![\"Park,](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Holiday-in-the-Park.jpg\")
The Park Las Vegas | Photo courtesy of Al Powers<\/p><\/div>\n
Holiday at The Park<\/strong> Ethel M Holiday Cactus Garden Lighting<\/p><\/div>\n 24th<\/sup> Annual Holiday Cactus Garden at Ethel M Botanical Garden Holly-Dome<\/strong> Santa in the Shipwreck<\/strong> National Finals Rodeo | Photo courtesy of @globaltoppicks<\/p><\/div>\n Cowboy Christmas<\/strong> Photo courtesy of Al Powers<\/p><\/div>\n New Year\u2019s Eve Bridge Party 2018<\/strong> Holidays at Town Square<\/p><\/div>\n Holidays at Town Square<\/strong> Christmas Town<\/strong> ALSO<\/strong>: Rolling the dice on Orbitz Rewards is the safest bet you can make. Join today!<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cA Drag Queen Christmas: The Naughty Tour\u201d<\/strong> Glittering Lights<\/p><\/div>\n Glittering Lights<\/strong> \u00a9 Al Powers, PowersImagery.com<\/p><\/div>\n Downtown Summerlin Holiday Parade<\/strong> Tournament of Kings<\/p><\/div>\n “Tournament of Kings Holiday Show”<\/strong> Terry Factor | Photo courtesy of MGM Resorts International<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cA Very Terry Christmas\u201d<\/strong> December to Remember<\/p><\/div>\n A December to Remember<\/strong> New Year\u2019s Eve at Mandalay Bay with Maroon 5<\/strong>
\n(Daily through Jan 7)<\/em>
\nSandwiched between New York, New York<\/a>, T-Mobile Arena and Monte Carlo<\/a> (soon to be the new Park MGM Hotel) is The Park<\/a>, an urban respite and outdoor playground featuring drinking and dining destinations and also the centerpiece of a new holiday tradition. Look for the entire park to be transformed into a winter wonderland featuring an 80-foot tree, ice skating rink, the first ever Holiday Market and traditional chalets serving up food and drinks to warm your insides.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Ethel-M-Holiday-Cactus-Garden-Lighting-4.jpg\")
\n<\/strong>(Daily through Jan 1)<\/em>
\nWhy does Las Vegas-based chocolatier Ethel M<\/a> also boast the largest cactus garden in the Southwest? We have no idea, but what we do know is that the garden has been a celebrated local fixture for years and that during the holiday season it drapes its desert fauna in more than one million holiday lights and illuminates them nightly from sunset to 10pm. Always free and open to the public, don\u2019t forget to grab some chocolate and hit up Ethel M\u2019s new ice skating rink!<\/p>\n
\n(Through Dec 21)<\/em>
\nAs old resorts are knocked down to pave the way for new ones, we love that kitschy cool Circus Circus<\/a> is still going strong at the north end of the Strip. Its attached Adventuredome is a 5-acre indoor amusement park boasting thrill rides, carnival games and more, and this second annual holiday makeover includes photos ops with Santa, a holiday village, a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 4D experience, live performances and all the holiday treats you can imagine.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/santa-underwater.jpg\")
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\n(Dec 16, 17, 23 and 24)<\/em>
\nThere are Santa Speedo runs all over America so clearly old St. Nick is a fan of the water. In this instance, he\u2019ll be hanging out with his friend Santa Jaws at the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay<\/a> and posing for pictures before jetting off to the North Pole for his annual gift-dispensing duties. Every weekend in December at 4pm, you can even watch him scuba dive!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/globaltoppicks-image-1480288676455.jpeg\")
\n(Dec 7-16)<\/em>
\nAt its heart, Vegas still thrums with the energy of a Wild West town. Enter Cowboy Christmas<\/a>, an annual tradition that\u2019s been kicking up dust for more than 30 years now. Be on the lookout for thousands in Levi’s jeans, checkered shirts and wide-brimmed hats descending upon the Sands Convention Center for a 10-day marketplace extravaganza that also includes the National Finals Rodeo and all kinds of events like Miss Rodeo America, live performances and much more.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/new-years-eve-bridge-bash-al-powers.jpg\")
\n(Dec 31)<\/em>
\nCan you believe people stand cheek-by-jowl for hours in the bitter cold to watch the ball drop over Times Square in NYC? Neither can we, especially considering Sin City goes all in for the big day, including closing off the Strip to car traffic (which it only does twice annually), a massive booze-fueled block party and fireworks spectacular. It\u2019s a big deal to celebrate at Brooklyn Bridge at New York New York Hotel and Casino<\/a> which offers an open bar, live entertainment and a prime viewing location\u2014but tickets sell out fast.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Santahouse2.jpg\")
\n(Daily through Dec 23)<\/em>
