Las Vegas knows how to throw a party. This fall, the city is also throwing its weight behind its own — and the calendar is stacked with chances to lace up, dress up, eat well, and give back while you do it.
From sunrise walks to a beer festival with a dog costume contest, here are 13 ways to show up for your neighbors between now and mid-November. Every single one benefits a local cause. Pick your favorite — or collect the whole set.
Saturday, October 17: A Triple-Header of Good
Walk to End Alzheimer’s
The cause: The Alzheimer’s Association and the fight to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.
When & where: Saturday, October 17 — check-in at 7 AM, Town Square Las Vegas.
Cost: Free to join; fundraising is the whole point.
How to join: Register your team at alz.org/LasVegasWalk.
Start the day at Town Square with hundreds of locals walking for the family members, friends, and neighbors living with this disease. It’s the world’s largest fundraiser of its kind, and the Vegas edition has that early-morning, coffee-in-hand, we’re-all-in-this-together energy.
Tunnel to Towers 5K
The cause: The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, supporting first responders, military heroes, and their families.
When & where: Saturday, October 17, 8 AM, Sunset Park.
How to join: Sign up at runwalklasvegas.t2t.org.
Run or walk 3.1 miles in honor of the people who run toward the emergency. Sunset Park’s wide paths make this one friendly for strollers, squads, and serious runners alike.
6th Annual Neon Dog Walk
The cause: Nevada SPCA, the no-kill animal shelter caring for homeless pets across the valley.
When & where: Saturday, October 17, 3–7 PM, Silverado Ranch Park.
How to join: Register at nevadaspca.org.
Saturday’s closer is pure Vegas: a sunset walk where the dogs wear the neon. Expect a festival village with local food trucks and vendors, plenty of very good boys and girls, and a fundraising goal big enough to matter. Bring your pup, or just come for the people-watching — the four-legged outfits do not disappoint.
Sunday, October 18
Las Vegas Walk & 5K for ALS — “Mummies on the Move”
The cause: ALS of Nevada, supporting local families living with ALS.
When & where: Sunday, October 18, 9 AM, Craig Ranch Regional Park, North Las Vegas.
Cost: $40.
How to join: Register at RunSignup.
Costumes encouraged, mummy wraps extremely on-brand. And if you’d rather give in heels than sneakers, the same organization hosts its Food is Art gala on Friday, October 23 at The STRAT ($350) — a night-under-the-stars tasting event for the same cause.
Midweek: Galas, Tastings & a Stadium Night
Nathan Adelson Hospice Wine & Food Tasting
The cause: Nathan Adelson Hospice, Southern Nevada’s only nonprofit hospice.
When & where: Wednesday, October 21, 5–8 PM, The INDUSTRIAL Event Space.
Cost: From $125.
How to join: Details and tickets via Nonprofit News Vegas.
The 25th annual edition pairs serious wine with bites from beloved local kitchens — Echo & Rig and Makers & Finders are among the restaurants pouring and plating this year. Twenty-five years in, it’s a genuine Vegas institution.
Grant a Gift Autism Foundation Gala
The cause: Grant a Gift Autism Foundation, helping local children with autism and their families.
When & where: Thursday, October 22, on the field at Allegiant Stadium.
How to join: Tickets at grantagift.com.
The 16th annual gala puts you on the same turf the pros play on — dinner, auctions, and a very Vegas kind of bragging right, all benefiting local kids.
All Month: HallOVeen at the Magical Forest
HallOVeen — Opportunity Village
The cause: Opportunity Village, serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
When & where: Select nights through October 31, opening 5:30 PM nightly, 6300 W. Oakey Blvd.
Cost: $24 per person; kids 3 and under free.
How to join: Date-specific tickets at opportunityvillage.org.
The Magical Forest goes full Halloween for its 13th year — a themed funhouse, a 50-foot slide, mini golf, a carousel, a train, and a haunted walking trail — and every ticket supports one of the most loved nonprofits in the valley. It’s the rare Halloween night out where the warm feeling is the point, not a side effect.
Saturday, October 24: DOGtoberfest
Big Dog’s DOGtoberfest
The cause: Michael’s Angel Paws — $1 from every festival package plus all raffle proceeds go straight to the charity.
When & where: Saturday, October 24, 4–9 PM, Big Dog’s Brewing (Rancho & Craig).
Cost: Tasting packages $39–$68 online (a couple bucks more at the door).
How to join: Packages and details at bigdogsbrews.com.
A local brewery throwing itself a fall festival is the most Las Vegas kind of fundraiser: 50+ independent craft beers, Wisconsin-style brats, live music, and a costume contest for humans and dogs (judging starts around 5:30 PM, so have your pup’s outfit ready). Big Dog’s festival series has raised more than $50,000 for local causes since 2010 — come be part of the next chunk. Hungry for their fall pours? We break down the Dogtoberfest Märzen and Ol’ Jack Pumpkin ale in our fall menus roundup.
Sunday, October 25: Run, Then Eat Like You Mean It
SafeNest Run for Hope 5K
The cause: SafeNest, sheltering and supporting survivors of domestic violence.
When & where: Sunday, October 25, 7 AM, Sunset Park.
How to join: Register at Race Roster.
The 8th annual Run for Hope moves to Sunset Park this year. There’s a 1-mile fun run alongside the 5K, so the whole crew can take part — and every step funds shelter, counseling, and advocacy for survivors right here at home.
Picnic in the Alley
The cause: The Women’s Hospitality Initiative, championing women in Vegas’s food and beverage world.
When & where: Sunday, October 25, 3–6 PM, Arts District.
Cost: $150.
How to join: Details via Vegas 24 Seven.
The food-world fundraiser of the season: an alley in the Arts District filled entirely with dishes and drinks from local women-led restaurants and bars — Sparrow + Wolf, Honey Salt, and Yukon Pizza are all in the lineup. Eat extraordinarily well, support the women feeding this city. That’s the whole pitch, and it’s a great one.
Halloween Day, October 31
SOSS Charity Golf Tournament — “Drive a Wedge Through Hunger”
The cause: Groceries for homeless and low-income families.
When & where: Saturday, October 31, Palm Valley Golf Course.
Cost: From about $109.
How to join: Register on Eventbrite.
Trade the costume contest for the fairway: a Halloween-morning round where every entry helps stock a family’s kitchen. Costumes on the course are, presumably, between you and your foursome.
November: Lanterns & Pajamas
Light The Night
The cause: Blood Cancer United (formerly the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) — funding research and supporting blood cancer patients.
When & where: Saturday, November 14, CSN Charleston Campus.
How to join: Register or donate at lightthenight.org.
Thousands of lanterns, one glowing river of people walking after dark for everyone touched by blood cancer. It’s the most moving night of the fall calendar — bring tissues and somebody you love.
Speedway Children’s Charities PJ 5K Thru Glittering Lights
The cause: Speedway Children’s Charities, helping local children in need.
When & where: Sunday, November 15, Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
How to join: Details at speedwaycharities.org — and bring a pair of kids’ pajamas to donate.
The season’s grand finale: run or walk a 5K (or the 1-mile route) in your pajamas, through the Glittering Lights holiday display at the Speedway. Pajamas on, lights up, hearts full. Vegas doesn’t do the holidays halfway, and neither should you.
Keep the Good Going
New fundraisers, school drives, and neighborhood cleanups pop up all season. Our Events Calendar tracks what’s happening around the valley week to week — check it before you make weekend plans, and we’ll keep adding the good stuff as it lands. Vegas takes care of its own. This fall, prove it.
