Fernley comes to life with music, dance, entertainment and arts once again this May as the Music, Murals, and Margaritas (M3) Festival returns for the fifth year in a row.
This year’s festival brings a schedule packed full of entertainment, activities, art, music, and a new, improved location. Previously located on Center St. in Fernley, the festival is moving to the Out of Town Park gazebo for the 2026 celebration on May 16. While Center St. was a great location for a few years, it was time for a change. The community has been asking for more shade, seating, and a more comfortable location. The Out of Town Park gazebo has grass, trees, some picnic tables – the perfect spot for the future of M3. People can even bring their chairs and picnic blankets to stay for the whole day and enjoy all that M3 has to offer.
This year brings many vendors, food trucks, live bands, live mural painting, and a free kids’ zone with art activities, games, and even a bounce house provided by Boys & Girls Club. Among the entertainment will be circus performers, fire dancers, dance performances by local groups, and a new addition this year–the Mexican dance group Xochiquetzal De Sergio Santiago.
M3 started in 2022 and has grown year over year. Started by the Sierra Arts Foundation, the festival brought new murals all over the city and hosted live music over three evenings. The Fernley ACES (Art & Culture Event Squad) has continued the annual festival to bring arts, culture, and live music to the community.
This year brings 13 new murals throughout the city, with a strong focus on community and the history of Fernley. Featured among them are a new mural at Fernley Physical Therapy by artist Hayley Meadows with a Nevada-centered patriotic theme, two different train murals at the CRRC and Train Depot by artists Chad Rice and Jen Charbeaneau, respectively, and a truly meaningful tribute to public servants at the Out of Town Park gazebo by two artists who are also military veterans, Kristle Geil and Edwin Martinez Esco. The mural of many mountains will continue to grow along Hwy 95A, with more artists and more styles added to the collaborative art piece. There are two groups with kids painting mountain sections, Fernley Homeschoolers, and the Boys & Girls Club Teens. Artists Cassandra Dekker and Naomi Divine will also add mountains in their own styles. Also, two dugouts at the Out of Town Park will get a facelift by artist Alyssa Cumpton, Frontier Fun Center will get a new mural inside by artist Bryce Chrisholm, and Fernley High School will get a new mural by Joe C. Rock. If you see any artists out painting, feel free to say hello and help them feel welcome.
This year’s event kicks off with live music and food trucks on Friday, May 15 from 5–9 p.m. at the Out of Town Park gazebo. Three bands will rock the stage: Diminished Return (featured at the InFERNo festival in March), Out of Towners, and Undivulged. A free, family-friendly evening of music, food, and fun to start off another jam-packed festival.
Saturday’s festivities begin at noon and run until 10 p.m. The festival will be in full swing with all of the fun booths and activities. Nine bands will play across two stages with dance performances in between. The headliner this year is Buckshot, which will bring the outlaw country to the M3 stage. Cliff Porter returns after a high energy performance at M3 2025. The Teacher Band, a Fernley favorite, will play at 4:15 with the songs that will have you dancing right into dinner time. Throughout the day, you’ll hear creative original music from Anabelle & the Desert Scrubs, Spike McGuire & Greg Gilmore, Liam Kyle Cahill & Kasey Christensen, Silent Giant, Nate Potate, and Drinking With Clowns.
None of this would be possible without many volunteers and the support of sponsors, including Burke Roofing and IBEW 401, the City of Fernley, and Travel Nevada.
Find all the free family fun this weekend, Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16 at Fernley’s Out of Town Park. More information can be found at fernleyaces.net.
Jaimie Daniels is a longtime resident of Fernley, juggling her two teenagers, wonderful husband, and a menagerie of animals. She’s an artist of many mediums and helps run the Fernley ACES – Art, Culture & Event Squad – because she believes she can do just about anything, and why not turn chaos into creativity.
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