Turn the Puck Up party at TAO Nightclub, Garth Brooks performs at Dolby Live and 2022 NFL Pro Bowl is going down at Allegiant Stadium
Turns out all we needed was to get January out of the way and Las Vegas could be Las Vegas again. The worst of the cold, dry days are (hopefully) behind us, and it’ll feel like the peak of party season when the NFL’s Pro Bowl and NHL’s All-Star festivities arrive for the weekend. You must be feeling pretty, pretty, pretty good if you run a nightclub or concert venue right now, and here’s why.
Thursday, February 3
EXPERIENCE: So what’s up with this NHL All-Star business? First, you need to know about the 2022 Truly Hard Seltzer NHL Fan Fair™ happening at the Las Vegas Convention Center’s West Hall. You can see the Stanley Cup, the Hockey Hall of Fame exhibit, meet some of the great NHL mascots like Gritty and others), and much more. The Fan Fair starts Thursday at 3 p.m. and runs through Sunday, so enjoy. nhl.com
What’s that about mascots? Okay, the mascot thing is going to be wild all weekend. There’s a dodgeball game, costume contest, skills competition, and the 2022 NHL Mascot Showdown Championship Trophy and “Most Valuable Mascot” Championship Belt presentations on Sunday. Yes, Gritty should be declared the GOAT among all mascots, but we still love Chance.
Now, for the Pro Bowl festivities, Thursday’s events begin the East-West Shrine Bowl supporting Shriners Children’s Hospital at Allegiant Stadium. There’s also the AFC and NFC team practices – Thursday through Saturday – at Las Vegas Ballpark. nfl.com/pro-bowl/event-overview
GET DOWN: The Venetian’s TAO Nightclub gets in on the after dark festivities with its Turn the Puck Up party honoring the city’s nightlife all-stars, with headliner Mike Attack providing the evening’s soundtrack. 10:30 p.m., $20-$30, tickets.taogroup.com
Friday, February 4
ROCK OUT: There’s so much to love about Brooklyn Bowl on a Friday night, but this one will be even more lovable with Dinosaur Jr. taking the stage. Built to Spill and Pink Mountaintops will open the show. 7:30 p.m., $30-$35, brooklynbowl.com
It’s an all-star evening down the Strip at Mandalay’s House of Blues, where the legendary Carlos Santana returns for another night of his long-running residency. 7 p.m., $99.50, houseofblues.com
And speaking of legends, Garth Brooks returns to Las Vegas this weekend for back-to-back shows at Dolby Live inside Park MGM. It’s dubbed “The One Man Show” which means Chris Gaines won’t be making an appearance. Sorry. 8 p.m., parkmgm.mgmresorts.com
GET DOWN: You can never say Drai’s Nightclub didn’t go above and beyond for your entertainment. In absolutely no coincidence, the Pro Bowl weekend lineup at The Cromwell nightclub features a trio of all-stars, starting with Fast and Furious legend Ludacris on Friday night. 10:30 p.m., $40-$60, draisgroup.com. If that’s not enough for you, DaBaby takes the stage on Saturday, followed by Lil Baby on Sunday. We presume that Monday’s lineup will feature “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby” followed by “No Sir, I Don’t Mean Maybe.”
If you’re patient enough to wait for the bass drop, you can spend the night with KASKADE at Omnia Nightclub inside Caesars Palace. 10:30 p.m., $50-$75, events.taogroup.com
Meanwhile, Sam Feldt gets to entertain the fans at The Cosmopolitan’s Marquee Nightclub. 10:30 p.m., $20-$30, tickets.taogroup.com
Saturday, February 5
EXPERIENCE: Stop what you’re doing right now, drop to your knees, and thank science that you live in Las Vegas, because the 18th Annual Love Affair arrives at Orleans Arena on Saturday night featuring… wait for it… Midnight Star, Zapp, Rose Royce, GQ, Heatwave (Heatwave, baby!), Bloodstone, Tierra, and the Manhattans. 7 p.m., $44.75, orleansarena.com
You like Mezcal? You like Swizz Beatz? You like haircuts? You’ll find all three at The Cosmopolitan’s Barbershop Cuts and Cocktails, which will host the launch party celebrating the partnership between Mr. Beatz, The Producer Mezcal, and 12on12 Records. It gets better, because jazz artists New Masters and Keyon Harrold will provide the tunes. 8 p.m., thebarbershoplv.com
CHEER: It’s not just the American football and hockey that’s drawing sports fans to our city on Saturday. Keith “One Time” Thurman and Mario “El Azteca” Barrios will trade blows when boxing returns to Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay. Also on the card: Leo “El Terremoto” Santa Cruz vs. Keenan “Bedo” Carbajal. 1:30 p.m., $104, mandalaybay.mgmresorts.com
ROCK OUT: This is it STYX fans, the iconic band wraps its five-night run – kicking off its 50th anniversary tour – at The Venetian Theatre on Saturday night. If you need a little more fire under you, Heart’s Nancy Wilson is also on the bill. 8 p.m., $75+, venetianlasvegas.com
GET DOWN: Over at MGM Grand, Hakkasan Nightclub is calling upon the always reliable Steve Aoki to light up the night for NFL stars that don’t care if they get no sleep before Sunday’s game. 10:30 p.m., $50-$75, events.taogroup.com OR, you can go all in with Martin Garrix at Omnia. 10:30 p.m., $50-$75, events.taogroup.com
Fresh off his “After You” collab with Jason Ross, MOTi, and Calle Lehmann, DJ-producer Gryffin will hit the decks at Wynn’s XS Nightclub. 10:30 p.m., $45-$65, wynnsocial.com
And the all-star mania carries over to Zouk Nightclub at Resorts World, where all-star resident Zedd is the chosen one for Saturday’s night’s Zouk festivities. 10:30 p.m., $50-$75, zoukgrouplv.com
Sunday, February 6
EXPERIENCE: Hey, it’s game day! The 2022 NFL Pro Bowl is going down at Allegiant Stadium, and ticket prices (as of this writing) aren’t that insane. There’s plenty for less than $100, but you should move fast. ticketmaster.com
But where are the best views of the game? That’d be Wynn Field Club, the “Only in Vegas” endzone party that will open its doors at 9 a.m. on game day. Again, get a seat before it’s too late. $250, wynnsocial.com
ROCK OUT: When the game’s over, where are you gonna go? Home? That’s an option, but then you’d be missing Kane Brown, who brings the “Blessed and Free” tour to T-Mobile Arena with guests Chase Rice and Restless Road. 7 p.m., $40.50+, t-mobilearena.com