Date: Oct. 4, 2020
THE BEAST POP-UP BY TODD ENGLISH OPENS AT AREA15
The Beast Pop-Up, a curated outdoor eatery by renowned chef, restaurateur, and four-time James Beard Award winner Todd English is now open at AREA15 in the outdoor event space for a limited time. The Beast Pop-Up serves hand-selected highlights from The Beast Food Hall by Todd English, which will open inside at AREA15 later this fall. Current hours of operation are 5 to 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 5 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.
The transformed space has a giant disco ball art installation, kinetic art cars by local Las Vegas artist Henry Chang, interactive games, socially distanced dining tables, large-scale festival art and a massive TV screen for viewing sports games, movies, televised events, etc.
In addition to dining outside, the menu can be ordered in other spaces inside AREA15: The Portal, a 360-degree, floor-to-ceiling projection mapped room; the Sanctuary, a circular bamboo volcano structure; and at Oddwood Bar with a 23-foot-high Japanese maple tree with more than 5,000 LED lights.
Area15 is free to enter; however, online pre-registration and masks are required.
PLANET HOLLYWOOD REOPENS
While Strip resorts all closed at one time with the start of the COVID-19 crisis back in March, they have reopened randomly. Planet Hollywood, a Caesars Entertainment property, reopens this week on Oct. 8 with limitations. Gaming floors will be open daily, but the hotel will only accept weekend reservations, Thursdays through Sundays. Masks will be required and available at the property.
Planet Hollywood is reopening with its newly branded William Hill sportsbook along with other amenities: Gordon Ramsay Burger, Heart Bar, Extra Lounge, Café Hollywood, Earl of Sandwich, Chick-fil-A, Strip House, the Spa by Mandara, plus PH 24 and PH Need It shops.
MICHAEL NUGENT PERFORMS AT EL CORTEZ’S PARLOUR BAR
In celebration of bars officially reopening in Las Vegas, the El Cortez downtown has reopened its intimate Parlour Bar where there is a happy hour daily with $5 shots of Tito's vodka, Jameson Irish Whiskey and 1800 Tequila, as well as select appetizers.
For some late-night revelry, Michael Nugent, one of the city’s promising young vocalists, is making a series of live performances throughout October. The handsome 26-year-old singer’s next appearance will be Saturday, Oct. 24 and Friday, Oct. 30 from 6 to 10 p.m.
FERGUSONS DOWNTOWN HOSTS OUTDOOR MARKETPLACE
Fergusons Downtown will host an Outdoor Marketplace in The Yard on Saturdays, Oct. 10 and 24 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A regularly rotating selection of more than six local vendors offering their handmade, vintage finds, and/or limited-run wears will be featured. Across the street, The Alley will also host vendor popups, including Burnt Boutique, Love Em Couture and more. All Fergusons Downtown shops and Mothership Coffee Roasters will be open during the outdoor marketplaces.
THE LINQ PROMENADE OFFERS MEAT-FREE DINING OPTIONS
With National Vegetarian Month being October and World Vegan Month following in November, The LINQ Promenade offers an expanded selection of vegan and vegetarian dishes at 10 of its signature restaurants.
For example, among Virgil’s Real BBQ lunch and dinner specials, they include the vegan black bean burger prepared with grilled vegetables, black beans, herbs and spices, pico de gallo, chipotle sauce and avocado.
Combining Mexican and Japanese cuisine, Jaburritos features a wide selection of sushi burritos and bowls. Both vegans and vegetarians can partake of the Venice made with Gardein™ “steak” or tofu, sweet chili sauce, avocado, roasted corn, black beans, cucumber, romaine lettuce and pico de gallo. Side dishes include edamame, seaweed salad and miso soup.
Serving a variety of vegetarian and vegan options, guests can enjoy classic Mexican dishes with a meat-free spin at Chayo Mexican Kitchen + Tequila Bar.
