15 Festive Holiday Events in Las Vegas This Year

Viva Las Christmas, baby! Spending the holidays in Sin City is an experience like no other, offering lots of booze, burlesque, more booze, giant Christmas trees and menorahs, fake igloos, and…really, a lot of booze. There are also plenty of family-friendly holiday happenings in Las Vegas—Glittering Lights at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Ethel M Holiday Cactus Garden Lights, the Downtown Summerlin Holiday Parade, and the Magical Forest at Opportunity Village, just to name a few.

So throw on your favorite ugly Christmas sweater and spread some cheer and beer as you check out all the fun holiday things to do in Vegas this year. And if you're looking to spread cheer throughout the winter season, we've got a guide for that, too. 

Friday, December 23
Free-$
Downtown Las Vegas
For some of the best cosplay you’ll see outside of Comic Con, head to Millennium Fandom on any one of their theme nights.  It’s always a fun time here and there’s never a cover. For this one, expect people to go all out on Jack Skellingtons and Sallies, and probably a Sandy Claws or two, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see a Wednesday in a black Santa hat recreating Jenna Ortega’s viral dance from the show (to whoever we just gave the idea to, you’re welcome).

Ongoing through Saturday, December 24
$$
Downtown Las Vegas
Even if you’ve seen The Nutcracker a dozen times before, if you haven’t seen NBT’s version at the Smith Center, you haven’t seen it. With a life-size four-story dollhouse as its centerpiece and other over-the-top moments that include Clara riding a flying rocking horse, this production, with choreography by James Canfield, is worth seeing again and again. Tip: Order a double pour of wine and get half a bottle in an adult sippy cup that you can take into the theatre with you, take home, and then bring back for future shows to have it refilled and save the cost of buying a new one.
Cost: Tickets start at $35.95.

Tuesday, December 20 through Saturday, December 24
$-$$
Chinatown
Celebrate Five Days of Christmas at the Golden Tiki, a kitschy quasi-Polynesian paradise in the middle of Las Vegas’ Chinatown. Why five? Probably because no one would actually survive 12. Starting on Tuesday, December 20 with “Tiki Tinsel Onesie Night” and running through “A Very Tiki Christmas" on Christmas Eve, each night has a different theme with a common goal—getting Blitzen’ed on the extra-cheery Christmas tiki cocktails developed by Beverage Director Adam Rains, which include a Pagan spin on the classic eggnog using mezcal and goat milk called “Goat of All Egg Nogs: A Pagan Christmas Miracle,” a pumpkin batida made with coconut cream, and a duck-fat-washed Cognac Negroni with hoisin ginger vermouth. They open on Christmas Day at 3pm, just in time for you to make your desperate escape from your family.

Ongoing through December 27
$-$$$
Chinatown
The Nightmare Before Xmás Christmas Experience at Más Por Favor is everything your Halloween-loving heart craves at Christmastime. The entire back room is covered in Nightmare decor, from the black-and-orange-striped snake, black-and-white parasols, and screaming Christmas wreath hanging from the ceiling to Mr. Oogie Boogie in the corner. A special food and drink menu is available, with items like Frog’s Breath Pozole and Sandy Claws Tacos and clever cocktails served in festive Jack and Sally mugs. Note: There is a $300 minimum for reserved couch table seating (six people max) and a $100 minimum for high table seating (four people max). The rest is first-come, first-served.

Ongoing through Friday, December 30
$$$
Fremont Street
If you’re looking to get Fremont-faced, the “Dashing Through the Bars” holiday bar crawl is for you. On this ticketed bar crawl, you’ll hit five bars on Fremont Street located in Circa, Golden Gate, and The D (for locals who know, yes, all Derek Stevens properties, aka the Mayor of Downtown), and receive a specialty holiday cocktail at each one. The stops include higher-end bars like Legacy Club and Vegas Vickie’s, making the price a steal! Just book a night at one of these spots or assign a designated driver because that’s a lot of Fremont drinking.
Cost: $100

Ongoing through December 31
$-$$
The Venetian Resort
“Cheers!” your way through the many fine cocktail bars of the Cocktail Collective at the Venetian this season. At the Dorsey Cocktail Bar, sip on The Grinch, made with gin, green chartreuse, and lemon for a sweet and spicy flavor. Or head to Rosina Cocktail Lounge to try the Chris Kringle cocktail with crème de cacao and crème de menthe. Over at the Electra Cocktail Club, guzzle down some Reindeer Fuel, with a coffee liqueur base, mezcal, allspice dram, and a crème float. And if all that wasn’t enough booze, pop by the seasonal La Dolce Vita holiday pop-up bar on the first floor behind the Waterfall Atrium, where they’re serving holiday coffees, desserts, pastries, and winter warmers like hot toddies, espresso martinis, and Irish coffee.

