Why September is a Great Month to Visit Lake Tahoe

By: Cam Schilling

If you are still in Lake Tahoe congratulations – you’ve just about made it through another hectic summer season. If you are just visiting now, you must be a seasoned traveler, and you’ve made the wise choice to visit during September, aka the best time of year in Tahoe. As fall approaches and summer fades away, Lake Tahoe keeps the fun rolling.

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

Heavenly Village Midway Art and Music Festival - Labor Day Weekend 2024

Labor Day Lake Tahoe, Friday, August 30th through Sunday, September 1st, Lake Tahoe will celebrate a Labor Day last call: an amped-up holiday weekend of non-stop activities.

Ryan Bingham at Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys

Saturday, August 31, 2024, 7:00 pm, Ryan Bingham is hitting the stage at Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys with the Texas Gentlemen! Don’t miss an unforgettable night of soulful tunes and Texas charm under the stars. 

Pretty Lights at Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys

Friday & Saturday, September 6 & 7, 2024, 7:00 pm, Pretty Lights Soundship Spacesystem 2024 – Check Your Vector Tour at Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys.

Pretty Lights Soundship Spacesystem 2024 – Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena Harveys

Pretty Lights is a musical project known for a unique fusion of electronic beats, poetic samples, and modular synthesizers. Intricate sonic tapestries combined with dynamic breathing light shows transport listeners to cosmic planes, seamlessly blending the past and future into a rich present moment.

Car Show at the Heavenly Village

Car Show Heavenly Village Lake Tahoe

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 13th – 15th head to the village for a stroll around some seriously cool cars, new technology and more. For just $40 you can enter your own car, truck, or motorcycle.

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

Fall Alefest and Chicken Wing Cook Off Heavenly Village Lake Tahoe

Join us for the ultimate celebration of fall flavors at the Fall Ale Fest and Chicken Wing Festival 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 21st, 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 with everything you brought with you and make sure it is properly thrown away. Some trash areas may be full, so plan to dispose of your waste when you get back 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.

rules to lake by summer

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 mutual respect for the South Shore, from locals and visitors alike. 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.

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.

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