When it comes to ringing in the New Year, there are
plenty of places around the globe where you can live it
up. In New
York City, the famous ball drop at Times
Square is a New Years institution. From Los
Angeles to London,
the nightclubs will be throwing raucous bashes that will
make you wish every night could be New Years. At
the top of the list for places to be when the clock strikes
midnight on January 1st, Las
Vegas has certainly secured a spot. Sure, Vegas
is alive and kicking every night of the year, but when
it comes to New Years Eve in Las Vegas, the atmosphere
in the streets is at its most festive. That is if
you consider drinking and partying festive, which is pretty
much the rule when you are in Vegas. You will want
to begin planning your New Years Las Vegas itinerary as
soon as possible, as not only can you save money by booking
early, but you will also be likely to better secure your
place at your casino, bar or restaurant of choice.
Plans are always good, but due to the craziness that is
Las Vegas in general, it’s understandable if you
happen to stray from those plans. After all, you
never know exactly what you might end up getting yourself
into.
Generally, when celebrating New Years Las Vegas style,
a lot of revelers engage in a casino crawl of sorts, enjoying
the different lounges at such popular digs as Bally’s,
Harrah’s,
Caesars
Palace and the Paris
Hotel. Some people like to play the tables at
a casino or two in hopes of winning some extra cash before
heading out to the street to prepare for midnight and
enjoy the outside parties leading up to it. Some
people think it a good idea to have a nice dinner before
they begin to fill their stomachs with libations, and
that is always a good idea. You don’t want
to be “that person” who due to the lack of
sustenance runs into some alcohol-induced issues.
After all, you want to be able to enjoy yourself.
You’ll also want to remember your New Years Vegas
night out. Well, in most cases you will. There
are two main Las Vegas parties that take place outdoors,
but just because you are in the middle of the desert doesn’t
mean that you will be warm. You will want to bring
at least a good jacket for outside, as when the sun goes
down, the temps can dip down into the 30's. The
Vegas
Strip provides one of the scenes for the two main
outdoors Las Vegas New Years Eve parties, and beginning
as early as 8 p.m., people start to gather in the main
area. You are free to roam the streets in Vegas
with a drink in hand every night, and especially on New
Years it is the norm. The other main outdoors New
Years Vegas party takes place downtown at the Fremont
Experience.
In the past, the younger crowd often preferred to party
on the Vegas Strip, and this is still very much the case.
But, as the Fremont party has recently been bulking up
its entertainment lineup and its overall offerings, it
is becoming just as hip for those in their 20's and early
30's to head there all the same. The Vegas Strip
is a blast, to say the least. Packed with beverage-equipped
partyers, the inhibitions drift away with each passing
minute. A few minutes before the clock strikes midnight,
some of the Vegas hotels along the strip begin to sound
off with a few warm-up fireworks. Then, once the
clock does hit the midnight hour, from Mandalay
Bay on down the Strip to the Stratosphere,
the fireworks from all the casinos begin to erupt.
It’s as if the tops are being blown off all of the
buildings with a colorful touch. Downtown at the
Fremont Experience, the midnight fireworks are replaced
by a light and sound show that plays out on an overhead
canopy. Confetti fills the air at the magic hour,
and the party leading up to it is more of the Times Square
variety. This year, the jam at Fremont will be bigger
and better than ever. On both ends of the area there
will be a stage where you can expect performances from
such groups as the All American Rejects, Five for Fighting,
Rockstar SuperNova, OK GO, and Chicago. The party
will start around 5:30, with the entertainment heating
up around 8:00. If you want to catch dinner at some
point, you might want to make reservations ahead for the
various restaurants that will offer packages for dinner.
The same goes for the Strip.
From the lounges and bars at the Rio,
to Planet
Hollywood, you can dance and lose yourself in the
music while you celebrate New Years Eve in Las Vegas.
At places like the Tryst
club at the Wynn
Casino and Studio
54 at MGM
Grand, the definitive agendas for the Las Vegas New
Years Eve parties will be out in December, as that is
when most places begin to reveal their lineup. But,
that doesn’t mean you can’t start looking
for tickets ahead of time. You don’t have
to stay at a specific casino to enjoy one of its parties,
but if you are thinking about it, you might find deals
if you book as soon as possible. You might consider
looking for New Years Eve vacation packages to save some
bucks. One thing is certain. Wherever you
go to celebrate New Years Eve in Las Vegas, you will have
a blast with a capital B.
