The 5 Best Holidays to Plan Your Next Las Vegas Vacation Around

Along the world-famous Strip on Las Vegas Boulevard, gamblers and non-gamblers alike gather under bright lights to dance, drink, and let loose in signature Sin City fashion. All those worries about work and other responsibilities seem to fade away under the neon glow. And for a few days, everybody enjoys an escape from the grind.

So, I’m sure you can imagine how Las Vegas celebrates the most exciting holidays on the calendar throughout the year. If you’ve only been to Las Vegas during normal visiting windows, just try to imagine everything you already enjoy accentuated to the max when certain holidays roll around.

A city known for partying and having a great time out on the town simply makes the perfect setting to schedule your next holiday vacation around.

With that in mind, I wanted to write up a guide to help prospective visitors plan their next holiday-adjacent trip to Las Vegas. Below, you’ll find five of my favorite occasions that really give this place an opportunity to shine even brighter than usual.

1 – New Year’s Eve

The last night of the year is the best night to experience Las Vegas at the peak of its power.

New Year’s Eve is one of the only occasions when the city closes off The Strip entirely. Even vehicular traffic isn’t permitted. It transforms Las Vegas Boulevard into the world’s largest block party. More than 300,000 people pack themselves into every nook and cranny of The Strip, a sight that truly must be seen to be believed.

Seriously, just get a load of what Las Vegas Boulevard looks like in the hours leading up to midnight on New Year’s Eve:

The place becomes an absolute madhouse in the best possible way, with revelers from every corner of the globe convening to host the world’s largest party.

Ask yourself this—what is New Year’s Eve supposed to be all about?

• Partying with your closest friends and making new ones? Check.
• Letting loose and drinking libations until the clock strikes midnight? Check.
• Counting down until the stroke of midnight and celebrating in style? Check.

Las Vegas is renowned for its spectacular shows, and on New Year’s Eve, the best show in town takes place in the city’s skies.

Rather than watch the ball drop to ring in the New Year, the Sin City tradition is to set the sky alight with a firework show for the ages. Above every casino on The Strip, and in Downtown Las Vegas along Fremont Street, you’ll be treated to “grand finale” style fireworks exploding overhead in a display that simply can’t be matched anywhere else.

This isn’t your typical display lasting for a few minutes either, so expect the bright lights and bombs to be going off for over 10 minutes once midnight arrives.

And of course, the party doesn’t stop when January 1 officially arrives, that’s just not how Las Vegas rolls. You’ll be more than welcome to stay out on The Strip and celebrate until sunrise, offering a truly one of a kind experience that can only be enjoyed one day of the year.

2 – The 4^th of July

Speaking of fireworks displays, getting out to Las Vegas for the 4^th of July is a must for patriots and pyromaniacs alike.

Personal-use fireworks are legal in Nevada during this time, so you can stock up on black cats, bottle rockets, and sparklers in the days before the 4^th arrives. These are fine for daytime use, and indeed, you’ll hear mini fireworks shows going off all morning and afternoon from nearby residential neighborhoods.

But the real deal can be found on The Strip courtesy of Caesars Palace, which hosts the city’s premier 4^th of July fireworks show every year. You can get a glimpse of what Caesars has in store for visitors on Independence Day here:

But trust me when I tell you that this show must be witnessed up close and personal.

For nearly 15 minutes, the sky comes alive with every conceivable color, all of which seem to be made brighter and more intense when contrasted with the Las Vegas skyline’s signature neon hues.

Caesars Palace may be the epicenter for fireworks here on the 4^th of July, but don’t forget about the dozens of other displays that will be set off throughout the night. Depending on your location, you’ll catch hours’ worth of fireworks on the 4^th, something that just can’t be matched in other cities.

Even better, celebrating America’s birthday is a weeklong affair around these parts, as most casino resorts schedule special events and promotions beginning on June 30^th.

3 – Halloween

On a random Wednesday afternoon in the middle of February, you can walk along Las Vegas Boulevard and meet people dressed as Batman, Elvis Presley, and Elmo. So, just imagine what this place is like on Halloween.

Picture the world’s largest costume party and you’ll get an idea of how this town turns out for Halloween night. Creativity abounds on this holiday, so expect to see some of the most spectacularly scary Halloween costumes you’ve yet encountered.

One of my favorite ways to spend Halloween on The Strip takes place at the LINQ Promenade, an outdoor shopping and entertainment district attached to the LINQ casino. Here, you’ll find the perfect blend of traditional trick or treating for the kiddos and adult-oriented amenities like speakeasies and such. The various venders lining the LINQ Promenade make sure to go all out, decorating their storefronts with spooky accoutrements and doling out candy to passersby.

Another local tradition that visitors to Las Vegas should try to experience on Halloween is the Haunted House at Meadows Mall. Located only a few minutes northwest of The Strip, the Meadows Mall complex completely transforms into a full-fledged haunted house attraction featuring different themes.

The “Asylum” and “Hotel Fear” haunted houses at Meadows Mall have even been voted as the best in the US by Forbes magazine.

Gambling by day and ghost busting at night makes Las Vegas a singularly unique place to celebrate All Hallows Eve.

4 – Valentine’s Day

Taking an abrupt U-turn, Las Vegas has always been known as a place where lovers can let loose and lavish one another with the finer things in life.

That’s why visiting Sin City on Valentine’s Day is such a great idea, because all of the pampering you’d normally scramble around town to provide back home can be found under one resort’s roof. Flower shops, fashion boutiques, chocolatiers, and day spas are all standard amenities at the finer resorts along The Strip, so scheduling a trip around Valentine’s Day makes your planning process for your better half a breeze.

And believe it or not, Las Vegas can be quite romantic when you get off the casino floor.

You’ve got the famous gondola rides in the faux canals outside the Venetian, and the gorgeous Dancing Fountains over at the Bellagio. Personally, I always love to take the missus on a fancy dinner date at the Eiffel Tower restaurant, where world-class chefs work tirelessly to treat diners to true French cuisine.

And hey, if you play your cards right in the romance department, there’s always a chapel nearby waiting to help you tie the knot.

5 – Memorial Day

Most people like to spend their Memorial Day weekend somewhere sunny, preferably near the water, and with copious amounts of beer and BBQ on the menu.

Well, you can’t beat Las Vegas when it comes to that three-piece recipe for a memorable Memorial Day. We have all-day and all-night pool parties at places like Drai’s the rooftop “beachclub” found atop the Cromwell casino. In fact, any resort worth its salt has at least one huge outdoor swimming pool onsite, so you’ll never lack for a place to tan and cool off.

Speaking of the sun, you’ll never have to worry about rainy days or storms ruining your Memorial Day plans here. The weather always cooperates, and while it might get a little too hot to handle in the afternoon, that’s what your pool spot is there for.

And of course, with an endless smorgasbord of buffets and bars all over town, Las Vegas has your beer and BBQ needs covered in spades.

To take things to the next level, you get off the Vegas Strip and make the trek out to Lake Mead for a full-on beach excursion to enjoy Memorial Day like it was meant to be celebrated.

Conclusion

It can feel like every day in Las Vegas is a holiday, but when the calendar flips over to the most special holidays like those listed above, the city really shines. The locals here take pride in their tourism industry, so they know how to treat guests to a great time when the holidays arrive. So if you’re looking for a fun and unique way to spend New Year’s Eve, 4^th of July, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, or Memorial Day, get yourself out to Sin City and see what Las Vegas has in store for you.