9 ways to celebrate Lunar New Year in Las Vegas
“Eye of the Tiger” display
The Year of the Tiger has pounced into the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens with a festive Lunar New Year display.
This season’s “Eye of the Tiger” display uses flowers and plants, pools of water and innovative lighting to share the culture and stories of China and Asia.
The Conservatory & Botanical Gardens is free to enter and runs daily through March 5.
Lunar New Year parade and celebration at Downtown Summerlin
The signature Downtown Summerlin Lunar New Year parade returns on Feb. 1 with a 6 p.m. performance featuring fan dancers, an oversized dragon and more on Park Centre Drive.
Feb. 1 through Feb. 15, the property celebrates the year of the Tiger with festive décor throughout the common areas. Highlights include oversized 2022 letters in Macy’s Promenade, a Chinese dragon in the Dining Arroyo and a photo wall filled with festive décor located in the hallway near H&M.
Downtown Summerlin will also host a red envelope giveaway through the Summerlin app starting Feb. 1 – Feb. 15. Guests will have an opportunity to receive a complimentary red envelope filled with chocolate coins and surprise gift cards while supplies last. Redemptions will take place at Concierge, located under the Breezeway of ONE Summerlin.
Lunar New Year at The Venetian Resort
The Venetian Resort’s waterfall atrium and gardens have once again been transformed for Lunar New Year. The resort’s floral and horticulture team worked with artisans and a feng shui master to create the Year of the Tiger installation, which features a tiger that stands 10 feet tall, is 13 feet long and weighs 1,500 pounds.
The Venetian Resort will officially kick off Lunar New Year with a ceremonial lion dance and eye ceremony on Feb. 1, at 3 p.m. The auspicious dance begins at The Venetian’s porte-cochere
Lunar New Year at The Grand Canal Shoppes
Fan Dancer performances will delight shoppers and guests from Feb. 1 through 6 with performances taking place at St. Mark’s Square at 3 p.m. and at Gazebo in the Sky Garden at 3:30 p.m. In addition, guests can observe a special Lion Blessing on Feb. 1 at 3 p.m. as new retailers receive a cultural blessing for good fortune for the year.
In commemoration of the Year of the Tiger, The Shoppes will host the 11th Annual city-wide Chinese New Year in the Desert ribbon-cutting ceremony on Feb. 3.
Year of the Tiger at Resorts World Las Vegas
Resorts World Las Vegas will honor the Year of the Tiger with its first property-wide Lunar New Year celebration.
On Feb. 1, the Famous Foods Street Eats stage will kick off the Lunar New Year celebration with lion blessings, martial arts, Chinese singers and folk dancers and an over-the-top cultural fashion show. The stage will host daily performances from 6 to 7:30 p.m. from Jan. 28 through Feb. 4.
At The District, the 50-foot LED Globe will feature Lunar New Year-themed animations of larger-than-life blossoming money trees with branches that grow gold coins and lucky red envelopes.
The resort will host an extravagant dragon and lion dance on Feb. 5 at 5 p.m. Those looking for an exciting way to ring in the Year of the Tiger can celebrate at Zouk Nightclub.
Lunar New Year at Aria
Aria’s main lobby is adorned in celebratory décor to honor the Year of the Tiger. The focal point is a hand-sculpted solid chocolate Tiger weighing in at 225-pounds. The 5-foot by 3.5-foot Tiger was created by carving, modeling, airbrushing and tempering chocolate.
Three Chinese Deities — Fuk, Luk and Sau — greet guests upon check-in at ARIA’s front desk.
A 196-foot dragon hangs from the lobby’s ceiling, weaving its way around a spectacular money tree made up of 88 golden coins symbolizing wealth and good fortune. Cherry blossom clouds and lanterns surround the dragon with decorative twinkling LED cherry blossom trees below.
Colorful dragon and lion dances will take place at Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. at the main porte cochère.
