_{Bright holiday lights in Las Vegas combine casino excitement with seasonal cheer. (Image: ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy)}

December is one of the busiest months of the year. However, the action in Vegas is spread out, and visitors can find a few quiet and inexpensive days to enjoy Las Vegas casinos with few people.

The month starts with the National Finals Rodeo (more commonly known as NFR) and ends with Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The time in between is the sweet spot for bargain hunters. The week before Christmas is also one of Vegas’ quietest. Lines are minimal, and it’s simple to access whatever you’d like. Most importantly, hotel room rates are low. 

Las Vegas is unsurprisingly festive for the holidays, and there’s plenty to enjoy inside and outside of the casinos. All casinos have decorations, but some do it better than others on and off the Strip.

As we teased last month, multiple casinos replaced their pool decks with roller and ice skating. Now that it’s officially the holiday season, there are even more places to lace up the skates.

The entertainment venues in Las Vegas cater to both the holidays and the 10-day rodeo. In the beginning of the month, they focus on country music, as many rodeo visitors are fans. This changes once we get closer to the end of the year. There’s a focus on the biggest names in music as the casinos and venues look to end the year with a bang.

Many Las Vegas residencies are scheduled around the busiest times of the month, so there’s plenty of crossover between one-off engagements and the artists who perform throughout the year.

December is also a major change in weather. Much like “dry heat’, “dry cold” can too be nasty. Las Vegas feels like it’s freezing even if the temperatures stay above 32 degrees. The weather forecast for the month has high temperatures dropping by as much as 20 degrees in December.

_{The swirling winds cut through everything and make the mid-50s feel much cooler. (Image: Courtesy of AccuWeather)}

Things To Do In Las Vegas For The Holidays

Casinos from the Vegas Strip to the edge of town have holiday decorations. Some are more elaborate than others. There are also holiday-inspired activities throughout the Las Vegas Valley for those looking to take the experience to another level.

Las Vegas Casino Holiday Displays

No casino does holiday displays better than Bellagio. The conservatory and botanical gardens are already decked out in their holiday best. This is always a fun free attraction, but it’s the best on the Vegas Strip during the holidays.

One of the best holiday displays inside a casino is at Sam’s Town on Boulder Highway. Mystic Fall’s Park includes all of the holiday goodness one could ask for and a laser light show. You don’t see animatronic animals, a waterfall, and live Christmas trees inside every casino!

Aria and The Venetian are runners-up for the best casino holiday decorations. The decorations in both of these casinos are Instagram-worthy.

M Resort is home to the World of Illumination, the world’s largest animated drive-through audiovisual experience. This mile-long holiday display costs $39.99.

There are numerous casinos that focus the decorations in certain venues. A couple of examples are the Bad Elf Bar at Silverton and the Rouge Room at Red Rock Casino.

_{Christmas theme of the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is sure to take your breath away. (Image: Courtesy of Bellagio)}

Last but not least, there are two casinos with Scuba Santa’s. Visitors at Mandalay Bay can see underwater Santa in the Shark Reef Aquarium. There’s also an underwater Santa a few miles south at the Silverton.

Ice Skating At Las Vegas Casinos

A few Vegas Strip casinos have transformed their pool decks into skating rinks.

Cosmopolitan: The Boulevard Pool is an ice skating rink until Jan. 12. The Boulevard Pool area is free to enter for those who want to enjoy the winter wonderland. Ice staking is $30 or $20 for locals, military, and first responders.

Fontainebleau: The Oasis Pool Deck is now an 8,000-square-foot ice rink. The fee is $25 for adults, $15 for children, and free for Fontainebleau Rewards members.

The Venetian: If skating on ice isn’t your thing, The Venetian has an alternative. The TAO Beach pool area is now Flipper’s World roller skating rink from Thursday to Sunday through early 2025. The fee is $20 per hour or $45 for the day.

Holiday Experiences Outside Of Casinos

There are more ice skating rinks around Las Vegas. Enchant Las Vegas is a massive holiday experience inside Las Vegas Ballpark across the street from Red Rock Casino. In addition to millions of lights and the “World’s Largest Christmas Maze," there’s another ice skating rink.

The Ethel M. Cactus Garden becomes a special holiday experience until early January 2025. The $3 entry fee for the walk-through attraction of cacti adorned with more than a million lights is donated to local charities. 

_{Enchant Las Vegas is a great choice for an unforgettable holiday experience. (Image: Courtesy of Enchant)}

Glittering Lights at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is one of the longest-running holiday displays in Las Vegas. The drive-through experience is about 35 minutes away from the center of the Vegas Strip and has nearly 40 sections to visit while driving around the race track. Visit Glittering Lights for more information.

