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Las Vegas Nightlife

Nightlife is Las Vegas's best-known pastime. The casinos and hotels may be open by day but only under the cover of night does the city's burst of lights set the atmosphere buzzing. Casinos, restaurants and bars are packed with tourists from all over the world, most in a friendly and genial spirit. Casino hotels tend to house not only the best-known stage shows but also all the late-night bars, nightclubs and live music.

Las Vegas is not exactly the world capital of high-brow art. True, it possesses a fine philharmonic orchestra and a ballet troupe, but these do not draw the visitors in nearly the same numbers that popular entertainment does. Most major hotels offer concierge services and can order tickets.

Visitors can go online to Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com) to order and pre-pay for tickets.

Bars in Las Vegas

Baccarat Bar

If you have any James Bond-style fantasies, this is probably the place to live them out. Play a civilised few rounds of baccarat as impeccably-dressed servers bring you luxurious cocktails against a backdrop of live piano music. Shaken or stirred, your Martini will be exquisitely prepared, and there's a sense of refinement to the gambling that you're unlikely to find on most casino floors. Situated in Bellagio's.

3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Tel: 1 888 987 6667.
www.bellagio.com

Bar at Times Square

Billed as a reconstruction of 'the ultimate neighbourhood pub', this bar in the New York-New York Hotel and Casino, aims to recreate the feel of an old New York city bar, complete with polished wooden floors and nightly entertainment. Singing along to the nightly duelling pianos show is highly encouraged, and such is the demand for tables that a reservation must be made. Cozier and more raucous (in a good way) than many Las Vegas bars.

3790 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Tel: (702) 740 6969.
www.nynyhotelcasino.com

Mix Lounge

Set high atop THEHotel at Mandalay Bay Resort, expectant tourists and locals alike queue up in their street-chic attire for a chance to 'be seen' in what is being touted as the 'highest and hottest nightlife destination' in the city. Internationally-famous DJs provide an eclectic mix of music, while the 64th-floor balcony is ideal for taking in views of the city with a cocktail.

3950 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Tel: (702) 632 9500.
www.mandalaybay.com

Clubs in Las Vegas

Pure

One of the most popular clubs on The Strip. The 3,400 sq m (36,000 sq ft) venue in Caesars Palace offers clubbers the choice of three environments, themes and sounds, with all rooms interconnected by intimate passageways and an elevated glass-enclosed VIP room at the heart of the action. It also tends to have long queues, so visitors are encouraged to arrive early - reservations are also strongly encouraged.

3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Tel: (702) 731 7873.
www.purethenightclub.com

Rain

This 2,600 sq m (28,000 sq ft) adult-only playground in the Palms Casino Resort features an elevated dance floor lit by a 4m (14ft) fireball and dancing fountains of water throb in time with the DJ. Rain is also infamous as the place where Britney Spears partied hard before, during and after her first very short-lived marriage. Reservations are required.

4321 West Flamingo Road
Tel: (702) 942 6832.
www.n9negroup.com

Studio 54

Modelled on the legendary New York nightclub of the 1970s, Studio 54 features live dancers, dance music and a collection of photographs taken at the original club. The music is decidedly high-energy, though if you have the money, you could always hire one of the VIP rooms for some respite. Four dance floors stretch across 2,100 sq m (22,000 sq ft) of space in this Vegas nightclub located at the MGM Grand.

3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Tel: (702) 891-7279.
www.mgmgrand.com

Live Music in Las Vegas

Mandalay Bay Events Center

A 12,000-seat sport and entertainment complex, this centre has been the setting for superstar concerts, major sporting events and television specials. It has featured everyone from Steely Dan to Stevie Wonder to Paul McCartney and Wings. The space afforded here gives the touring acts some room to put on stage spectaculars, and there are state of the art video screens and projectors to add to the atmosphere.

3950 Las Vegas Boulevard South
www.mandalaybay.com

Orleans Arena

A relative newcomer to the Las Vegas live entertainment scene, the arena has already hosted touring legends such as Willie Nelson, Neil Sedaka and Jerry Lewis. This 9,000-seater space within the Orleans Hotel and Casino is also home to its own hockey team and has hosted everything from circus acts to comedians, but it's as a live music venue that it really holds its own, and big contemporary acts pass through regularly.

4500 West Tropicana Avenue
Tel: (702) 284 7777.
www.orleansarena.com

Theater for the Performing Arts

Planet Hollywood may have a hint of mainstream cheese factor about it, but its in-house theatre still pulls in major touring rock groups and popular acts such as big name comedians. It has 7,000 seats, making it a rare medium-sized venue in Las Vegas - perfect for getting that bit closer to your favourite at, instead of watching them on a screen from the back of a stadium.

3667 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Tel: (702) 785 5555.
www.planethollywoodresort.com

Classical Music in Las Vegas

Artemus Ham Concert Hall

Home to the Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra, this 1,800-seater theatre housed within the UNLV Performing Arts Centre serves up a wide range of artistic performance, including light opera and ballet as well as the symphonic productions. Pop music and jazz also sneak in, but in general it's aimed more at discerning classical music fans than your average Las Vegas concert-goer.

4505 Maryland Parkway
Tel: (702) 985 3535.
http://pac.unlv.edu

Dance in Las Vegas

Nevada Ballet Theatre

Since its conception in 1972, this has been one of Nevada's larger cultural institutions and performs many of its productions at the Judy Bayley Theatre at UNLV Performing Arts Center. Many of the revues and touring shows incorporate or are devoted to dance.

Tel: (702) 243 2623.
www.nevadaballet.com

Theatre in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Little Theatre

Founded in 1978 as a community theatre, the LVLT puts on slightly more serious productions than the hotel-casinos, be it the classics, modern playwrights or even musicals. If you're looking for Shakespeare, or avant-garde plays then you're probably in the wrong town, but the classics are handled well here - think Streetcar Named Desire and productions of that ilk.

3844 Schiff Drive
Tel: (702) 362 7996.
www.lvlt.org

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