diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/include/nvkm/core/event.h b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/include/nvkm/core/event.h
index 82b267c111470..460459af272d6 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/include/nvkm/core/event.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/include/nvkm/core/event.h
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ struct nvkm_event {
 	int index_nr;
 
 	spinlock_t refs_lock;
-	spinlock_t list_lock;
+	rwlock_t list_lock;
 	int *refs;
 
 	struct list_head ntfy;
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ nvkm_event_init(const struct nvkm_event_func *func, struct nvkm_subdev *subdev,
 		int types_nr, int index_nr, struct nvkm_event *event)
 {
 	spin_lock_init(&event->refs_lock);
-	spin_lock_init(&event->list_lock);
+	rwlock_init(&event->list_lock);
 	return __nvkm_event_init(func, subdev, types_nr, index_nr, event);
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/core/event.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/core/event.c
index a6c877135598f..61fed7792e415 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/core/event.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/core/event.c
@@ -81,17 +81,17 @@ nvkm_event_ntfy_state(struct nvkm_event_ntfy *ntfy)
 static void
 nvkm_event_ntfy_remove(struct nvkm_event_ntfy *ntfy)
 {
-	spin_lock_irq(&ntfy->event->list_lock);
+	write_lock_irq(&ntfy->event->list_lock);
 	list_del_init(&ntfy->head);
-	spin_unlock_irq(&ntfy->event->list_lock);
+	write_unlock_irq(&ntfy->event->list_lock);
 }
 
 static void
 nvkm_event_ntfy_insert(struct nvkm_event_ntfy *ntfy)
 {
-	spin_lock_irq(&ntfy->event->list_lock);
+	write_lock_irq(&ntfy->event->list_lock);
 	list_add_tail(&ntfy->head, &ntfy->event->ntfy);
-	spin_unlock_irq(&ntfy->event->list_lock);
+	write_unlock_irq(&ntfy->event->list_lock);
 }
 
 static void
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ nvkm_event_ntfy(struct nvkm_event *event, int id, u32 bits)
 		return;
 
 	nvkm_trace(event->subdev, "event: ntfy %08x on %d\n", bits, id);
-	spin_lock_irqsave(&event->list_lock, flags);
+	read_lock_irqsave(&event->list_lock, flags);
 
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(ntfy, ntmp, &event->ntfy, head) {
 		if (ntfy->id == id && ntfy->bits & bits) {
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ nvkm_event_ntfy(struct nvkm_event *event, int id, u32 bits)
 		}
 	}
 
-	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&event->list_lock, flags);
+	read_unlock_irqrestore(&event->list_lock, flags);
 }
 
 void