Vegas continues to offer diverse entertainment, with top dining, live shows, and new venues like the Sphere. Photo / Luxury Escapes
Las Vegas’ pivot into sports tourism marks yet another chapter for this ever-evolving entertainment capital, writes Rob McFarland.
Vegas is nothing if not versatile. Over the past 60 years, the city has morphed from a mafia hangout to the world’s foremost entertainment centre – a neon-lit dazzle of mega resorts with Michelin-starred dining, celebrity residencies and exclusive shows.
For its latest reincarnation, it’s betting big on sport. In just eight years, the city has secured three professional sports franchises – the Vegas Golden Knights hockey team, the Las Vegas Aces basketball team and the Las Vegas Raiders American football team.
Joining the scrum in 2028 will be major league baseball team Oakland Athletics, who will relocate from California to a swish new indoor stadium being built on the Strip.
Millions of people now visit just to see one of the city’s 35-plus annual sporting events, a diverse offering that includes everything from boxing and wrestling to rodeo and Nascar. Throw in marquee fixtures like the annual Formula 1 race plus high-profile events like the Super Bowl and the Copa America soccer tournament and no other city can compete.
This year will be another busy one, kicking off on February 28 with the opening two games of the NRL championship at Allegiant Stadium. Even if you can’t get to a match, it’s worth taking a tour of this sleek US$1.9 billion venue as it’s been a major catalyst in Vegas’ sporting reinvention.
It’s the first stadium to be 100% powered by renewable energy and is one of only two domed US venues with a fully retractable grass field. Not only is it the home ground for the Raiders and the UNLV Rebels college football team, but this year it’ll also host WrestleMania in April plus concerts by Ed Sheeran, AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses.
Although the Raiders are the city’s highest-profile franchise, the Las Vegas Aces are the most successful, having won three women’s basketball championships. Watch them in action from May through September at the 12,000-seat Michelob Ultra Arena, part of Mandalay Bay Resort. The Golden Knights are no strangers to silverware, either, having reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2018 (their inaugural season) and then winning it in 2023. They play from October to April at the impressive US$375 million T-Mobile Arena, a 20,000-seat venue next to Park MGM.
On the subject of venues, it would be remiss not to mention Vegas’ newest and most impressive instalment: Sphere. Opened in September 2023, this dazzling LED-covered globe is the world’s largest spherical building, an immersive venue with 168,000 speakers and a 270-degree wraparound screen. This year, the US$2.3b icon will host a star-studded line-up of concerts, including the Eagles and the Backstreet Boys, plus a 4D version of The Wizard of Oz, complete with special effects like fog, snowflakes and towering fire bursts.
If there’s one event that has cemented Vegas’ position as an A-list sporting venue, it’s the annual F1 night race in November. Watching Formula 1 cars scream down the Strip at 350km/h is a genuinely goosebump-inducing experience. The street circuit offers a wide range of viewing opportunities, from trackside grandstands and restaurants overlooking the Strip (Giada at The Cromwell is a top spot) to swanky VIP suites and sprawling fan zones with live entertainment. Last year’s event included the debut of the all-women’s F1 Academy race and this year’s instalment will be bigger than ever given Cadillac is joining the grid.
Don’t worry if your visit doesn’t coincide with the race, there are plenty of places to get your F1 fix year-round. At the Grand Prix Plaza, you can test your skills on the F1 Drive karting track, take part in a virtual race in the F1 X 4D Theatre or stock up on merch at the flagship F1 store.
For an insight into what it’s like to drive on an F1 track, head to the slick new F1 Arcade, which opened last year inside The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. With 87 high-tech racing simulators, 19 screens and three bars, it’s an impressively realistic racing experience that’s surprisingly accessible thanks to a customisable difficulty rating.
While Vegas has become a touch sports mad, it’s not at the expense of other city offerings. You’ll still find the same unrivalled line-up of entertainment, from live music and magic shows to theme parks and celebrity chefs.
Notable new food offerings include High Steaks, a classic American steakhouse by local chef James Trees with spellbinding views of the Strip from its 50th-floor locale in Rio Hotel.
There’s also Stubborn Seed at Resorts World helmed by Michelin-starred chef Jeremy Ford and Carbone Riviera, a seafood-focused restaurant with an inviting alfresco terrace overlooking the iconic Fountains of Bellagio.
One interesting emerging trend is the fusion of TV culture and food. At Netflix Bites in MGM Grand, you can feast on show-themed dishes such as Stranger Wings and Beverly Hills Cobb, while at reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump’s latest eatery in the Flamingo Hotel, you can enjoy a decadent Rich B*tch chocolate truffle martini. Even Martha Stewart is getting in on the act, opening The Bedford, a sophisticated restaurant inside Paris Las Vegas that’s like dining at a French country estate (complete with video footage of her walking her dogs).
While Vegas’ top-end dining experiences come with predictably top-end prices, there are many more affordable options, such as the new Via Via food hall inside The Venetian Resort, which has wallet-friendly outposts of global cult favourites, such as Florence, Italy’s iconic All’Antico Vinaio sandwich shop and New York’s Scarr’s Pizza. If you only try one thing, make it the collard green melt from New Orleans’ iconic sandwich shop, Turkey and the Wolf. A decadent doorstep of slow-cooked greens, Swiss cheese and pickled pepper dressing, it’s a creamy, plant-based delight.
Another intriguing culinary adventure is Lip Smacking Foodie Tours’ exploration of the Fremont East District in Downtown Vegas, a historic six-block neighbourhood that has gentrified over the last decade from a neglected no-man’s land to a vibrant cultural and foodie hub with some of the city’s best-value restaurants (the ones locals visit).
Keeping up with the ever-changing roster of live entertainment is no easy feat but one perennial favourite is Cirque du Soleil, which has five permanent Vegas shows, from the martial-arts epic “Ka” at the MGM Grand to the aquatic masterpiece “O” at the Bellagio. Splash out on a VIP package and you’ll enjoy a pre-show meet-and-greet with some of the cast plus drinks and snacks in your own private suite.
This year will see another star-studded line-up of Vegas residencies, from pop icons Jennifer Lopez and the Backstreet Boys to country legends Blake Shelton and Dolly Parton. No Doubt fans are eagerly awaiting the band’s reunion at the Sphere in May while the indefatigable Rod Stewart will be strutting his leopard-print stuff over at Caesars Palace in June.
Who knows what Vegas will look like in another 60 years, but its current offering is arguably its most diverse. Whether you’re a sports fan, music nut, party animal or foodie, Vegas has something to offer. Except sleep, of course. But that can wait until you’re home.
LAS VEGAS
DETAILS
GETTING THERE
Air New Zealand and United both fly from Auckland to Las Vegas with stops in Los Angeles or San Francisco.
The writer travelled as a guest of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.