Las Vegas celebrates Chinese New Year

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Las Vegas commemorates the Chinese New Year with an array of decadent culinary offerings, breathtaking décor and lively entertainment for visitors throughout January and February. Remembering the significance of the sacred Spring Festival, Las Vegas will extend good fortune and prosperity to all who revel in the destination’s cultural festivities.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) continues to aggressively promote Las Vegas as the premier tourism destination and has increased efforts directed toward the Chinese travel industry to promote the Entertainment and Meetings Capital of the World. Visitation from China has steadily increased over the past several years including a nearly 12% jump in 2017, making China the top Asian market for Las Vegas visitation. China recorded the most visitors in history with more than 260,000 guests traveling to Las Vegas in 2017. The second of December 2018 marked the second anniversary of Hainan Airlines' inaugural nonstop flight from Beijing Capital to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. This historic route connects mainland China to Las Vegas and introduces the destination to millions of prospective visitors. The service provides additional convenience and accessibility for Chinese guests for the holiday and throughout the year.

Décor

The annual celebratory dragon display returns for another year at The Forum Shops inside Caesars Palace. The 22-foot-long dragon is not only a great photo opportunity for visitors, but is also a traditional symbol of power, strength and good luck. The decorative display is dressed in thousands of LED lights, flickering to give the mythical creature a vibrant look and dynamic feel.

Following a ceremonial ribbon cutting, the world’s tallest observation wheel, The High Roller at The LINQ Hotel & Casino, will be illuminated in red and gold to mark the beginning of Chinese New Year, Wednesday, 6 February. The famous Las Vegas skyline landmark will serve as the backdrop to nightly dance performances on the promenade’s fountain stage as well as exciting prize drawings. A full schedule of events can be found here.

Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens celebrates the Year of the Pig with a captivating display through the beginning of March. Four happy, golden pigs welcome guests as they enter the Conservatory through a breathtaking pavilion made of jade stone, which signifies wisdom, bravery and honesty. Five pendants crown the top of the rotunda, each individually decorated with a gilded dragon intended to watch over guests on their journey through the Conservatory.

To commemorate the Year of the Pig, The Venetian Las Vegas and The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino’s horticulture team consulted a feng shui master to transform the waterfall atrium with an installation of a colossal golden pig sculpture. The feature sculpture is a 3,000-pound golden pig that stands 16 feet tall and is surrounded by tangerine trees, chrysanthemums, orchids, succulents and bromeliads. Additionally, nine smaller pigs are placed throughout the waterfall atrium and the resorts’ lobbies.

The main lobby of Aria Resort & Casino will be adorned in celebratory décor to honor the beginning of the Lunar New Year starting Friday, 25 January. Three Chinese Deities personifying happiness, wealth and longevity: Fuk, Luk and Sau, will greet guests upon check-in at ARIA’s front desk. An extraordinary 196-foot dragon will hang from the lobby’s ceiling, weaving its way around a spectacular money tree made up of 88 golden coins symbolizing wealth and good fortune with pigs surrounding the base of the tree.

Entertainment
Fashion Show will host the 8th Annual CNY in the Desert Opening Ceremony and ring in the Year of the Pig with a special ribbon cutting and dinner Friday, 8 February. To commemorate Chinese New Year, guests will be treated to a special ticketed VIP event, including lion blessings, traditional dances and a cultural fashion runway show. Following the ceremony, guests also have the option to enjoy a special Lunar New Year family-style dinner and cocktails sponsored by Remy Martin.

Spreading wishes of prosperity throughout the valley, CNY in the Desert will also host celebrations in Downtown Las Vegas. Sponsored by the Vegas Golden Knights and now in its seventh year, the parade, featuring gorgeous floats, elaborate costumes and dragons is quickly becoming a Las Vegas tradition that entertains thousands who come to watch. Live stream coverage of the parade is available to view worldwide. The 7th Annual Las Vegas Spring Festival Parade will march through the heart of downtown, beginning at 11th and Fremont Streets, Saturday, 9 February at 11 a.m., followed by a parade after-party at Downtown Container Park. The family-friendly celebration will include lion dances, youth hockey clinic by Vegas Golden Knights, martial arts demonstrations, acrobats, traditional Chinese music performances and folk dances. Due to popular demand, the day of festivities with conclude with “Dance-4-for-a-Cause” benefiting the Las Vegas China Town Lions Club and the Las Vegas Vietnamese-American Lions Club.

