Each year, the entire city of Gretna comes together for an epic celebration of the city, as Gretna Days draws more than 10,000 people together for a city-wide party.
And if you think that’s impressive, consider that the event is organized and run by the people themselves.
Gretna Mayor Mike Evans said that the government provides structure, support, and guidelines for participants at Gretna Days, but the competitions, events, and meals are planned by people and organizations themselves.
“It’s really what separates us, I think,” Evans said. “Our sense of community really makes me proud. This is really who we’ve always been. We care about each other but really we like to have fun and support each other so it’s a great weekend.”
Gretna Days 2025 runs from July 23-27 and features dozens of events, including a grand parade, slow-pitch softball tournament, carnival, hot dog feed, dance and beer garden, and much more. What began as a modest celebration in the 1960s has exploded into a massive event.
“It’s an example of what our citizens do,” Evans said. “This was started 60 years ago or more by a couple of people who wanted to give back. While we’ve gotten a lot bigger in our community, it’s the people that continue to give back to make our town better that makes me proud.”
Gretna Days provides a great example of why the city just continues to grow. The area is completely unrecognizable compared to 10 years ago, and more growth is coming. A massive development called the Good Life Transformational District is in the works, and another development highlighted by a Nebraska Medicine health center is on the way.
There are a number of reasons why the area continues to draw more people, but Evans believes Gretna’s sense of community is a major pull for the city. He’s proud that the people of Gretna choose to be a part of something, and he expects thousands of volunteers at Gretna Days in 2025.
“Gretna Days is community based. It’s not an organization telling us what we get to do,” Evans said. “It’s people getting involved and coming up with ideas and bringing it to the community. And everyone supporting it. It really changes the fabric. There are so many things to do. You could spend all weekend out here and have a great time.”
For the 2025 event, Good Lutheran Church is hosting a dodgeball tournament, the Gretna Knights of Columbus and Gretna Optimist Club have organized Bags, Beers, and Brats at St. Patricks Parish, and Journey Church is hosting a movie night and a fireworks display. These are but a few examples of the many events that members of the community created and organized. The government provides guidelines and help if necessary, but city officials mostly let the community mold the event into exactly what the people want it to be.
And Evans believes that why Gretna Days continues to grow and evolve to match the needs and desires of the society around them.
“The easy part is, because it’s citizen led and community based, it will take care of itself with what matters to this generation and continue to evolve,” Evans said. “It’s the people driving it. They’ll change and adapt to society. The way to honor it is to keep doing it every year.”
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