sound sucks. Could be the sound engineer just didn't know how to mix? Seems to be a common problem at most the venues around the area. I don't go to a concert to smoke pot or get drunk or get onto a fight. I go to listen to the performer make music and this venue did not create that enjoyment. I mean the sound system was horrible. read more

I've been to 2 concerts at this venue and the venue is very nice with a great seating layout. My only complaint would be that security does not clear people out of the isles. We were seated in section 108 and there were tons of people hanging out in the isle with security walking by them again and again without checking to see if they had seats in the area. Some of the people were quite a distraction from the concert, as in falling over, bumping into people walking by, and making a scene with other concert goers. That was quite disappointing , hopefully The Nugget will address this soon. read more

Saw Journey last night and the band was GREAT - the venue, it wasn't so great. Firstly, it really kind of annoys me that we paid a LOT of $$$ for our tickets, only to see hundreds of people on the streets watching the show for FREE as there are no barriers in place to prevent this from happening. People can literally watch the entire show from the sidewalk on the side where the main entrance is located and see the stage! This is NOT APPROPRIATE, when people are paying hundreds of dollars to see a concert - not to mention all of the balconies surrounding the venue - this is truly an active shooters dream! This event center was POORLY planned - Nugget, you have some work to do! Stands are cramped as well, people were literally tripping and falling down trying to get to their seats as there is literally only about a half a foot between the bench and the next bench! What were you folks thinking when this was designed???? VERY DISAPPOINTED in this venue ! read more

Horrible concert venue. There are no signs to direct attendees where to park. Once inside, signage for seating is almost as bad. Tiny seats are jammed together and you feel like people behind you are breathing down your neck. Speaking of people behind you, we had two obnoxious drunk ones that yelled, swore, wouldn't sit down, and spilled drinks on our heads. We had to leave our seats and stand near the port a potties (the only "bathrooms") in the smoking area. Ugh. Rod Stewart was good but couldn't really enjoy the show with all the distractions. Definitely won't be back! read more

A 2000 seat venue with 15 security stations that takes over ann hour to get into the VIP entrance. Ridiculous. Paid for premium tix. Missed half the show. read more

First concert at the Nugget Event Center, first time we saw Toby Keith, and we loved it! Sitting outdoors on a Summer evening, enjoying the music is something we have always wanted to see in Reno/Sparks area and now we have it! Little slow getting in, but I'm sure they will improve that next time. Two suggestions, more help at the bars, the lines were moving much too slow, add a couple of inches to the space between rows. Right now, every person in the row has to get up if a person needs to get out, and your seat flips up automatically so be careful when you sit back down!! All in all, the sound was good and everyone was having a great time. Definitely, will be back for more music at the Nugget Event Center! read more