HALLOWEEN HAUNTED HOUSES DURING COVID-19
While limited this year, there will be some Halloween events taking place. At the Meadows Mall and already open with an approved Covid Protocol Plan, participants are getting scared in the Asylum and Hotel Fear Haunted Houses. The scary thrill is operated by volunteers on three acres in the mall parking lot with outdoor social distancing. There is an online timed ticketing system limiting the number of attendees.
Trapped Drive Through Haunted Experience will make its Las Vegas premiere on Oct. 8 at The Industrial Event Space and run through Oct. 31. Created by top Las Vegas entertainment industry professionals and presented by Findlay Volkswagen and Wahoo’s Tacos, the show is designed to be experienced from the safety of people’s cars. Upon arrival, cars will be guided to a haunted pod where the action unfolds around the vehicle and presented through state-of-the-art projection technology. The spooky soundtrack will be available through each vehicle’s radio. The experience will be open Oct. 8-24 from 7 p.m. to midnight, Oct. 26-29 from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., and Oct. 30-31 from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tickets are $54.99 per vehicle and must be purchased in advance to reserve a timeslot.
Fright Ride Haunted House by the creator of Fright Dome and The Official SAW Escape is open and running on select nights through Oct. 31 from 6:30 p.m. to midnight on Industrial Road and Wyoming Avenue. Guests participate on research transport vehicles through 75,000 scare-feet of Dr. Craven’s top-secret research lab. Reservations are required. General admission tickets start at $24.99, with additional VIP/Premium upgrades available.
PINKBOX DOUGHNUTS® ACKNOWLEDGES HALLOWEEN AND CANCER
With three 24-hour locations in the valley, Pinkbox Doughnuts is always creating novel doughnuts to celebrate special dates and issues. Their “Doughnut of the Month” is the “Holy Cannoli,” a chocolate frosted raised doughnut topped with cannoli filling, chocolate chips and powdered sugar, priced at $3.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Pinkbox is offering its “Pink Ribbon” doughnut through October. The “Pink Ribbon” is a pink frosted ribbon raised shaped doughnut with pink sprinkles, also $3. Ten percent of every doughnut purchased will be donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.
In celebration of Halloween from Thursday, Oct. 15 through Sunday, Nov. 1 an array of spooky treats will be available. With creativity abounding there are creations such as “Purple People Eater,” “Vampire Pooh,” “The Vampire,” “Creepy Crawler,” “Vegan Mummy,” and more.
HALLOWEEN FUN FOR ADULTS
Sand Dollar Lounge is putting on a Halloween themed pop-up. Nightmare On Spring Mountain will transform the blues bar into a creepy, spooky, scary celebration of All Hallows’ Eve from Oct. 12-31. The entire bar and lounge will be covered in Halloween decor and lighting and will offer a limited number of themed cocktails and Oktoberfest beers. Costumes are encouraged, especially on four themed nights during the pop-up run. During the specific nights folks who come in the appropriate costume will receive a free welcome shot.
Zuma Las Vegas in The Cosmopolitan is offering its “Mexican Zombie” cocktail for the month of October honoring Halloween and Day of the Dead. Served in a skull-shaped vessel, the cocktail is a twist on Donn Beach’s iconic Zombie cocktail. The drink is made with Don Julio Blanco, Don Julio Reposado, Mezcal, Velvet Falernum, passion fruit, grapefruit, lime juice, and Absinthe.
At the Hangover Bar inside Madame Tussauds at The Venetian the Black Magic Margarita is being offered for $5, Thursdays through Fridays in October.
HALLOWEEN FUN FOR THE FAMILY
Downtown Summerlin is hosting a family-friendly, month-long series of virtual events through Oct. 31 to celebrate the fall season and Halloween called #DTSHalloweenSPIRIT and presented by Spirit Halloween. The weekly activities include a pumpkin fest scavenger hunt, pumpkin carving and decorating, Howl-O-Ween pet costume contest, top Halloween home décor, best costumes and more.
Fiona’s Cauldron is Las Vegas’ first live entertainment car wash running through Oct. 31. The experience is available for the whole family to meet Fiona, a misfit teen witch preparing to brew up a special spell. The establishment has also partnered with charities Project 150 and Children’s heart foundation to serve as a drop- off point for donations as you enter the show. Tickets are $39 per car.
