The JCK show is landing in Las Vegas at a perfect time—Sin City is on quite a heater.
It all started back in November with a Formula One race that rattled windows along Las Vegas Boulevard and attracted international attention. Then the city welcomed its newest Strip resort: the 3,644-room, $3.7 billion Fontainebleau Las Vegas north of Resorts World and south of the Strat Hotel, Casino & Tower.
Finally, in February, Allegiant Stadium hosted the 2024 Super Bowl, aka the game that awarded Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce the World Championship of Love.
Bars are cranking out craft cocktails in record numbers. Restaurant rezzies are as elusive as the jackalope. Music residencies are grabbing headlines. And you never know when A-list celebs might end up in the DJ booth of your favorite club. Everyone, it seems, wants a piece of the Vegas action. Which sets a pretty buzzy backdrop for our annual event.
As always, what’s hot and what’s not around town changes as quickly as luck at the craps table. Here, then, are some spots to keep in mind.
Exploring Home Base
Since JCK-ers will be spending most of their time at the Venetian Convention & Expo Center, it’s always a good idea to keep tabs on new stuff inside the two major properties that compose the Venetian Resort.
No. 1 on that list: Sala 118, a swanky European-style bar just off the hotel lobby at the Venetian. With sumptuous banquettes and spectacular crystal chandeliers, the lounge is a great place to unwind with friends or zone out alone after a long day. Italian cocktails characterize the bar menu, and mixologists make their own bitters and vermouth. There’s even a Negroni fountain (you know, for the ’Gram).
The vibe is similarly intimate inside the new theatrical venue Voltaire. This spot is the Vegas home for Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera, and Jason Derulo. A more regular show, Belle de Nuit, blends cabaret with disco and acrobatics.
On the culinary front, the Israeli restaurant HaSalon has a menu that changes nightly and incorporates flavors from across the Mediterranean. One dish, the Horrible Hammer, is beef carpaccio with a twist; servers use hammers to pound in herbs and flowers. (If you want a quiet evening, be warned: After hours, the atmosphere in the dining room channels that of a nightclub with singing, dancing, pulsating music, sparklers, and strobe lights.)
Finally, of course, there’s the Sphere. Since the attraction debuted in late 2023, the ever-changing digital screen on its exoskeleton has become synonymous with the new Vegas. Inside, the experience is like an IMAX on steroids—a visual and audio immersion like none other. Dead & Company will be playing two shows during JCK this year; when there’s no concert, the futuristic venue shows an immersive movie directed by Darren Aronofsky.
Strip Search
There are new and exciting attractions elsewhere around town as well—especially along and adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip.
Perhaps the most headline-grabbing of the bunch is Smoke and Mirrors, the first of 19 conditionally approved recreational marijuana consumption lounges in the state of Nevada. From comfortable couches and conversation pits, guests can smoke or eat all sorts of different cannabis products. There’s also a bar where mixologists can create cannabis-infused cocktails.
For a trip of a different kind, check out Play Playground at the Luxor Las Vegas. Designed for adults, this place comprises more than a dozen Double Dare–style physical challenges and life-size spins on popular games such as Operation and Scrabble. Because it’s Vegas, there are two bars here, too. (Just don’t puke in the twisty tunnel slide.)
Digital art fans will love the newish Arte Museum across the street from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. In addition to a realistic wave room, the museum has a spot where kids (and grown-ups) can draw animals and digitize them into a junglescape where an artificial intelligence engine brings them to life.
On the restaurant front, two high-end spots are worth noting: Amalfi, an Italian seafood eatery from Bobby Flay, and Chyna Club, one of restaurateur Alan Yau’s additions to the Fontainebleau. There’s also a new Whataburger where City Center meets Las Vegas Boulevard.
Getting Arty
While additions on the Strip get national attention, locals go gaga over the Arts District, a sliver of city between the Strat and Downtown. This area has been a steady hub of creativity in Vegas since the 2000s, and it continues to evolve as Sin City’s most vibrant neighborhood.
The biggest news in this part of town: Chef James Trees moved his beloved Esther’s Kitchen restaurant into a larger space in March, and the spot is open till 2 a.m. nightly. (It also hosts a farmers market on Sunday mornings in a courtyard out back.)
Other recent developments include Stray Pirate, a themed bar serving Polynesian-inspired drinks; Liquid Diet, a Gothy craft cocktail bar in an unmarked garage; and the 1980s-style bar at Vintage Vegas, a retro thrift store. The Wine Garden, a wine and bubbles bar, also has become a fave.
Roller skaters swear by Fresa’s Skate Shop, a woman-owned venue with the only indoor half-pipe in Vegas. While this counterculture day spa specializes in skates and clothing, guests can book skate time for $20 per hour per person. Another great new store: Spilled Milk, which specializes in offbeat home accessories.
On the outskirts of the Arts District next to the Strat you’ll find Atomic Golf, a 99,000-square-foot driving range. In addition to 103 physical driving bays, the facility has eight digital driving bays, six bars, a sportsbook-style lounge, a brew pub, meeting space, and more.
Farther Afield
We’d be remiss if we didn’t report on two other worthwhile destinations around the Las Vegas Valley.
Cool things are still happening at Area15, the entertainment complex just west of Interstate 15. Lost Spirits Distillery closed unexpectedly in late April, but Radiance, a series of new wellness programs revolving around dance and breathwork, has been hugely popular among locals looking to expand horizons beyond yoga.
What’s more, Illuminarium features immersive digital art experiences like those at the Arte Museum, only more grandiose. The Space After Dark program enables guests to sip cocktails as they zip through the cosmos. The full sensory experience includes in-floor vibration that makes you feel like you’re walking on the moon.
Finally, the Southwest Valley neighborhood is rising from the suburbs southwest of the Strip. The Durango Casino & Resort opened just after the Fontainebleau and is home to an epic steakhouse, Nicco’s Prime Cuts & Fresh Fish, and a sophisticated party scene in the Bel-Aire Lounge and Backyard. The casino’s sportsbook, adjacent to The George restaurant and its covered open-air patio, has become one of the best spots in town to watch a game.
Across the street, the UnCommons development continues to take shape. In less than a year, this work-live community has spawned an award-winning Italian restaurant, Amari, and a popular tiki/tequila bar called Todo Bien. The Sundry, an upscale food hall from chef Michael Mina, opened earlier this year.
Top: Belle de Nuit
(Belle de Nuit: Thomas Hart Shelby; HaSalon: Mark Mediana; Play Playground: Gaby Duong; Amalfi: Caesars Entertainment; Arte Museum: Kim Ilda; Chyna Club: Mark Mediana/Drex Agency; Esther’s Kitchen: Timeless Cuisine; Illuminarium: Jeffrey Moustache; all other photos courtesy of establishments)