Ongoing through Saturday, December 31
$-$$
Chinatown
As far as Las Vegas is concerned, Miracle on Spring Mountain at the iconic Sand Dollar Lounge is the OG of Christmas pop-up bars. Now in its fourth year, Miracle kickstarted the trend that can now be found all over Las Vegas—the holiday-themed bar covered in kitschy holiday décor with a special holiday cocktail menu. And bless them, because this is a trend worth replicating. The iconic Sand Dollar Lounge in Chinatown has once again transformed into your kooky Christmas-loving cat lady aunt’s living room with holiday cocktails in fun holiday mugs and barware (which you can buy), guest chef pizza pop-up charity fundraisers, and lots of Christmas cheer. There’s also a Hanukkah section for Jewish friends!

Ongoing through Saturday, December 31
$-$$
The Plaza
“Aloha from the North Pole,” as they say! In the same vein as the Miracle pop-up but with a tiki twist, the new sister location of the Sand Dollar Lounge located at the Plaza in DTLV has their own holiday pop-up called Sippin’ Santa, with a tiki take on Christmas cocktails.

Ongoing through Monday, January 2
Free-$$$
The Cosmopolitan
One of the most beloved Las Vegas holiday traditions is ice skating on a covered pool on a rooftop overlooking the Strip in 70-degree weather, while watching Christmas movies like Elf on a 65-foot marquee. In addition to the ice rink itself, the Ice Rink at the Cosmopolitan has a robust menu of Christmas-themed cocktails, rink-side fire pits for toasting s’mores, and a dining area called The Chalet, styled after a cozy alpine retreat with its own communal fire pit and reserved seating. New for this year, the rink-side Overlook Grill has transformed into the Overlook Chill, serving Christmas-themed cocktails and classic comfort food with a sophisticated twist. Also: the Christmas tree is back!

The rink is open daily and holiday movies are shown on the marquee most Mondays and Tuesdays at 7 pm through Christmas Day. There are also special event nights including their New Year’s Eve extravaganza, an open-air viewing party of the famed Las Vegas Strip fireworks that includes three hours of select open bar and a champagne toast at midnight.
Cost: Entry is free; all-day skating starts at $20. Fire pit reservations start at $350 for up to six guests; for large group fire pit reservations and Chalet reservations, email IceRink@cosmopolitanlasvegas.com. NYE tickets start at $200 plus tax and gratuity.

Ongoing through Sunday, January 1
Free
Bellagio
There are certain Vegas experiences that are must-dos, and the Bellagio Conservatory is one of them regardless of the time of year. This year’s holiday theme is “Gingerbread Dreams, a Holiday Confection” and it features a five-foot-tall gingerbread house suspended in a giant bejeweled Fabergé-style egg, along with several other gingerbread houses made by Bellagio’s pastry team. The air is fragrant with the smell of clove, cinnamon, vanilla, and apple, and the 42-foot-tall white fir tree is as impressive as ever, covered in 10,000 twinkling lights and 8,700 sparkling ornaments. The Coca Cola polar bears are still there, too, along with elves making confectionery treats in a bakeshop. And, for the first time this year, the Bellagio pastry team has created a holiday sweets retail pop-up shop within the Conservatory, offering gingerbread cookies, peppermint meringue, chocolate Santas and reindeer, assorted flavored popcorn, hot chocolate, Coca-Cola floats, and more.

