Gambler’s Run Comes Back to the Crystal Bay Club This Summer
July 23, 2024 | Kayla Anderson
Originally published in LIVE.WORK.PLAY Summer edition, Written by Kayla Anderson
The northeast shore’s newest booming summer music festival is back as the multi-day Gambler’s Run returns to the Crystal Bay Club Casino for its second year in a row.
For a while now, the staff at the Crystal Bay Club have been wanting to create an event where locals and visitors could gather at the Tahoe’s northern state line to enjoy the great music that the casino is known for, along with enjoying delicious food, drinks, and local arts & crafts vendors.
This is the second year of the Gambler’s Run, which will take place July 26-28, 2024, on Crystal Bay Club grounds.
Last year the CBC hosted 26 bands over three days, but this year the Gambler’s Run has been condensed down to include bigger names that will be playing longer sets. In its inaugural 2023 year, local-ish bands such as Six Mile Station and Hot Buttered Rum played while this summer California native favorites Donavon Frankenreiter, Jackie Greene, and The Mother Hips are on the bill. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong will also be back, headlining on Friday night with special guest Karl Denson and playing the afterparty on Saturday night.
Crystal Bay Club will have the same general setup as it did last year for the Gambler’s Run, with two stages outdoor and indoor with live music going 2pm-midnight for all three days. The casino also added a kickoff party this year with Grammy nominee Samantha Fish for Thursday night (July 25th).
“It’s a diverse group of musicians including funk, jam, bluegrass, americana,” says CBC General Manager Eric Roe. A lot of these bands have played at the Crown Room over the years as well.
When asked why musicians like playing at the CBC, Roe replies, “Our acoustics are amazing in the Crown Room. We have a rich music history and good energy here in the North Shore. We have a lot of passionate music lovers here.”
Along with a variety of food trucks and local artisan vendors that had already signed up by early May, Roe adds that they’re “collaborating with some big heavy hitter nonprofits” on the sustainability front this year, too. The Tahoe Fund, League to Save Lake Tahoe, Sierra Nevada Alliance, and Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) are just a few organizations that will be giving educational talks between band sets. This year’s festival will be implementing sustainable practices and to be as waste-free as possible. “Zero waste, zero plastic” is what they’re shooting for, Roe reiterates.
Although there is no camping available at the Crystal Bay Club, the CBC has partnered with Incline Lodge to offer Gambler’s Run room packages.
“The majority of festivals offer camping so finding lodging partners was a big goal for us this year,” he says. When asked what his favorite part of the festival was last year, Roe replies, “The overall vibe out there was just incredible. And it looks like it will be well-attended this year.
“We’ve been collaborating with musicians [throughout the year] to give the people what they want. We want to make the Gambler’s Run about them [the audience], for them,” Roe says.
“It has been a goal of mine to get outdoor national acts on the North Shore for years now, so to finally see that come to fruition was incredible,” he adds.
2024 Gambler’s Run tickets are capped at a thousand people per day and as of early June, there were still a few 3-day passes available for purchase. “But I would get them sooner than later,” says Roe.
For more information about this year’s Gambler’s Run, visit https://www.crystalbaycasino.com/gamblers-run-music-festival/.
Sidebar: Other Notable North Lake Tahoe Concert Series Happening This Summer
Live Music at Incline Beach, Incline Village: The Incline Spirits Barefoot Bar at Incline Beach hosts live music on Wednesdays and Fridays from 4pm-7pm. Must have a valid IVGID Picture Pass card to enter. https://inclinespirits.com/barefoot-bar/
Music on the Beach, Kings Beach: This free summer concert series hosted by the North Tahoe Business Association takes place on Fridays from 6pm-8:30pm. https://northtahoebusiness.org/music-on-the-beach/
Concerts at Commons Beach, Tahoe City: This is a free concert series hosted by the Tahoe City Downtown Association and Tahoe City PUD that takes place on Sundays from 4pm-7pm. https://concertsatcommonsbeach.com/