\nHo, ho, holy cow does Vegas know how to deliver on all the merriment that makes the holiday season brighter. In Town Square, a 93-acre shopping and dining destination off South Las Vegas Boulevard (about two miles south of Mandalay Bay), the city goes all in with an orchestrated snowfall happening nightly at 7pm (additionally at 8pm every Fri\u2013Sun), a 45-foot Christmas tree and photo ops with Santa Claus (by reservation only<\/a> because apparently he\u2019s one busy guy).<\/p>\n
\n(Daily through Dec 31)<\/em>
\nBrrr! Splashing around in December at Vegas waterpark Wet \u2018n\u2019 Wild is a quick way to catch pneumonia, but at Christmas Town<\/a> you ditch the bikini and swim trunks in favor of a winter coat and a cup of toasty hot chocolate while exploring a holiday wonderland featuring three million holiday lights, an ice skating rink, a 40-foot Christmas tree, a 100-foot sledding hill, photos with Santa, hang out with classic Christmas characters, sample holiday treats and much more.<\/p>\n
\n(Dec 22)<\/em>
\nRuPaul\u2019s gender-bending winners (and losers) swoop through the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay<\/a> for one night only in a show that promises to be more naughty than it is nice (though it\u2019s also an all-ages show). Bob the Drag Queen and Thorgy Thor host a smorgasbord of queens including Alyssa Edwards, Milk, Acid Betty, Naomi Smalls, Latrice Royale, Kim Chi who will tuck their snowballs away in favor of outrageous winter couture and plenty of lip-schtick.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/GL-Candy-Cane-Upclose-City-View-300x190.jpg\")
\n(Daily through Jan 7)<\/em>
\nThis dazzling annual tradition takes the concept of making the season brighter to the extreme. The 2.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway<\/a> decks its walls with 3 million LED lights while motorists spin through it at the ir leisure while a portion of proceeds for every ticket benefits the Speedway Children\u2019s Charity. Not in Vegas with a car? No problem. Hop aboard the Santa Tram and let Kris Kringle steer the ship while you relax with a cup of free hot chocolate.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Dancers-in-Action-300x200.jpg\")
\n(Nightly at 6pm, Dec 16\u201324)<\/em>
\nIt\u2019s kind of shocking that Las Vegas doesn\u2019t have a major annual parade like Mardi Gras in New Orleans or the Macy\u2019s Thanksgiving Parade in NYC. Enter Summerlin<\/a>, an upscale community located in the shadows of Red Rock Canyon that marches to the beat of festive holiday drums with a nighttime holiday parade featuring outrageous floats, prince and princesses, toy soldiers and nutcrackers, penguins, polar bears and reindeer. There might even be snow!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Tournament-of-Kings_Merlin.jpg\")
\n(Through Dec 28)<\/em>
\nThis holiday spectacular is joust<\/em> about as close as you\u2019ll get to reliving King Arthur\u2019s tale. This long-running holiday spectacular at Excalibur<\/a> swirls together kings, queens, chivalrous knights, ridiculous court jesters, galloping horses and even Merlin the wizard with the spirit of the holidays including a three-course holiday meal (Dragon\u2019s Blood Soup, Cornish game hen with all the trimmings and holiday strudel) and even falling snow.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/terry-factor-vegas.jpg\")
\n(Through Dec 30)<\/em>
\nIt can be difficult parsing through the myriad Vegas shows competing for you tourist dollar these days, but if you\u2019re looking for one with a guaranteed holiday twist, check out the comic styling of ventriloquist, impressionist, singer and America\u2019s Got Talent<\/em> winner Terry Fator. His long-running show at the Mirage<\/a> gets a holiday spin including Fator’s own holiday song, \u201cChristmas in Vegas.\u201d Expect plenty of puppets and celebrity impressions of folks like Justin Timberlake, Cher, Elvis and Garth Brooks among many others.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/december-to-remember-neon-museum.jpg\")
\n(Dec 9)<\/em>
\nThe fabulous Neon Museum<\/a>, a large boneyard that houses the old neon signage of once legendary Vegas icons like Binion\u2019s, the Stardust and the Sahara, takes a break from its reservations only, docent-led tours for a free and open to the public afternoon of holiday happenings including ornament making followed by caroling by the Las Vegas Academy choir. Stick around until dusk and watch the entire Boneyard light up in glittery neon!<\/p>\n
\n(Dec 30, 31)
\nMaybe you\u2019re a fan of their music or maybe you just like to swoon over tatted frontman Adam Levine. Regardless, the group will kick off their Red Pill Blues 2018 tour with two shows at the Mandalay Bay<\/a> Events Center at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas and cranking out hits like \u201cHarder to Breathe,\u201d \u201cMakes Me Wonder,\u201d \u201cMoves Like Jagger\u201d and many more. If choosing between the December 30 show and the one on New Year\u2019s Eve, we know which one we\u2019d pick for sure.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Dining-Banner-2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"