Ongoing through Monday, January 2
$-$$
The Silverton
The Shady Grove Lounge at the Silverton Casino has been reborn for the holidays as the Bad Elf pop-up bar, “home to rebels without a Claus,” taking its aesthetic inspiration from everyone’s favorite holiday menace, the Elf on the Shelf. The bar has been redecorated to look like the elves’ home in the North Pole, and in addition to the snow-covered Christmas trees and oversized ornaments, there’s also a selection of holiday cocktails like Naughty Butter Beer and a Candy Cane martini. New this year, you and your friends can partake of one of three “Bad Elf Experiences,” which include your choice of holiday cocktail, the Bad Elf puzzle hunt, a souvenir glass, and even bottomless drinks if you choose the “Baddest Elf” option.

Ongoing through Saturday, January 7
$$$
Resorts World
Head up to the rooftop of Resorts World for Zouk Group’s Igloo Rooftop Experience in partnership with Veuve Clicquot. Roast s’mores by the firepits, enjoy some light bites and craft cocktails, take selfies at the two photo stations, play cornhole and life-sized chess, and pop a few bottles of bubbly (this is sponsored by Veuve, after all). Several igloos are available to reserve, and here’s a little NYE pre-planning tip: if you want to see fireworks on the Strip, this will be a great vantage point to catch several of the casinos’ displays all at once (including the ones at Resorts World).

Ongoing
$$
AREA 15
If you want to get into the holiday spirit, look no further than at Lost Spirits Distillery at AREA 15. This dimly lit labyrinth pays homage to turn-of-the-century traveling carnivals, the seedy streets of Victorian London, and Jules Verne’s ill-fated submarine. Intimate stages appear around every corner, showcasing everything from burlesque performers and belly dancers to aerialists and contortionists to magicians and jugglers and everything in-between. A specialty cocktail bar was recently added inside the Jazz Lounge, helmed by Beverage Director Alex Velez, who appeared on Netflix’s new mixology competition show, Drink Masters. They also just launched a brand-new VIP seating option with elevated viewing above the crowd in box seats (the box seat section for two looks like a 1800s hot air balloon, very on-brand). Which will be perfect for maximizing your viewing opportunities of their special holiday-themed performances, including a NSFW Abominable Snow Monster. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer will never be the same again.

And there’s plenty more holiday cheer spread throughout the many areas of AREA 15. Over in The Portal, check out the immersive Nightmare Before Christmas viewing experience, complete with wall-to-wall digital projections and some added lighting effects throughout the screening of the film on a big screen with a legit killer sound system. The cost of admission for adults includes a cocktail from the themed cocktail menu. Over at Oddwood Bar, order holiday cocktails like the Jungle Ball and Polar Espresso and enjoy them under the twinkling lights of the 23-foot-tall digital maple tree which will turn both red and green at some point. And the area around LIFTOFF bar and ride has transformed into a wintertime “Lunar Lounge” with themed seasonal cocktails, hot chocolate, tableside s’mores, games like cornhole, a ski-themed photo op, and food trucks on weekend nights.
Cost: LIFTOFF ride tickets start at $15; Oddwood cocktails are $20 each; immersive Nightmare Before Christmas tickets are $40 for adults and include a themed cocktail; and admission to Lost Spirits Distillery starts at $49 for locals.

Ongoing through January
$-$$
The Cosmopolitan
Technically, the Superfrico Ski Lodge (the “hidden” après ski cabin-style bar located within the psychedelic Italian restaurant and performance space) is open year-round, but the holidays just feel like the perfect time for this spot. They’re also offering a special holiday menu through the season, which includes cocktails with names like “Make the Yuletide Gay” and “A Christmas Kegel.” Snuggle up with one of their Christmas cocktails for two and roast your own s’mores with their campfire s’more kit, which sounds like a very wholesome thing to do in this extremely not-wholesome (and bless them for it) place.

Ongoing through Saturday, February 25
$-$$$
Green Valley Ranch
The popular locals’ casino Green Valley Ranch is bringing back its seasonal pop-up “Winter at the Terrace” throughout the winter season. Sip on winter-themed cocktails from inside heated igloos, build your own hot chocolate experience from the hot chocolate cart with cocoa bombs and marshmallow-dipped mugs, enjoy campfire s’mores, or order the fireside punch and seasonal shot tree for your group.

Want more Thrillist? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat.