From: Norm Johnson
For: Column for 04-22-2022
In partnership with the Downtown Vegas Alliance(DVA), a nonprofit organization of downtown business owners and stakeholders, the city of Las Vegas announces a number of exclusive offers from downtown hotels, businesses and venues during the NFL Draft, April 28-30.
With more than 500,000 people expected to attend the NFL Draft Experience on the Las Vegas Strip, Downtown Las Vegas offers a great, fun, and easily accessible option for taking in all the action, as well as unique offers during NFL Draft weekend at select venues. In some cases, there is no cover charge to attend and enjoy NFL Draft watch parties in the downtown area.
With no shortage of fun places to share the Draft experience with like-minded football fans, Downtown Las Vegas is also home to Brewery Row, the city’s most dynamic hot spot for craft beer; the Arts District, a vibrant and eclectic home to the creative class with many restaurants and bars; and the Fremont East Entertainment District, a lively area just east of Las Vegas Blvd. with many outdoor eateries, bars and exciting nightlife.
“Downtown Las Vegas stands ready to welcome with open arms all NFL Draft watchers,” said Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman, City of Las Vegas. “After your team picks its next star, it’s time for you to be a VIP when you experience all our city has to offer. Jump on the free Downtown Loop shuttle and visit all of the fabulous restaurants, bars, museums, casinos, attractions, and hot spots. We invite everyone downtown – you won’t be disappointed!”
All Downtown Las Vegas NFL Draft offers can be found here.
Circa Resort & Casino, 8 Fremont Street, hosts Draft Watch parties throughout the weekend: April 28 starting at 5 p.m.; April 29 starting at 4 p.m.; April 30 starting at 9 a.m.
At Stadium Swim, reserved spots are available for the Pro Football Draft Watch Party on April 28 and 29. Chill in one of Stadium Swim’s six pools while watching the draft on the venue’s massive 40-foot-tall high-definition screen. Info and tickets at https://circalasvegas.com/stadium-swim/#book
At Circa Sportsbook, enjoy the ultimate Pro Football Draft Day experience featuring the venue’s three stories and a 78-million mega pixel screen with full audio on April 28. Info and tickets at www.circalasvegas.com/sportsbook/#book
Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino, 206 N. 3rd St., hosts an NFL Draft Watch Party on April 28 starting at 11 a.m. at the Citrus Grand Pool Deck. There is no admission fee. In addition to draft viewing, there will be drink specials, live DJ, drawings for shares of $5,000 in William Hill sports bets, official gear giveaways and more. Drink specials will be available throughout the weekend. Info at www.downtowngrand.com
Golden Nugget Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, 129 E. Fremont St., Troy Liquor Bar hosts a nightly “Get Your Draft On” party, April 28-30, with doors opening at 9 p.m. and a live DJ starting at 10 p.m. No cover; table reservations and bottle service available at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Mob Museum, located at 300 Stewart Avenue, will offer a $5 discount off general admission on April 28 for all those wearing an NFL jersey. The Museum is open on April 28 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the offer is valid at the box office only (no online tickets sales to receive the discount). Info at www.themobmuseum.org
Art Houz Theaters, 814 S. 3rd Street, will screen the NFL Draft live on one of its luxury theater screens. Tickets are $10 each with a $50 food and beverage minimum per person. NFL Draft Watch tickets available at the box office only. Info at www.thearthouz.com
Fremont Street Experience, 425 E. Fremont St., hosts a packed weekend of free concerts and shows on all three stages. At 2 p.m. April 28-29, an NFL-themed production show called “Grid Iron Girls” runs daily with a noon start time on April 30. The show is followed by a series of free concerts on all stages that runs through 3 a.m. On April 29, a special Bruno Mars tribute band, Bruno & the Hooligans, is on Stage 2 from 9 to 10:30 p.m. Information at www.vegasexperience.com
Vegas’ economic vitality and vibrancy. Visit our website at downtown.vegas for more information.
In celebration of the 2022 professional football league draft in Las Vegas, the ladies of FANTASY, the award-winning topless female revue at Luxor Hotel and Casino, will be giving away a free gift to special guests who attend the show Thursday, April 28 through Saturday, April 30.
The ladies of FANTASY will perform their nightly 10:30 p.m. show for all football enthusiasts. Anyone in attendance wearing the jersey of their favorite professional football team will receive a free “2022: The Gold Standard” calendar. The calendar will be available after the show at the Atrium Showroom merchandise counter where guests also can purchase their own FANTASY-branded gifts including poker chips, playing cards and posters. The stunning cast members will also be available to greet fans and take photographs.
Captivating audiences on the Las Vegas Strip for 22 years, FANTASY has never been hotter, earning “All-Time Best Female Revue” and 2021’s “Best Production Show” by Las Vegas Weekly, and 2021’s gold award for “Best Female Revue” and “Best Bachelor Party,” as well as the silver award for “Best Production Show” in the esteemed “Best of Las Vegas” awards by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. These recent accolades crown two decades of awards that also include Las Vegas Magazine’s Hall of Fame, and more than a dozen awards in the “Best Female Revue,” “Best Bachelor Party,” and “Best Showgirls” categories of the annual “Best of Las Vegas” awards,
Dynamic lead singer Lorena Peril, recently awarded “Best Local Entertainer” by the Silver State Awards, delivers powerhouse vocals, taking center-stage alongside a talented cast of beautiful dancers. Popular among singles and couples alike, the always-evolving, sexy production highlights 15 high-energy numbers set to a variety of today’s top music
Show times are scheduled nightly at 10:30 p.m. inside the Atrium Showroom, with an additional 8 p.m. show on select Sundays. All guests attending the show must be at least 18 years of age or older with valid ID. For a full schedule and tickets, please visit fantasyluxor.com. Tickets are also available at the Luxor box office or by calling 702.262.4400.
THIS AND THAT QUICKLY:
The World Famous Cotton Club, Harlem’s legendary nightclub where the well-heeled dined, danced and swung the night away to the likes of Duke Ellington, Lena Horne and Cab Calloway, is returning in grand style on Saturday night, May 14, 2022 for two shows, 8pm and 10pm.
Where the original club in its 1920s-1930s heyday was located on 142nd Street & Lenox Ave., the present location sits on 125th Street. And, when this new launch opens, the headliner will be all-around entertainer Elijah Rock, a singing and dancing firestorm who has long made his mission clear of keeping the proud traditions and legacies of the music not just alive…but vibrant.
Duly, Elijah Rock will officially become “A New Face and Brand Ambassador of The Cotton Club.”
“The opportunity to open and headline at The Cotton Club – the historical space where so many of my greatest inspirations graced the stage - is a dream come true,” Rock said.. “It’s also a homecoming. I lived on 127th & Morningside for 10 years, mere blocks way! I am thrilled to be collaborating with entrepreneur/promoter Charles Piazza to extend the legacy of The Cotton Club and ventures across the globe.”
A torch-bearing interpreter of The Great American Songbook, Elijah Rock has been making his mark as an entertainer based in Las Vegas where he headlines top showrooms, starred as the lead vocalist in Vegas! The Show at Planet Hollywood and released his acclaimed albums Gershwin For My Soul and the recent, Matters of The Heart.” “Winner of an NAACP Theater Award for his lead in “Breath and Imagination: The Story of Roland Hayes,” Rock also portrayed Cotton Club legend Cab Calloway in the musical “I Only Have Eyes For You,” earning an Ovation Award nomination.
“Harlem will love this new grandiose opening of The Cotton Club,” Elijah added. “When I headline the grand opening black tie/red carpet event, I will be backed by a 10-piece band led by Brooklyn’s own highly respected reed man Lou Caputo (Bobby Short, Lou Rawls, The Temptations, Bobby Sanabria) and reflective of my generation – a group of mixed gender and mixed race younger and older players. I’ll be singing repertoires from my extensive big band book and, of course, I will have a Duke Ellington medley. It’s going to be Uptown New York…with a splash of my spin on Las Vegas.”
John Beatty, long time President and CEO of The Cotton Club, has given his full blessing for this spectacular event and continuance of the hallowed Harlem venue. On this resurrection of Old World NYC Splendor, The Cotton Club’s promoter Charles Piazza shares, “Shows are going to be upscale, formal attire in a New York evening destination spot featuring various styles of live music for dancing – Jazz, show music, vocal stars and top lounge performers. I originally had shows booked for early2020 – pre-COVID – but everything was shut down. We’re finally comfortable enough to take it off hold. Our premier show will be Elijah Rock. Poring over his website and YouTube clips, I was knocked out by his talent and the ‘full package’ image he projects. I knew immediately, Elijah Rock would be “the only one to launch this re-opening of The Cotton Club.”
YESCO, the 102-year-old company known for creating, repairing, and maintaining internationally recognizable signs, announces its new exhibition, “Lighting Up Las Vegas: YESCO Marks a Glittering Century,” will move to the Clark County Museum. Formerly at the Nevada Humanities Gallery in downtown Las Vegas, this exhibition will reopen to the public again on Friday, May 6. This exhibition is sourced from the LVCVA News Bureau’s extensive archive collection and from UNLV’s Special Collections. This joint exhibition, organized with the support of the LVCVA’s Las Vegas News Bureau and The Neon Museum, examines the history and impact of YESCO in Las Vegas.
The exhibit was originally planned for 2020 to celebrate YESCO’s 100th anniversary, which took place that year, but was delayed due to the COVID pandemic. “Lighting Up Las Vegas” follows the intertwined stories of the company, city, and technology, as well as the men and women who made it all possible.
Las Vegas and neon are synonymous with each other. When anyone thinks of Las Vegas, their mind’s eye instantly conjures images of its dazzling skyline and brilliant lights. YESCO has played a significant role in creating Las Vegas’ shining reputation. The company has created countless signs defining the look and feel of Las Vegas. From its early use of neon on Fremont Street in the 1930s, to the Strip “spectaculars” of the 1950s and 1960s, to the cutting-edge technologies of today, YESCO has shaped the image of Las Vegas. Its iconic signs have come to be recognized as works of art, and their significance transcends their function as mere advertisements.
YESCO specializes in the manufacture of custom electric signs, sign maintenance and out-of-home advertising. In addition, YESCO operates sign and lighting service repair stores throughout North America as well as a sign financing business. Thomas Young founded the company in Ogden, Utah, in 1920 after borrowing $300 from his father. YESCO began by offering wall painted advertisements, gold-leaf window lettering and coffin plates.
