Thank you for an incredible first year. Rock the Raceway 2026 is in the books.
    Rock the Raceway logo. Pennsylvania's biggest battle of artists and bands.

    Laurel Highlands

    THINGS TO DO IN JENNERSTOWN PA, AUGUST 2026

    Jennerstown, Pennsylvania has a busy August 2026 calendar. The headliner is Rock the Raceway on Sunday, August 23, but the whole month offers reasons to visit Somerset County and the Laurel Highlands: weekly Saturday-night racing at Jennerstown Speedway Complex, hiking and rail-trail riding, lakes, state parks, and farm markets.

    Thank you for an incredible first year
    Event day info
    Quick facts
    Headline eventRock the Raceway, Aug 23
    Weekly racingSaturday nights, Aug 1, 8, 15, 22
    State parkLaurel Hill (10 min)
    Major resortSeven Springs (25 min)
    Rail-trailGreat Allegheny Passage
    Closest citiesPittsburgh, Johnstown, Cumberland
    Family friendlyYes
    Free parkingYes (festival + speedway)

    August 23: Rock the Raceway

    The month's biggest event is Rock the Raceway 2026 at Jennerstown Speedway Complex on Sunday, August 23. Gates 1 PM, music 2 PM, wrap 9:30 PM. Tickets are available at $30 Advance now. VIP is sold out. Kids 12 and under attend free with a ticketed adult. The lineup is the Final Four of a fan-voted online battle of the bands that runs from July 1 to August 1, 2026.

    Saturday nights at the speedway

    Jennerstown Speedway Complex runs its NASCAR Weekly Series program every Saturday night from May through early September. August 2026 dates expected: August 1, 8, 15, and 22. The August 22 race is the natural pairing for festival weekend. Local late models, modifieds, and super stocks. Family-friendly grandstand seating. Cash gate, parking included.

    Outdoor recreation

    Laurel Hill State Park is a ten-minute drive and has a swimming beach, kayak rentals, and miles of trail. Ohiopyle State Park, with its Class III Yough River rapids and Falling Water tours, is under an hour away. The Great Allegheny Passage rail-trail crosses the area and is mostly flat for casual riders.

    Seven Springs Mountain Resort runs an alpine slide, mountain biking, and disc golf through August. Hidden Valley does similar in nearby Champion. Both are 25 to 35 minutes from Jennerstown.

    Food, lodging, and side trips

    Local lodging clusters in Somerset, Boswell, Ligonier, and Donegal. Chain hotels along the PA Turnpike (Exits 91 Somerset, 110 Donegal) sell out fast festival weekend. Book by July.

    Day-trip ideas: Flight 93 National Memorial in Stoystown (15 minutes), Fort Ligonier and the historic downtown (20 minutes), and Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater (45 minutes). The Mountain Craft Days festival in early September is the next big regional event after Rock the Raceway.