Why September is a Great Month to Visit Lake Tahoe

By: Cam Schilling

If you’re still in Lake Tahoe, you’re in for a treat! You’re witnessing the peaceful shift from summer’s energy to autumn’s golden glow. And if you’re just arriving, welcome, you’ve made a brilliant choice. September is Lake Tahoe’s best-kept secret: the crowds thin, the air turns crisp, and the lake sparkles with a new kind of magic. As summer gently steps aside, Lake Tahoe continues to shine, offering adventure, tranquility, and breathtaking beauty at every turn.

Family Fun Boating Lake Lake Tahoe Shore

Although the nights are cooling off, the days are still plenty hot for all your outdoor lake activities. The kids are back in school, the bros and broettes have flocked back to their frats, and the seasonal influx of tourists has started to dwindle down with the exit of our Burning Man drifters. The town is quieter (if only for a month or two) but never too quiet, summer’s hustle ‘n bustle is shifting to fall festivities. Don’t get me wrong, we don’t mind sharing our home with the many visitors eager for some Tahoe time, but we will gladly enjoy these last weeks of summer heading into fall with a bit less traffic. Our businesses and local organizations have prepared for an eventful month. Make sure you get out and take advantage of it all while you can.

Labor Day Weekend

Midway Art & Music Festival Heavenly Village Lake Tahoe

Heavenly Village Midway Art & Music Festival, Friday, August 29th through Sunday, August 31st, Lake Tahoe will celebrate a Labor Day last call: an amped-up holiday weekend of non-stop activities. Live music, Classic Car Show, Art Show, Carnival Rides, and to cap it all off Fireworks!

Teddy Swims at Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic

The soulful Teddy Swims will bring his powerful vocals and genre-blending sound to the Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic (formerly Harveys), on September 6, 2025! With a mix of R&B, pop, and country, Teddy’s live shows are an experience you won’t want to miss. Prepare for an unforgettable night under the stars! The show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Darius Rucker Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic

Saturday, September 13, 2025, 7:00 pm, Darius Rucker is coming to the Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic for a magical night under the stars!

Car Show at the Heavenly Village

Good Sam Safe Ride is back with their Cool September Days Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show right at the center of the Heavenly Village. Friday through Sunday, September 12th – 14th, head to the village for a stroll around some seriously cool cars, new technology, and more. For just $45, you can enter your own car, truck, or motorcycle.

Fall Ale Fest and Chicken Wing Cook-Off in the Heavenly Village

Fall Ale Fest Heavenly Village Lake Tahoe

Join us for the ultimate celebration of fall flavors at the Fall Ale Fest and Chicken Wing Festival Saturday, September 13th in the heart of Heavenly Village, Lake Tahoe’s #1 destination! This lively event promises to be a feast for the senses, bringing together the best of craft beers and the most mouth-watering chicken wings for a weekend of fun and flavor.

Sample the Sierra

Saturday, September 6th, is the always awesome Sample the Sierra event at Bijou Community Park. The event is a farm-to-fork festival celebrating the best of food, wine, and art in the Sierra Nevada. The event brings together local restaurants with neighboring growers/producers to turn out scrumptious samples craftily paired with an appropriate wine or brew. Vendors will be set up for locally made goods such as jam, soap, honey and olive oil along with specialty products created right here in the county, such as fine art, jewelry, and crafts.

Be a Next Level Visitor

No matter what you decide to do around Lake Tahoe’s south shore, be sure to leave everything you brought with you and properly dispose of it. Some trash areas may be full, so plan to dispose of your waste when you return to where you’re staying.

You could even be a next-level steward and pick up a few pieces of discarded trash while you’re there. Cleaning up a few small pieces of plastic or bringing an extra dog waste bag can go a long way toward protecting Lake Tahoe’s wildlife, clear water, and breathtaking views.

Keep Tahoe Awesome

The clearest blue water. The brightest green mountains. It’s awe and then some, but all this awesome doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from locals and visitors’ mutual respect for the South Shore. That’s why we created Rules to Lake By Five Ways to Practice Responsible Tourism at Lake Tahoe, so we can keep this place awesome today and awesome tomorrow.

Learn the Rules

Check out our events page for a full list of what’s happening this month, including many different concerts, charitable races/marathons, and other shows for any night of the week.

Endless entertainment