The Grand Canal Shoppes inside The Venetian and The Palazzo will ring in the Year of the Pig with two traditional Chinese fan dances, as performers distribute more than 250 red envelopes filled with special gifts to guests 5 February. From gift cards to chocolate gold coins, each envelope contains special offers available at participating Grand Canal Shoppes stores and restaurants.

Guests celebrating the Lunar New Year early in Las Vegas can kick off the Year of the Pig with special priced tickets to one of the most epic productions on the Strip, KÀ by Cirque du Soleil at MGM Grand. The gravity-defying adventure is offering Lucky Circle tickets for $88.88 on performances 15-30 January.

In celebration of the Lunar New Year, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas will host a dragon and lion dance, beginning at the Las Vegas Boulevard entrance on the first floor of the Boulevard Tower 7 February at 3 p.m.

Celebrating throughout February with casino games and events, Rampart Casino Resort at Summerlin will celebrate the Chinese New Year with a traditional lion dance, 9 February at 9:30 p.m.

Honoring Chinese tradition, Caesars Entertainment resorts will host 13 lively lion dances to bring good luck across Las Vegas, including nightly performances at The LINQ Promenade from Wednesday, 6 February through Saturday, 9 February. At each of the nine resorts, the lion dance performances will start at the porte-cochère and make their way through the casino from Friday, 8 February through Wednesday, 13 February. Participating resorts include The Cromwell, Flamingo Las Vegas, Harrah's Las Vegas Casino & Hotel, The LINQ Hotel & Casino, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Paris Las Vegas, Bally's - Las Vegas, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino and Caesars Palace.

Las Vegas South Premium Outlets will host the Las Vegas Kung Fu Academy for a dragon and lion dancing performance on Saturday, 9 February at 12 p.m. In addition to themed arts and crafts in the shopping center, the Outlets will be handing out lucky red envelopes to shoppers that will contain special offers and discounts from select retailers.

Dynamic and colorful dragon and lion dances will commemorate the Year of the Pig at MGM Grand Las Vegas Tuesday, 5 February at 4 p.m., Bellagio Hotel & Casino Wednesday, 6 February at 4 p.m. and Aria Resort & Casino Thursday, 7 February at 6:30 p.m. performed by Yau Kung Moon in a traditional Southern Shaolin Kung Fu system with a modern flair. Known for its trademark gold uniforms and innovative routines, Yau Kung Moon has been recognized internationally for being the first U.S. team to compete in the 1990 Invitational World Lion Dance Festival in Malaysia.

Cuisine
Patrons can indulge at China Poblano by José Andrés at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, with a 14-day celebratory menu beginning 4 February. Specialty dishes include “The Chicken or the Egg,” “Goose Goose Duck” and a variety of Chinese fare. The dining hotspot will also offer a specialty cocktail, “Grass is Always Green,” featuring HK Baijiu, Bombay Sapphire East and Szechuan pepper.

Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer at The Venetian will usher in the Chinese New Year with a signature shake to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Starting 5 February, this Almond Cookie Shake starts with a vanilla frosted rim with gold and red sprinkles, topped with Almond Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich, a pig lollipop, red and gold sprinkles, whipped cream and caramel drizzle.

Guests will be treated to a special menu commemorating the Year of the Pig at TAO at The Venetian 5 February. The exclusive menu features sesame scallion bread topped with glazed roast pork and roasted sesame dip, black truffle and spicy pork soup dumplings, crispy Cantonese pork belly and orange pork chow fun and “Chinese New Year Firecracker,” a Mandarin Cheesecake with Valrhona’s Illanka chocolate cremeux and Pop Rocks.