Las Vegas is a once-in-a-lifetime experience all year round but at Christmastime they really pull out all the stops! From breath-taking hotel atriums to light displays, from holiday shows to mountains of food, there is an event for every want and every pocket. The cooler weather puts swimming and sunbathing to one side in favour of activities you can do bundled up in a scarf sipping a hot chocolate.
The casinos and hotels try and outdo each other every year with their decorations and many locations transform into winter wonderlands perfect for strolling around all wrapped up warm. Along with their iconic fountains, which are playing Christmas classics at this time of year, the Bellagio has transformed its atrium, conservatory and botanical gardens with thousands of lights, evergreen pants and Christmas scenes. Wynn Las Vegas also features an impressive display in their atrium, this year choosing a Gulliver’s Travels theme with no less than six mini winter villages to see. The Palazzo Hotel and Casino gives their already impressive waterfall atrium a fantastic winter display with lots of festive trees, flowers and greenery.
Want something a little different and evoking Las Vegas’ desert surroundings. The Ethel M Chocolate factory holds is in its 23rd yearly Holiday Cactus Garden with lit up cacti and chocolate creations as far as the eye can see. Keeping the bizarre Christmas trend going, the Silverton Casino and Hotel has added a scuba diving Santa Claus to their enormous aquarium to swim amongst the fish and wave at all the good boys and girls.
The LINQ Promenade is also decked out to the nines with lights and snowfalls. Music is always playing with carollers thronging the streets and live shows on every night. The Freemont Street Experience is the centre of downtown’s Christmas festivities where you can join in the annual New Year’s Eve party. And the Town Square is not to be missed with a 45-foot Christmas tree and guaranteed snowfalls in the Snow in the Square shows.
And that’s just the free stuff! Any of you high rollers out there can expect to pack your day with all sorts of festive fun, shopping until you break the bank. There are extravagant festive shop displays to be seen in the best shopping venues in the world such as Via Bellagio, Le Boulevards and the Miracle Mile. All through the Holiday Season, the Fashion Show Mall holds regular ‘Believe in the Magic’ shows on their runway in the Great Hall.
Las Vegas is famous for food in excess and at Christmas you can be sure it goes beyond turkey and stuffing. People queue for hours to get a table at the incredible buffets on Christmas Day so its often recommended to book a meal at a hotel or restaurant in advance if you want to save time and money. Special festive Vegas menus feature a variety of exquisite dishes including steak and seafood for those bored of turkey! Desserts tend to be traditional, if not Victorian, with figgy pudding featuring in many restaurants in 2017.
And of course, the casinos stay open all year… even on Christmas Day!
Whether this blog has you booking a trip for next Christmas or not, there are plenty of games here at NetBet to give you a taste of the festive Vegas experience at home with NetBet Vegas and our new Holiday Season category featuring Secrets of Christmas, I Love Christmas and Christmas editions of all your favourites.
Words by Rebecca Wood