Las Vegas Residencies & Limited Engagements

Many of the regular Las Vegas residencies are shifted towards the appropriate timeframe. For example, Garth Brooks and Shania Twain's shows are during NFR. Pop star Janet Jackson begins her Las Vegas residency heading into New Year’s Eve.

• Shania Twain at Planet Hollywood: Dec. 4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 14
• Garth Brooks at Caesars Palace: Dec. 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15, 19, 21, 22
• Barry Manilow at Westgate: Dec. 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14
• The Eagles at Sphere: Dec. 6, 7, 13, 14
• Brad Paisley at Wynn: Dec. 6, 7, 8
• Bruno Mars at Park MGM: Dec. 18, 20, 21, 27, 30
• REO Speedwagon at The Venetian: Dec. 18, 20, 21
• Jennifer Hudson at Fontainebleau: Dec. 21, 22
• 50 Cent at Planet Hollywood: Dec. 27, 28, 30, 31
• Jason Derulo at The Venetian: Dec. 28, 29
• Janet Jackson at Resorts World: Dec. 30, 31

Look ahead: The Killers added three more shows to their Caesars Palace residency on Jan. 22, 24, & 25, 2025.

Biggest Country Music Concerts During NFR

NFR takes place from Dec. 5-14 at the Thomas & Mack Arena on the campus of UNLV. There are 14 different routes for free bus service to and from the arena throughout the event.

Las Vegas casinos continue to embrace the NFR audience. While many casinos offer rodeo watch parties or autograph sessions, others feature country music. South Point is known as the “cowboy casino” all year round. This goes to another level during NFR. There’s free music and watching parties throughout. The casino has some of the best gaming odds and rules too.

Treasure Island and Golden Nugget are considered “cowboy casinos” on the Vegas Strip and in downtown Las Vegas, respectively.

Many casinos on and off the Vegas Strip try to emulate the South Point experience for the 10-day rodeo. Most of the entertainment venues inside the casinos host country music concerts. However, the biggest show might be taking place at the home of the Raiders. 

New Year’s Eve in Vegas

Las Vegas is one of the few cities that should be on a New Year’s Eve bucket list. There aren’t many places around the world that celebrate the change of the year with so much activity and fervor.

Las Vegas typically expects hundreds of thousands of visitors for New Year’s Eve. There are so many parties indoors that visitors often head outside for midnight fireworks shows in downtown Las Vegas and the Vegas Strip. New Year’s Eve is one of the few times of the year where the Vegas Strip is closed to automobiles and open to pedestrians. 

The following eight Vegas Strip casinos will have fireworks at midnight when the year changes from 2024 to 2025:

• Aria
• Caesars Palace
• MGM Grand
• Planet Hollywood
• Resorts World
• The Strat
• The Venetian
• Treasure Island

Real fireworks in downtown Las Vegas will emanate from the Plaza. The Fremont Street Experience will have video fireworks on its canopy. New Year’s Eve is the rare night when the Fremont Street Experience charges admission since there are concerts throughout the night. 

Flo Rida, Lo Cash, and Bow Wow are headliners for the New Year's Eve. 

Just about every casino will have special events in bars, lounges, and nightclubs. Here’s a look at the non-residency concerts taking place around the new year.

• Anyma at Sphere: Dec. 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
• Duran Duran at Fontainebleau: Dec. 29, 30
• Creed at Caesars Palace: Dec. 30, 31
• Imagine Dragons at The Venetian: Dec. 31

Look ahead: Anyma “The End of Genesys” at Sphere has been extended into 2025 with shows on Jan. 1, 10, and 11

December Sporting Events In Las Vegas

The sports calendar in December is light compared to other months, but having two home teams keeps the calendar active. The month is highlighted by a couple of one-off events.

• The NBA Cup semi-finals and final game will take place at T-Mobile Arena on Dec. 14, 15, and 17. Teams are TBD.
• An SEC team will play a current or former Pac-12 team in the Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium on Dec. 27.
• The Las Vegas Raiders will play the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 16 at Allegiant Stadium. They’ll take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 22.
• UFC 310 at T-Mobile Arena will be highlighted by Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura on Dec. 7.
• The Vegas Golden Knights have home hockey games at T-Mobile Arena on Dec. 3, 6, 19, 21, 23, 29, and 31.

Look ahead: The Golden Knights take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 2