Thanksgiving Week – Always Strange For Vegas
Thanksgiving week is always strange for Las Vegas. As always, it’s a great time to visit. Unfortunately, there’s not much happening behind the desks. There are barely two workdays for the media. By Wednesday, everyone is at least mentally on vacation. In addition to the short work week, the news is limited because companies don’t want to get lost in the Thanksgiving and Black Friday shuffle.
In the eyes of many businesses, most news that happened this past week will be forgotten next week. Having said that, this will be one of the shorter Vegas News columns of the year.
I hope you and yours enjoyed Thanksgiving week. As I mentioned last week, I was taking a few days to hang with some friends visiting. If you followed my Instagram Story you know how we enjoyed the four days together. I’ll share more about the trip in the future but one highlight was something I missed because I’m not a fan of the band.
Stand On The Stage With The Band
The guys had tickets to see Aerosmith. The tickets were unlike any I’ve seen before. They had tickets to stand on the stage with the band. Each ticket comes with earbuds so you can listen to one of two mixes of the show. One of the mixes is exactly what Steven Tyler hears on stage. Pretty neat.
There’s a bar right on the stage so you never have to miss the action if you want a drink. They even had special access to a more private restroom than most concert-goers have.
The best part of these tickets is that Steven Tyler comes right up to the people standing on the stage. The closeups are super cool and not the type of experience you can usually buy for concerts. I just wish I enjoyed the band because it seems fantastic for fans of the band.
Aerosmith added another 15 shows to their Park MGM Residency next year if you’re into it. The 2020 shows will take place on the following dates:
- January: 29, 31
- February: 3, 5, 8, 10, 13, 15
- May: 20, 23, 25, 28, 30
- June: 2, 4
Let’s get to the news in and around Las Vegas.
Thanksgiving Week
A Slow Week Stuffed With News
Punk Rock Bowling 2020
This seems like a good place to start since we’re talking about music. Punk Rock Bowling announced 2020 dates (May 23rd-25th) and the initial lineup for the festival at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center next year. Bands performing include Madness, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Anti-Flag, Municipal Waste, The Lawrence Arms, and more. There’s also a band called Cock Sparrer playing. You can read more about the music festival here.
Punk Rock Bowling is a fun time to be in downtown Las Vegas. The old punks are a different kind of fun than the typical crowd on Fremont Street. Everyone is in town for a drunk, fun, old school rock n roll fun time.
MGM and Palms Sneakers
I’m not a sneakerhead, so I’m not sure if any of this is cool. If nothing else, these collaborations/partnerships with Las Vegas casinos are interesting ways to market a property.
This seems more like a straight forward marketing partnership. Palms announced the casino was partnering with artist Damien Hirst and Vans. ‘Vault by Vans x Damien Hirst’ will be available for purchase at Palms in Las Vegas on December 6 and Vault by Vans retail stores. You can see the sneakers and learn more here.
MGM Resorts may or may not make the sneakers inspired by its casinos available for purchase. The company shared various shoe designs that were inspired by MGM Resorts casinos in Las Vegas from Sneaker Con in Japan. NBC News in Las Vegas compiled tweets of some of the kicks that were on display. You can see them here.
Resort Corridor (Vegas Strip) Traffic
I skipped this last week but it’s kind of a deal for anyone that drives on the Vegas Strip. A major construction project on the Vegas Strip started last week. It will continue through the summer of 2021. Here are some of the planned improvements:
- Water main line replacement
- New pavement
- Intersection modifications for improved pedestrian crossing
- Technology upgrades to traffic signal systems and lighting with Smart poles
- Enhancements to median landscaping and LED lighting
The first section for construction shouldn’t be much of a burden for tourists since it will only snarl traffic from Spring Mountain (The Palazzo, Wynn, Treasure Island, Fashion Show Mall) to Sahara.
This will become a headache when the construction reaches the busier parts of the Vegas Strip. Visit resortcorridor.com for more information and to sign up for updates as the project moves up the Vegas Strip.
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Quick Hits – Thanksgiving Week
That didn’t take long, we’ve already reached quick hits for Thanksgiving week. I don’t have too much commentary to add for the following bits of news so we’ll keep this short and sweet.
- Wynn Resorts settled a lawsuit. Read more here.
- This isn’t new but the local newspaper just learned about it so I’ll share it. Wynn Las Vegas will not have Kentucky Derby futures this year. You’ll have to visit a William Hill race book if you want to get down on a long shot today. Not all William Hill sports books take bets on the ponies. Read more here.
- China Tang at MGM Grand is closing. Read more here.
- Not that anyone cares but Blanc de Blanc at Sahara is closing. Read more here.
- Millennials are like me (not a millennial). They plan their vacations. Read more here.
- “As Caesars Turns: Consolidation is here!” The Eldorado merger cost-cutting measures are underway at Caesars. Employees are leaving the company as part of a “voluntary severance program.” Read more here.
- Aces of Comedy is returning to The Mirage in 2020. See the lineup here.
- Las Vegas Ballpark will have the largest video board in minor league baseball. Read more here.
- Jeff Civilico is leaving Paris Las Vegas. Read more here.
- Nevada population is more than 3 million people thanks to California people moving in. Read more here.
- Las Vegas is still talking about a professional soccer stadium. Who knew?! Read more here.
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