🫔 Tamale storm | Bathtub gin party | Beaver mania | Blingy crooners | 10,000 Santas | Brutal toys | Feast on lolz
HOLIDAY TRADITIONS come in all forms, but my favorites are the personal and peculiar ones we develop ourselves. For instance, Christmas season hasn't officially started for me until I've inaugurally snort-scoffed through a six-hour block of hysterically cheesy Hallmark holiday movies, fortified only by ironic appreciation and sativa gummies. Unwrap this week's edition for a nice list of modern holiday traditions with a decidedly Vegas spin, from bathtub gin parties to mariachi fests to star-spangled seasonal shows. Talk about gifted. Cheers! – Andrew Kiraly 🤍
Repeal Day Party
Ditch your prohibitions at this cocktail-fueled throwback shindig.
Dec. 5 ✦ The Mob Museum➤ Also: Horn up the holidays with the Jazz Vegas Orchestra Dec. 4 at Notoriety ✦ The burlesque is bananas at An A-Peeling Dinner Show Dec. 7 at The Lexi ✦ Sip buzzy seasonal cocktails Bourbon & Blues Dec. 7 at Circa ✦ Boom! Pow! Crash! That's the sound of The Heroes & Villains Ball Dec. 7 at The Space ✦ Nate Tannenbaum is forecasted to host of 'Twas : A Very Vegas Christmas Special Dec. 7 at Taverna Costera ✦ Dough is the currency at Santa in the Circle & Cookie Exchange Dec. 7 at Baker Park ✦ Naughty is always nice at Babes & Blues Dec. 10 at The Usual Place.▼
Hundreds of Beavers
Your new holiday tradition is charming, violent, hilarious, and absurd.
Dec. 7 ✦ The Beverly Theater➤ Also: Pursue higher education at Superplastic's Dopeameme Institute, now open at Area 15 ✦ Party like it's 1999 at this screening of Y2K Dec. 5 plus podcast chat ✦ Melt with laughter with "Son of An Ice Cream Man" Martin Amini Dec. 6-7 at Wiseguys Town Square ✦ It's a violent night, holy night at WGW's Deckin' the Halls fundraiser Dec. 7 ✦ Wrestlers tussle for tots at the Slay toy drive Dec. 7 at Container Park ✦ Laughter is the main course at Eat This Comedy Dec. 8 at Ada's Food + Wine.▼
➤ Also: You'll have a North Pole lotta fun at Henderson's WinterFest Dec. 5-6 ✦ Get crafty with your Christmas shopping at Tivoli's Nutcracker Night Market Dec. 5 ✦ Saddle up for Western wares at The Plaza's Downtown Christmas Expo Dec. 5-14 ✦ You're cleared for takeoff at SPCKRFT's art and open mic night Dec. 6 ✦ Live in the presents at Fergusons Downtown's Alt Wonderland market Dec. 7-8 ✦ Pour over artisanal creations at Vegas Valley Winery's Holiday Sip & Shop Dec. 7 ✦ Liquid gold brewed in the Silver State is on tap at Brew Festivus Dec. 7 at Cornerstone Park.▼
A Very Vegas Christmas
Clint Holmes and other talents belt out classics at this blingy holiday show.
Dec. 7 ✦ The Smith Center➤ Also: Catching Holiday Harmonies Dec. 5 with the Vegas City Children's Chorus is a sound idea ✦ Have a Dickens of a time at A Christmas Carol Dec. 5-22 ✦ Seasonal snickers abound at It's a Wonderful Carol, Actually Dec. 5-15 at Vegas Theatre Company ✦ "Joy to the world" is literal at A December to Remember Dec. 6 at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum ✦ Jolly joggers ho-ho-huff it at The Great Santa Run Dec. 7 ✦ Set sail for retro sounds and styles at The Dreamboats Holiday Concert Dec. 7 in Water Street Plaza ✦ A Very POPera Holiday Dec. 7 at Windmill Library brings jollies for all ages ✦ Jingle bell rock around the clock at The Composers Room's 12 Hours of Christmas Dec. 11 ✦ Sip champagne and snap stylish selfies with Fashion Santa Dec. 11 at Fashion Show Mall.▼
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THE CH33SE 🧀
🐟 The Dish List
Aroma's Navidad menu Dec. 4-21 passes the smell test ✦ Sip Tuscan tastes by the glassful at Eataly's Tour of Toscana Dec. 6 ✦ Be bullish on bulgogi at Taste of Korea Dec. 7 ✦ Belly up to the bark at Puppies & Prosecco Dec. 7 ✦ Celebrate North 5th Brewing Co's third beeriversary Dec. 14 with raffles and food trucks ✦ Bring your own fave finned food to the Tinned Fishionado Holiday Tin Share Dec. 16 at The Silver Stamp ✦ Enter the house of the rising fun at Khoury's x Bar Ginza's Japanese whiskey class Dec. 14 ✦ No matter how you slice it, the Bento Cakes Workshop Dec. 15 at F the Bar sounds sweet ✦ Too crunched for holiday cooking? Check out Eater's guide to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dining options.
🎧 Rave Like I Do
High-tech playground Area 15 hosts a continual stream of DJs and electronic artists on its entertainment roster, but The Crystal Method show Dec. 6 is particularly worth raving about. Formed by Las Vegans Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland in the '90s, the seminal act helped push EDM into the major arteries of popular culture – from arena shows to movie soundtracks to merchandising – with its gritty, propulsive, chase-scene grooves. As for Vegas cred, you can't beat this: When Ken Jordan was program director for KUNV 91.5 FM in the '80s, he had to fire an on-air host named Jimmy Kimmel.
🏒 Give a Puck
If you've got Vegas Golden Knights fans on your gift list, check out Raid the Knight Dec. 7 at Tivoli Village for one-shot shopping for VGK gear and other sportsy swag. The market promises more than 40 vendors hawking branded merch and memorabilia, and raises money for Firefighters of Southern Nevada Burn Foundation and Miracle Flights. Bring a new toy to waive the $5 entrance fee, and be sure to check out the "make your own fan clothing" section where you can armor yourself in an impenetrable promotional chrysalis of team patches, decals, and stickers.
🐴 Creature Comforts
Between family gatherings, office parties, and bustling shops, the holidays = total social battery overload for introverts and recreational misanthropes. Catch some desperately needed zen at these events that sparkle with a little animal magnetism: Break out the binoculars for some seasonal wing-watching at the Bird Mobile Tour with Santa Dec. 7 at the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, hosted by an eagle-eyed, expert birder ✦ Meet some new neigh-bors during a horse-drawn carriage ride through Tivoli Village Thursdays to Saturdays through Christmas ✦ Get your green on at Springs Preserve's Garden Class Dec. 8, which focuses on incorporating hardy native plants into your landscape.
