Las Vegas Holidays

200,000 square feet of downtown Sin City are turned into a celebration of food and drink at the Great Vegas Festival of Beer on Saturday, the 6th of April. Craft breweries, culinary artists, and mixologists from all over the world join household names for a “Great Tasting”. Try fresh flavours and discover new favourites from brewing stalls, food trucks, and guest chefs, while live DJS, karaoke parties, and a silent disco keep the atmosphere bouncing as the beer flows.

Hear the roar on the Las Vegas Strip when the National Hot Rod Association’s Four-Wide Nationals come to town in April. Running for three days from the 12th, this high-octane event sees drag racing at its most exhilarating, with categories including Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, Top Alcohol Dragster, and Top Alcohol Funny Car. Taking place from early morning to late afternoon, the Four-Wide Nationals are a family-friendly treat everyone can enjoy together. Access is easy from The Strip, and tickets can be bought online or through your hotel concierge.

Make time to catch one of the Bellagio’s regular fountain shows, where 1,200 geysers shoot hundreds of feet into the sky. Caesars Palace is also worth a wander round, as the half-century old hotel truly embodies the OTT glamour and opulence of Las Vegas. In the mood for a show? The Park Theatre welcomes acts like Lady Gaga, Cher and Aerosmith, while Bellagio’s ‘O’ theatre is where you’ll catch Cirque du Soleil’s most unique performances. Feeling brave? The Stratosphere’s rollercoaster rides – perched nearly a kilometre in the sky – are a must-visit. You can even try out the controlled 830-feet ‘free fall’, if your nerves can handle it.

Away from the bright lights, The Mob Museum throws more light on Las Vegas’ chequered past and has a crime lab, firearm training simulator and in-house distillery to explore. While you’re in Downtown, visit the Neon Museum – a graveyard of Sin City’s most iconic signs. And, of course, no holiday to Las Vegas would be complete without having a flutter in one of the casinos.

You can get your shopping fix in a pretty unique way in Las Vegas. Even if you’re not staying there, the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian is worth a visit. This glamorous hotel has more than 160 shops packed into its ‘streets’ ranging from high-end to souvenir boutiques, as well as 25 places to grab a bite. But the exceptional part of this mall is the canal running through the centre, where you can take a gondola down the Venetian-style waters. Similarly, the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace have been designed to evoke Rome’s glory days, so you’re in for a pretty unforgettable shopping experience.

Luxury lovers should visit The Shops at Crystals. It’s been chosen by exclusive brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, FENDI and Dolce & Gabbana as a worthy location for their flagship stores. Meanwhile, Miracle Mile is better suited to modest budgets, with more than 200 stores to browse.

Las Vegas can be overwhelming, but there are plenty of places to escape to nearby. Visit Blue Diamond, a small town half an hour outside of Vegas that’s home to a historic mine. It’s within the vast Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, where you can hike up Mount Wilson for views all the way across to Las Vegas.

But the most popular day trip from Sin City is undoubtedly the Grand Canyon. Book a tour, hop in a lightweight plane, and fly 70 minutes east to this incredible natural landmark. Spanning for nearly 2,000 square miles, this mile-deep ravine is a wonder to behold. You can also go by helicopter, and fly right down into the canyon. You’ll pass over the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the Colorado River on your way, too.

Holidays to Las Vegas can be planned for any time of year, as the city’s attractions are open year-round. Summer is a busy time to visit and temperatures climb into the forties – so you might need to hop between air-conditioned malls, or stay in the shade at a pool party to survive the daytime heat.

If you want to avoid the crowds, spring or autumn are the quietest times to visit. Temperatures regularly reach 30°C degrees in September, and stay above 20°C late into November. Spring is cooler, with temperatures ranging from mid-teens in early March, to the high-twenties by May. The weather is mostly dry, too.

Winter is the chilliest and wettest season in Las Vegas, when temperatures can get down to single figures. It’s still a popular time to visit, though, particularly around December and January, as festive celebrations kick off. And as most of the city’s attractions are indoors, there’s no danger of the weather spoiling your trip to Vegas.