You already know Las Vegas is one of the most awesome places in the world. You just need a good excuse to plan a visit. Fortunately, Sin City knows how to throw a party. And this city is loaded with big events throughout the year, from food and drink celebrations to over-the-top concert spectacles.
Whether you’re drawn to Las Vegas for gambling, epic entertainment, or top-notch bites, you won’t be disappointed. Just consult this list before planning your trip so you can check out the best annual festivals and parties that truly define the Las Vegas experience.
January
2025 dates TBD
Resorts World
Las Vegas is known for trade shows and conventions with the Consumer Electronics Show dominating the headlines every January. That event is industry-only, but you'll have more fun at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, which is open to the public and celebrates all aspects of adult entertainment. You'll meet famous adult entertainers, shop for saucy products, and test the limits of safewords in a space known as "the Dungeon." The trade show has become noticeably more inclusive in recent years, proving there truly is something for everybody. The whole thing finishes up with the Adult Video News Awards, which is commonly described as the "Oscars of p*rn." You'll have a tear in your eye while the winner accepts the trophy for "Best Orgy," proving that yes, dreams do come true in Las Vegas.
April
April 24–28, 2025
The Orleans
The world's largest rockabilly event and the longest running music festival in Sin City takes over The Orleans casino with more than 80 bands on six stages and dozens of DJs performing every year throughout a four-day weekend. Beyond the music, there are pool parties, fashion shows, burlesque presentations, and dance competitions, and you'll definitely want to check out the main event: a Saturday car show with hundreds of vintage automobiles and performances by retro favorites.
2025 dates TBD
Downtown
The largest beer festival in Southern Nevada is one of the best reasons to have a rideshare app on your phone. Leave the keys at home and get lit in Downtown Las Vegas with unlimited sips from some of the best local, regional, and national breweries at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. Don’t worry: A few food trucks are on standby to balance out that alcohol with a greasy array of calories.
Sick New World
2025 dates TBD
The Strip
Sick New World is a loaded line up of hard rock and heavy metal bands from the late ’90s and early aughts. It's not widely publicized, but the festival was founded by System of a Down, who headlined the first two years and planned to bring the experience to other cities throughout the country. This works just as well since the band can't bring itself to reunite for a full-fledged tour. The event takes place at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. Past lineups have featured the likes of Korn, Slipknot, Alice in Chains, and other acts that celebrate headbanging your aggression out.
May
May 17–19, 2024
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
The Electric Daisy Carnival is the largest electronic dance music festival in the United States, operating from dusk to dawn over three nights at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The event has a long legacy in a town known for DJs, nightclubs, and partying all night long. This year's lineup includes Tiesto, Zedd, Martin Garrix, Kaskade, and dozens more, performing on nine stages with carnival rides, art cars, food, drinks, and all sorts of fun. You can even sleep all day (or continue the party) on site at Camp EDC or on the Strip at Resorts World, which is officially Hotel EDC for the second year in a row.
May 18, 2024
Palms
Vegas Unstripped is a showcase of local neighborhood chefs, created in response to the now defunct Vegas UnCork'd, which celebrated celebrity chefs on the Strip while over-emphasizing the celebrity factor. Vegas Unstripped, a staple of the Downtown Arts District for years, has only grown in stature and is now effectively Strip-adjacent, coming to the Palms for the first time in 2024. Attendees can roam the hotel's pool deck sampling one-night-only dishes made by nearly 30 chefs, including at least seven James Beard Award nominees.
May 24–27, 2024
Downtown
Even in a city with countless music festivals, Punk Rock Bowling continues to stand out with its own unique identity. Fans pack the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center this year to see dozens of acts perform with the Descendents, Devo, and Madness as headliners. But the real fun is the scattered assortment of afterparties throughout Downtown, which can take place anywhere from a glam pool to a gritty dive bar. Yes, as promised in the name, there's bowling, although it almost doesn't matter who wins.
2025 dates TBD
The Strip
Lovers and Friends is the ultimate festival for rap and R&B acts, viewed through a subtle vintage filter every year at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. Headliners over the years have included Usher, Lauryn Hill, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Alicia Keys, and TLC with the door opening slightly to add pop acts like Gwen Stefani and the Backstreet Boys. Just beware: the festival has a reputation for being cursed. It was canceled due to wind in 2024 and paused temporarily in 2022 when gunfire was falsely reported, creating a minor stampede. Here's hoping things work out better in 2025.
June
June 5–8, 2024
Wynn Las Vegas
The Las Vegas food scene is known for indulgence, and that spirit carries over to Revelry, a culinary festival based on The World's 50 Best Restaurants, featuring pop-up events from a global array of award-winning chefs. Events include an "East Meets Best" dinner at Wing Lei; collaboration dinners at Casa Playa, SInatra, and Mizumi; an Icons Dinner at Lakeside, and the grand finale: The Feast at the Wynn Event Pavilion, which invites you to dine through four types of cuisine inspired by locales from Morocco to Tulum.