Lunar New Year at MGM Grand
MGM Grand will transform into a Lunar New Year celebration from January 28 to February 15 with vibrant displays of eye-catching floral décor and playful panda bears surrounding the front desk. The iconic lion will be encircled by bright florals, live plants, trees and red lanterns. The resort will be adorned with yellow and red flowers, money trees, and banners offering blessings of wealth and good fortune.
Colorful dragon and lion dances will take place at Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. at the main porte cochère.
Lion Dance at Palace Station
Palace Station will commemorate Chinese New Year and the Year of the Tiger with a celebratory lion dance on Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. The traditional dance will begin with a blessing and roam throughout the casino floor.
Lion Dance at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa
Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa will commemorate Chinese New Year and the Year of the Tiger with a celebratory lion dance on Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. The traditional dance will begin with a blessing and roam throughout the casino floor.
Dining
Hakkasan Las Vegas at MGM Grand will offer a specialty prix fixe menu available Feb. 2 through 6 and Feb. 9 through 13.
The Chinese New Year menu is $128 per person, for a minimum of two guests. The menu begins with a salmon crudo and the trio happiness dim sum platter with a baked truffle duck puff, tiger prawn dumpling, and wild mushroom puff. Main dishes include the salt crust fortune baked chicken with chestnut, shiitake mushroom and bamboo shoot, wok-fried wild sea bass with enoki mushroom and spicy sesame soy and stir-fry Wagyu beef and bone marrow with osmanthus soy beside burdock root, baby courgette, green chilli pepper. Accompaniments include Buddha’s delight with morel mushroom, lotus root, lotus seed, gai lan, bamboo shoot and black fungus, and XO sauce lobster egg fried rice with handmade prawn cracker, and edamame. Desserts include a gold tiger-striped orange dark chocolate firecracker and mandarin sorbet with orange curd, orange compote, orange madeleine and chocolate mousse. hakkasan.com/las-vegas
Genting Palace at Resorts World will prepare two decadent menus to celebrate Lunar New Year, including a five-course prix fixe menu and an a la carte Dim Sum Brunch menu. rwlasvegas.com
Kusa Nori at Resorts World will feature Lunar New Year-inspired specials from Jan. 28 through Feb. 6, including a Misoyaki Mugifuji pork tomahawk, served with a 12-ounce robata grilled pork chop, cauliflower puree, shiso kaki compote and glaze, Tokai Suzuki, made with steamed whole sea bass, shitake mushroom and lotus root and scotched sesame ponzu sauce and more. rwlasvegas.com
Famous Foods Street Eats at Resorts World will present “eight lucky street eats” from Jan. 30 through Feb. 6, with each dish symbolizing good fortune for the new year from Nori Bar, Ah Chun Shandong Dumplings, Boon Tong Kee, FUHU Shack, Ten Suns and Sweet Eats. rwlasvegas.com
China Poblano at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas will offer dining specials Feb. 1 through Feb. 11 with specialty cocktails and a la carte options including lucky vegetable ($15.88) with wok-roasted beans tossed with scallions, chile de arbol, wine, and daikon finished with house made XO sauce; scallop and pork siu mai ($15.88 per 6 pieces) with bay scallop, pork, bamboo and shiitake; salt-cured duck bao ($12.88), a steamed bao with salt-cured duck breast, pickled vegetable and house-made hoisin sauce and tiger king ($16) an exclusive cocktail made with Dewar’s “White Label” scotch, Dolin dry vermouth, Genbei Baijiu, lemon and Chinese 5-spice. Each dish is meant to bring wealth and prosperity into and throughout the entire year and are available for dine-in or takeout. cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
Chinglish Wine Bar at Boca Park offers a 6-course dinner with wine & drink pairings for $125 on Feb. 1. Lion dances will take place at 5 p.m. and live entertainment will continue throughout the chinglishwinebar.com
The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Dr. Miriam Adelson, the majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands Corp., which operates The Venetian, Palazzo and The Venetian Expo.
Contact Janna Karel at jkarel@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jannainprogress on Twitter.