Calendar of Events

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Back to Las VegasLas Vegas Calendar of Events

You may be surprised that Las Vegas does not offer as many annual events as most tourist cities. The reason is Las Vegas's very raison d'?tre: the gaming industry. This town wants its visitors spending their money in the casinos, not at Renaissance fairs and parades.

When in town, check the local paper and contact the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (tel. 877/VISIT-LV or 702/892-7575; www.visitlasvegas.com) or the Chamber of Commerce (tel. 702/735-1616; www.lvchamber.com) to find out about other events scheduled during your visit.

NASCAR/Winston Cup. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 7000 N. Las Vegas Blvd. (tel. 800/644-4444; www.lvms.com), has become one of the premier facilities in the country, attracting races and racers of all stripes and colors. The biggest of the year are the Sam's Town 300 and the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 held in early March, often drawing over 150,000 race fans to town.

CineVegas International Film Festival. This annual event, usually held in early June, is growing in popularity and prestige, with film debuts from both independent and major studios, plus lots of celebrities hanging around for the big parties. Call tel. 702/992-7979 or visit their website at www.cinevegas.com.

World Series of Poker. When Harrah's Entertainment bought the legendary Binion's Horseshoe in Downtown Vegas out of bankruptcy, they quickly turned around and sold the hotel, but kept the hosting rights to this famed event and moved its location and place on the calendar. Now held at The Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino (3700 W. Flamingo Rd.; tel. 800/PLAY-RIO) in June and July instead of April and May, the event features high-stakes gamblers and showbiz personalities competing for six-figure purses. There are daily events with entry stakes ranging from $125 to $5,000. To enter the World Championship Event (purse: $1 million), players must pony up $10,000. It costs nothing to go crowd around the tables and watch the action (which, in 2003, was televised for the first time on The Travel Channel). In 2005 they even added the world's first Poker convention and trade show to capitalize on the growing popularity of the game. For more information, visit the official website at www.worldseriesofpoker.com.

Oktoberfest. This boisterous autumn holiday is celebrated from mid-September through the end of October at the Mount Charleston Lodge (tel. 800/955-1314 or 702/872-5408; www.mtcharlestonlodge.com) with music, folk dancers, singalongs around a roaring fire, special decorations, and Bavarian cookouts.

International Mariachi Festival. Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (at Hacienda Ave.), started hosting this worldwide Mariachi (Mexican music) festival a few years ago, and it has become one of the city's most eagerly anticipated events. Call Mandalay Bay at tel. 877/632-7400. The event is usually held in early September.

The Championship at Las Vegas. This 5-day championship event (formerly called the PGA Tour Las Vegas Invitational), played on three local courses (the main course is TPC Summerland), is televised by ESPN. For details, call tel. 702/242-3000.

National Finals Rodeo. This is the Super Bowl of rodeos, attended by close to 170,000 people each year and offering nearly $5 million in prize money. The top 15 male rodeo stars compete in six different events: calf roping, steer wrestling, bull riding, team roping, saddle bronco riding, and bareback riding. The top 15 women compete in barrel racing. An all-around "Cowboy of the Year" is chosen. In connection with this event, hotels book country stars in their showrooms, and there's even a cowboy shopping opportunity -- the NFR Cowboy Christmas Gift Show, a trade show for Western gear -- at Cashman Field. The NFR runs for 10 days during the first 2 weeks of December at the 17,000-seat Thomas and Mack Center of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). It usually begins on the first Friday in December and lasts through the following Sunday. Order tickets as far in advance as possible (tel. 702/895-3900). For more information, see www.nfrexperience.com.

Las Vegas Bowl Week. A championship football event in mid-December pits the winners of the Mid-American Conference against the winners of the Big West Conference. The action takes place at the 32,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium. Call tel. 702/895-3900 or visit www.lvbowl.com for ticket information.

Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Football Championship. This collegiate championship event takes place the first week in December in Sam Boyd Stadium. Call tel. 702/731-5595 for ticket information. Ticket prices start around $20 and go up over $100 for the best seats.

New Year's Eve. This is a biggie (reserve your hotel room early). Downtown, on the Fremont Street Experience, there's a big block party with two dramatic countdowns to midnight (the first is at 9pm, midnight on the East Coast). The Strip is usually closed to street traffic, and hundreds of thousands of people pack the area for the festivities. There are, of course, fireworks.

New Year's Eve in Las Vegas -- Over the last couple of years, more and more people have been choosing Las Vegas as their party destination for New Year's Eve. In fact, some estimates indicate that by the time you read this, there will be more people ringing in the new year in Nevada than in New York City's Times Square.

From experience, we can tell you that there are a lot of people who come here on December 31. We mean a lot of people. Traffic is a nightmare, parking (at least legally) is next to impossible, and there is not 1 square inch of the place that isn't occupied by a human being. Las Vegas doesn't really need a reason to throw a party, but when an event like this comes along, they do it up right. It doesn't make a bit of difference to the many gamblers who remain perched at tables and in front of machines, barely looking up long enough to mumble "Happynewyear" at the key moment.

A major portion of the Strip is closed down, sending the masses and their substantial quantities of alcohol into the street. Each year's celebration is a little different but usually includes a streetside performance by a major celebrity, confetti, the obligatory countdown, and fireworks.

For New Year's 2001, the city launched a massive fireworks extravaganza entitled "America's Party." It involved blasting pyrotechnics from the roofs of 10 different hotels in succession up the Strip, with a grand finale at midnight that rivaled the worldwide millennium celebrations the year before. The event was considered such a success that the city has made it an annual event.