June 24–30, 2024
The Strip
It's no secret. Vegas is fast becoming a sports town with the Vegas Golden Knights, Aces, and Raiders drawing thousands of fans to games. But the Ultimate Fighting Championship will always be the original homegrown sport around here—and the fight organization gives back to fans every summer with a loaded card built upon International Fight Week. This time around, fans can cheer on Conor McGregor against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 inside the T-Mobile Arena after seeing current favorites and legends at the UFC X Expo and UFC Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.
September
September 5–8, 2024
Westgate
This truly is a bender with four straight days of blues performed on stages throughout the Westgate resort near the Strip. More than 45 acts (including Beth Hart, Tab Benoit, and Los Lobos) are taking part, playing 22 sets a day with an emphasis on convenient, intimate spaces. Yet the festival is about more than music as you can also upgrade the experience with hotel room and drink packages.
September 20–21, 2024
The Strip
This is what happens when a music fest goes mainstream. The iHeartRadio Music Festival celebrates your favorite hitmakers with a lineup that ranges from pop and R&B to country and classic rock, almost like you're changing radio channels. The mainstage at the T-Mobile Arena hosts performances by your favorite chart-toppers. Typically, an off-site daytime stage is a showcase for up-and-coming acts, which in the past had included the likes of Olivia Rodrigo and DaBaby before they made it big.
September 20–24, 2024
Downtown
The Life is Beautiful appears to be in a state of transition after 11 years in Las Vegas. The festival traditionally takes over 18 blocks downtown for three straight days, but early reports indicate this year's version will be relegated to the outdoor grounds at (and possibly around) the Plaza hotel at the west end of Fremont Street. Life is Beautiful also has food and drinks with an emphasis on local and regional vendors, comedy, educational speakers, and a compelling art program with large-scale murals and installations often left behind when the festival is over.
October
October 4–5, 2024
Jean
RiSE Festival returns to the Jean Dry Lake Bed in the Mojave Desert with live music, food trucks, drinks, and a dramatic release of lanterns into the sky after sundown. The lanterns are 100% biodegradable and are collected after the event to leave no trace in nature. Upgrade to VIP for shaded seating, bites, and a private bar. You can park near the site or take a shuttle from the Strip. All tickets include two lanterns, a marker to write personal messages on them, and a mat.
October 11–12, 2024
Multiple locations
National Pride Month may take place in June, but the local celebration of Pride kicks off in October (when the weather's a bit easier) with events all month long. The main event in Las Vegas is the annual Pride Night Parade, which runs through Downtown on Friday, October 11, beginning at 7 pm. A block party gets underway an hour earlier near the main stage at 4th and Bridger with food trucks and drink stations. The Las Vegas Pride Festival is Saturday, October 12 near 4th Street and Bridger from noon to 11 pm with live entertainment on two stages, dancing, food, drinks, art, and a variety of designated areas ranging from a Kid's Zone to Pride Pets and an 18-and-over adults-only area. The festival is family-friendly until 7 pm and "Rated R" after 7 pm.
October 19–20, 2024
The Strip
Tapping into the nostalgia of the late ’90s and early aughts, the When We Were Young music festival leans into crunchy guitars, pop hooks, and memories of black nail polish. Green Day and a reunited Blink-182 were the top headliners last year, giving groups like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and dozens more a tough act to follow. Roam the Las Vegas Festival Grounds and check out the action on multiple stages while sipping on booze and shopping for t-shirts and other swag.
October 29, 2024
Downtown
The Clark County Government Center Amphitheater hosts the Downtown Brew Festival with more than 200 beer samples from dozens of breweries. The centralized lawn area has a backyard vibe with performances from local and regional bands, plus food from some of your favorite Vegas restaurants. But really, you're here to drink. So don't miss out on the largest beer festival of the fall season in Southern Nevada. VIP tickets include exclusive pours, pavilion seating, food bites, and early entry at 4 pm.
December
New Year's Eve
December 31, 2024
The Strip
Las Vegas has one of the biggest New Year's Eve celebrations in the country. The Strip shuts down to traffic, creating one massive four-mile-long block party, leading up to a midnight countdown with fireworks erupting from the rooftops of nine resorts. If you don't want to be down with the crowds, TKname, TKtitle, suggests watching from the rooftop of TKspot. Whether you're on the street or in the sky, just make sure to bundle up. I usually pack a jacket, hat and scarf for the festivities. Otherwise, you'll find out very quickly how cold it can get in the desert.
Ready to go? Book tickets here.
Rob Kachelriess is a full-time freelance writer who covers travel, dining, entertainment, and other fun stuff for Thrillist. He's based in Las Vegas but enjoys exploring destinations throughout the world, especially in the Southwest United States. Otherwise, he's happy to hang out at home with his wife Mary and their family of doggies. Follow him on Twitter @rkachelriess.
