Nightlife
Your Las Vegas Travel Guide
Day and Night: Sun worshippers and night owls alike find revelry in Las Vegas.
A lush, glass-encased botanical garden filled with a towering display of stunning technicolor arrangements isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Las Vegas, but it shouldn’t surprise you, either.
After all, Las Vegas is a city of paradoxes. It’s both unlike anywhere else and also intensely familiar—dripping in decadence while projecting a kitschy strip-mall-of- America vibe filled with a bunch of wacky sideshow attractions. Unapologetically loud, ostentatious—and a little surreal—it’s an oasis in the desert no matter how you experience it. And after three days of partying and pursuing all sorts of hijinks, you’re going to feel grateful that you remembered that tip to go to the Conservatory at Bellagio. It’s going to feel so nice and gentle on that sunburned, slightly hungover face of yours.
To reach this place, you must first embark on a journey filled with long days and even longer nights. This is the place where anything can happen: wandering into an existential store where nothing is real, tying the knot at a punk rock wedding chapel, or somehow getting whisked into a Formula 1 VIP party at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where the sparkler- lit bottle service flows freely and the concept of money simply just disappears (figuratively and literally).
Stranger things have happened, but here are some things you can plan for on your next trip to Sin City.
The Conservatory at Bellagio: a botanical oasis.
© MGM
01
DAY TRIPPERS
Casinos still rule the Strip, but the scorching heat of the Mojave Desert has inspired a new wave of aquatic dayclubs where each option seems even bigger than the last: bigger sound systems, bigger pools, bigger entertainment.
Find the beautiful people dancing to resident DJs like Eric D-Lux, Mustard and Bob Moses at the Marquee Dayclub at the Cosmopolitan, a sprawling 22,000-square- foot, multilevel complex featuring two pools, several bars and a world-class sound system. Sports fans who need to be physically ripped from the game will feel right at home at the new Stadium Swim at the Circa Las Vegas, offering six pools and a massive 40-foot-high television screen showing every single game imaginable. Tiesto and Kaskade are typically after- after hours headliners, but in Vegas, they’re spinning poolside in the afternoons at the Ayu Day Club at Resorts World Casino.
Get a tattoo—or get hitched!—at the Punk Rock Museum in the Arts District.
© LISA JOHNSON
Not really into the club scene? Ditch the Strip and kick it with the locals in the up-and-coming downtown Arts District, where you’ll find a smattering of galleries, shops, brewpubs, coffee shops and restaurants. Cement your visit to the Punk Rock Museum by getting a tattoo or getting eloped at the chapel there. Find cool restaurants, streetwear brands, a mystical crystal shop and a decent cup of coffee in a converted vintage motel at Ferguson’s Downtown. Take refuge from the sun by ducking into the part exhibition, part archive, and part studio space of Office of Collecting and Design, a veritable cabinet of curiosities nestled within New Orleans Square, where you can pop in for a visit or book a scavenger hunt or photo session. The collection is curated by artist and filmmaker Jessica Oreck.
Find resident DJs like Mustard and Bob Moses at the Marquee Dayclub.
© MARQUEE DAY CLUB
02
FLY BY NIGHT
Sunset brings the flickering glow of Las Vegas’s famous neon lights illuminating the Strip. This is when things get interesting—and even a little weird. There’s no need to get lost in search of the infamous salt flats of Groom Lake, the location of Area 51—after all, the enticing entertainment and events district AREA15 is so much cooler (and also easier to get to). Here you’ll find Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart, a fake store with fake products leading into a multi- level immersive art exhibit; Lost Spirits Distillery, an engaging Las Vegas show and distillery tour; and
Universal Parks & Resorts’ new Immersive Horror Experience, a 20-acre year- round theme park boasting collaborations from filmmakers like Jason Blum, James Wan and Jordan Peele.
If you’re going to enjoy a residency, go to Caesars Palace, where Adele, Jerry Seinfeld and the adults-only variety show Absinthe all have shows under the same roof. The Wynn comes in a close second with performances by Ali Wong, Jim Gaffigan, and the mythical aerial puppetry show Awakening. Five-level megaclub Hakkasan at the MGM Grand is consistently ranked among the top Vegas nightclubs, featuring 80,000 square feet of dance floor, state-of-the-art sound systems and LED lighting, where Steve Aoki, Benny Benassi and Fat Joe are among the resident DJs. Find some of hip-hop’s finest—Rick Ross, Gucci Mane, 2Chains, Quavo, Wiz Khalifa and Meek Mills—at Drai’s, a 70,000-square-foot rooftop club with more than 150 VIP tables, eight pools, two VIP balconies, four bars, over 7,000 square feet of cutting-edge digital LED screens—and a partridge in a pear tree.
Order up globally inspired cuisine at Sparrow + Wolf in Chintatown.
© SABIN ORR
03
EAT
In a city where Food Network stars’ restaurants rule and visiting Michelin legends is a pilgrimage, Sparrow + Wolf is a promising, globally inspired restaurant in Chinatown proving that Vegas chefs can stand on their own. Universally recognized as among the top 50 best bars in the world, Herbs and Rye makes a damn fine drink (and pretty great steaks). Fried chicken is having a moment at places like Kowbird, whose signature Southern-style buttermilk fried chicken sandwich is served every whichway. Meanwhile, Half Bird, the Sparrow + Wolf spinoff chicken concept, delivers even more flavor-forward riffs, including everything from green curry ranch and yuzu hot honey to miso barbecue and scallion ginger.
When it’s time to break out the “nice clothes” for dinner, get fancy and try to get a reservation at Delilah Lounge at Wynn, where you can live like a Gatsby zillionaire. Inspired by the Vegas showrooms of the ’50s, this instantly iconic supper club features a menu of classic surf ’n’ turf, plus live music and special performances, DJs and Sunday night jazz.
If visiting a celeb restaurant is a must, dining at Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace, Joël Robuchon Restaurant at the MGM Grand or Bazaar Meat by José Andrés at the Sahara are all sufficiently braggable achievements. Keep an eye out for openings from award-winning restaurant LPM Restaurant & Bar at the Cosmopolitan and James Beard Award winner Michael Mina’s Orla at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, which are among the hot ones to watch.
At the Virgin Hotel, enjoy good vibes and a quirky entertainment schedule.
© Hilton
SLEEP IT OFF
If you’re staying out late, you might as well stay within close crashing distance. Fortunately, most hotels offer the best of all worlds 24/7.
Virgin Hotels are always a vibe, but their Las Vegas outpost offers a surprisingly quirky entertainment schedule (Band of Horses? Danzig? The Postal Service and M83? A John Waters Christmas show?!), on view within steps of Nobu. Staying at any of the new Resorts World Casino hotels (Conrad, Hilton or Crockfords) puts you in reach of the Resorts World Theatre, where Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are all set to perform this year.
Coming later this year: the highly anticipated Fontainebleau Las Vegas, a massive 67-story megaresort and casino offshoot of the famed Miami Beach luxury hotel, joining the forthcoming Durango Casino & Resort, which opens this November, featuring 83,000 square feet of casino space, a state-of-the- art sports book and more than 200 hotel rooms.