Photo credit: Fred Morledge
Summers aren't easy in Las Vegas. The triple-digit heat and unpredictable monsoon season limit outdoor events, while relief comes in the form of poolside parties and the icy blast of casino air conditioning. That changes in the fall, one of the best times of the year as temperatures drop and the pace picks up with activities, festivals and other big events.
"Las Vegas is the ultimate fall destination for everyone — with great weather and so much to do,” says Cliff Atkinson, president of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, which is in the heart of the action outside the Las Vegas Grand Prix and hosts a festival celebrating one of rock's biggest acts. "As the seasons change, one thing remains the same — Las Vegas lives up to its title as the 'Entertainment Capital of the World.'"
So, let's get familiar with the top reasons to visit Las Vegas this fall.
Halloween is always a wild time in Las Vegas. Maximize the fear and fright at the newly opened Universal Horror Unleashed inside AREA15, featuring a series of walk-through haunted attractions, including ones modeled after "The Exorcist" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."
Las Vegas Pride is our community's largest annual LGBTQ+ celebration with a parade through Downtown Oct. 10 and a festival at Desert Breeze Park on October 18.
Music and Entertainment
The Las Vegas Festival Grounds welcomes the return of When We Were Young, an annual event that taps into the retro appeal of the punky power pop that dominated the late '90s and early aughts. The same lineup performs Oct. 18-19, headlined by blink-182 and hometown favorites Panic! At The Disco.
The Rise Festival is celebrating 10 years in Las Vegas with John Mayer, Calvin Harris and Rüfüs Du Sol giving the music lineup a noticeable injection of starpower, setting the tone while guests release lanterns into the nighttime sky above the Mojave Desert (Oct. 3-5).
Kiss retired from touring a few years ago, but the band is getting back together with a few special guests. Kiss Kruise: Landlocked in Vegas reimagines the rock legends' fan-friendly vacations at sea in a festival format at Virgin Hotels with interactive activities and concert performances.
The Downtown Las Vegas Events Center is busy throughout fall with the R&B, funk and soul of Paradice Sept. 27, Reggae Rise Up Oct. 3-5, and Best Friends Forever, dedicated to retro indie rock Oct. 10-12. The outdoor concert venue will also play a major role in the Neon City Festival, which unfolds over the same weekend as F1 (Nov. 21-23) with national and local music acts performing free sets throughout the Downtown area.
Even the Las Vegas Convention Center is getting in on the fun, mixing music with expo events. ComplexCon is back in Vegas for the second straight year, celebrating hip-hop culture and fashion with headline performances by Yeat & Friends and Young Thug Oct. 25-26. Consider SEMA Fest the after-party for the SEMA Show auto industry expo, presenting Queens of the Stone Age, Black Crowes and Neon Trees Nov. 7.
Sphere continues to mix entertainment with high-tech effects inside the domed venue. Tickets are going fast for the Eagles and UNITY, a late–night dance party with a rotating lineup of DJs. But "The Wizard of Oz" is dominating headlines, reformatting the 1939 cinematic classic into a fully immersive experience that makes the most of both digital and practical effects — most evident in a dramatic tornado scene with wind and flying debris.
If classical music is more your speed, the Las Vegas Philharmonic kicks off a new season on Sept. 27 with "Bugs Bunny at the Symphony" (synching familiar favorites to with orchestral to classic Warner Bros. cartoons) and follows up strong with a presentation of Beethoven's Fifth (Nov. 1) and Bach & Brahms (Nov. 15). All performances take place on the majestic Reynolds Hall stage at Smith Center.
Car Culture
Race fans will pack grandstands and VIP viewing decks to watch Formula One race cars zip by on nearly four miles of city streets during the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Nov. 22. Practice and qualifying laps take place Nov. 20-21.
Concours at Wynn (Oct. 31-Nov. 2) is another celebration of car culture with an exhibit and auction of high-performance vehicles at the resort's famous golf course, wrapping up with the Tour d’Elegance auto parade down the Strip.
Food and Drink Festivals
Revelry is the biggest food festival of the season, lining up a packed schedule of classes, tastings, dinners and other events with top-name chefs from around the world. It all culminates with The Feast, a dine-around under the stars at the Wynn Event Pavillion and Lawn.
Other foodie-friendly celebrations include San Gennaro Feast at M Resort (Sept. 17-21), Great American Foodie Fest at Desert Breeze Park (Sept. 19-21), Las Vegas Greek Food Festival at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church (Sept. 26-28), The Würst Festival at Boulder City's Bicentennial Park (Sept. 27), Fork in the Desert International Food Festival at Aliante (Sept. 27-28), Viva Las Vegas Taco Fest at Craig Ranch Regional Park (Nov. 1-2) and the Las Vegas Pizza Festival off the Strip at The Industrial event space (Nov. 15).
Big beer bashes are synonymous with autumn. See what Oktoberfest is all about with weekly keg-tapping celebrations throughout September and October at Hofbrauhaus, a Bavarian-style beer hall. The first-ever Oktoberfest Downtown comes to the Fremont East district, featuring beer and food stations Sept. 19-21. Meanwhile, the Downtown Brew Festival returns to the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater Oct. 25 with dozens of local and regional breweries serving sips of more than 200 craft beers.