RTC BIKE SHARE TRANSITIONS TO MOBILE PASS SYSTEM
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) is transitioning the RTC Bike Share program to a completely online and mobile pass purchase system to create less touch-points. Now RTC Bike Share passes can be purchased online or by downloading the BCycle app in the App Store or Google Play.
By downloading the BCycle app, riders can purchase passes directly from their phone, view real-time bike availability at each station, including e-bikes, and unlock bikes directly from the dock. The credit card feature is no longer available at kiosks. Users without a smartphone can check out a bike by calling Customer Service at 1-844-641-7823 and purchase a pass by phone.
For locals, there is 50 percent off 24-hour passes for the first 100 new customers until Dec. 15 through the Downtown Vegas Alliance Playcation campaign.
CASCADIA VEHICLE TENTS OPENS THIRD RETAIL CENTER
Cascadia Vehicle Tents (CVT), one of America’s prominent rooftop tent manufacturers, is opening its third retail showroom and adventure center in the United States. Located in Las Vegas, CVT’s newest location near the Las Vegas Motor Speedway will accommodate customers across the Southwestern region with sales, installation, maintenance, warranty replacements, product demos and all customer service needs.
Designed to give customers an interactive shopping experience, the 21,000 square-foot showroom features camping accessories and rooftop tents on display. Featuring more than 3,500 square feet of warehouse space, CVT maintains inventory of its entire product catalog at the Las Vegas location and is the only rooftop tent provider to operate retail showrooms open to the public.
NEON MUSEUM RECEIVES CONSERVATION GRANTS FOR SIGN COLLECTION
The Neon Museum with its open-air displays has received grants for the upkeep and preservation of the sign collection in the Neon Boneyard. To address the matter encountered by outside elements, The Neon Museum conducted a Collections Assessment Plan (CAP) in 2018, funded in part by the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS). The CAP provided a valuable direction toward creating a long-term conservation treatment plan reflecting best practices for collections management and upkeep of all objects in the Museum’s permanent collection.
The project is funded in part by a $5,000 grant from the Modernism and Recent Past Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and in part by a $5,000 grant from the City of Las Vegas Historic Preservation Commission through the Commission for the Las Vegas Centennial. Together, these grants will help fund a conservator to study the collection and research the optimal methods to stabilize and preserve the Museum’s priceless artifacts.
THRIVE LAUNCHES COCOON TECHNOLOGY SELF-SERVICE KIOSKS
In addition to drive-thru, curbside, in-store sales, and delivery, THRIVE Cannabis Marketplace’s North Las Vegas location now features convenient, self-service CocoonPod™ “Cocoon” kiosks. The Cocoon kiosks provide an industry first, consumer-facing, self-service interface, representing a new interactive and innovative way to reduce wait times, eliminate queues, maintain social distancing, and enhance information security. THRIVE being the largest independent retailer in Nevada will introduce Cocoon kiosks to all its locations within the next four months.
QUICK NOTES
Stoney’s Rockin’ Country is open again Thursday through Saturday nights with limited capacity and doors opening at 7 p.m. Ladies Night is Thursday with $2 well, wine and draft for the ladies. Social distancing is being enforced and line dancing on the dance floor is allowed.
Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar has brought back dinner service and late night from 5 p.m. - 1 a.m. on Mondays in addition to the regular schedule. Additionally, with the nice weather returning, dining al fresco is in high demand. Ferraro’s will hold its exclusive Italian wine and white truffle dinner event on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m.
Boyd Gaming awarded one of the highest Pai Gow Poker progressive jackpots of the year – more than a half a million dollars –at Aliante on Sunday, Oct. 4 to a Las Vegas local and frequent visitor. Jesus hit a seven-card straight flush with a joker, capturing a Pai Gow Poker progressive jackpot of $531,639 and will now be able to pay off his mortgage. The Pai Gow Poker progressive jackpot will reset at $150,000.
