Celebrating New Year’s Eve in Vegas: Highlights & Surprises

Growing up in the Southern Hemisphere, Christmas and New Year’s always meant summer, beach parties, and waiting for the midnight countdown in the warm air. The beaches were packed, people were cheering, and the energy was high as we welcomed the new year.

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s a completely different story. It’s cold, and no one is outside counting down to midnight. At least not in Vancouver, where we don’t even have fireworks for New Year’s.

So, we started looking for a place with a bigger celebration — somewhere with crowds, energy, and a real New Year’s vibe. That’s how we ended up choosing Las Vegas. It’s just a short three-hour flight from Vancouver, and while it wasn’t as warm as we had hoped, it was definitely more alive, with streets full of people celebrating.

We spent about seven nights in Vegas, including New Year’s Eve. In this post, we’ll share a bit about our experience, what we did, and what you can expect if you’re planning a trip.

Oh, and we also took a trip to the Grand Canyon during our stay. If you’re interested in that, check out our post One Day at the Grand Canyon.

First Impressions of Vegas

The first thing that stood out in Vegas was the lights. The city is stunning at night. Everywhere you look, there are bright neon signs, flashing billboards, and dazzling displays. The Strip is packed with people — shopping, taking photos in front of famous hotels, or just soaking in the atmosphere.

Another unique thing about Vegas is that you can drink on the street. We took full advantage of this since we come from a country where that’s also allowed, but here in Canada, it’s not. It felt like a small freedom we had been missing.

For this trip, we weren’t in an exploring mood. Instead, we mostly stayed around the Strip, spending some days just relaxing by the pool and wandering around.

New Year Celebration in Vegas

This was the main event of the trip (aside from the Grand Canyon), so we were really excited. We heard that most hotels had fireworks, and Bellagio was supposed to have one of the best displays. So, we headed there around 10 PM to find a good spot. It was incredibly crowded. The Strip was closed off, starting near Excalibur, and people filled the entire street.

We secured a decent spot in front of Bellagio, but to our surprise, the fireworks didn’t come from there. Most of what we saw was launched from Caesars Palace and Planet Hollywood. Still, the display was beautiful, and the energy of the crowd made it a fun and memorable experience.

The real challenge was getting back. The streets were packed, and the crowd was pushing and shoving. It even felt a little unsafe at times, with people getting stressed and frustrated. Navigating through the chaos was tough, but eventually, we made it.

Casinos: Beautiful but Not for Us

Casinos in Vegas are both beautiful and overwhelming. If you love gambling, it’s a dream come true — slot machines, poker tables, blackjack, roulette, you name it. But for us, it wasn’t much of an attraction.

That said, we did visit a few casinos just to admire their decorations. The one that stood out the most was Caesars Palace. The details and overall aesthetic were impressive.

The downside of casinos? Smoking. The smell of cigarettes is everywhere inside. Another thing we noticed was that most people at the slot machines didn’t look particularly happy. Maybe it was just our perception, but it felt like they were there out of habit rather than excitement.

Staying at a Hotel-Casino

We stayed at the Luxor, and the room was spacious, with comfortable beds and a great shower. However, there were two big things missing — a mini-fridge and a coffee maker. For us, these are standard in most hotels, so it was disappointing not to have them. Of course, we understood why. They want you to spend money at their restaurants and cafés instead.

To solve this, we bought a small coffee maker for $9.99 at Walmart. It saved us money and made mornings easier.

Another thing we didn’t love was the resort fee — $45 per night on top of the room price. It covered access to the gym and pools, but in our case, the Luxor’s pools were closed, so we had to use a small one at Mandalay Bay instead. It didn’t include extras like a sauna or spa — those were separate charges.

Bellagio Fountain: A Must-See

The Bellagio Fountain is one of the best free attractions in Vegas. Shows run frequently — every 30 minutes during the day and every 15 minutes at night. Each show features a different song and choreography, and we watched it at least ten times during our stay. It’s smaller than the Dubai Fountain but still an amazing spectacle of water, lights, and music.

Giordano’s Deep Dish Pizza: Worth Every Bite

Twelve years ago, I tried Giordano’s deep-dish pizza in Chicago, and when I saw they had a location in Vegas, I had to go. I convinced my wife to try it too, and we ordered the “Meat and More Meat” pizza.

It was huge. We got the large one and ended up making three more meals out of it. Definitely worth trying if you’re a pizza lover.

Fantasy: A Classic Vegas Show

Staying at the Luxor, we saw endless ads for Fantasy, a classic topless show. Since we weren’t planning on coming back to Vegas anytime soon, we decided to check it out.

It was worth it. The dancers were amazing, and the performances were really well done. I was especially impressed by Yulia, who did some incredible pole dance and aerial silk moves. She was so strong and skilled that I had to ask for a photo with her after the show.

Strip Club: A Vegas Curiosity

Vegas is known as Sin City, so we figured we should at least check out a strip club to see what it was like. We went to Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club on December 30. Unfortunately, it was a Monday, and the place wasn’t very busy — maybe one-third full.

The performances were good, and the dancers were beautiful. We got a website promotion that included entry and a beer for $20. A good tip: bring cash, especially singles, if you want to tip the dancers. I wouldn’t trust using a card there.

Flamingos at the Flamingo Hotel

The Flamingo Hotel has a small flamingo habitat. If you’ve never seen flamingos up close, it might be worth a stop, but honestly, it was a bit overrated.

Drinking on the Street

One of the biggest differences between Vegas and other US or Canadian cities is that drinking on the street is legal. We saw tons of people walking around with drinks, and of course, we joined in—it was vacation, after all.

The “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” Sign

A must-see! If you want a photo without waiting in line forever, go early. We waited almost an hour to take our picture. You can take side-angle photos without waiting, but most people want the straight-on shot.

I wanted this photo because I had been to Vegas 12 years ago and wanted to compare how much I’ve changed. It was fun to see the difference.

Omnia Nightclub: A Long Night Out

We’re not really nightclub people, but we decided to check out Omnia because it’s known for its decoration and space. We didn’t know the DJ, but we took a chance.

We arrived around 11 PM, but the real DJ, Luis Torres, didn’t start until 1 AM. Before that, the music wasn’t great, and I was starting to regret not choosing another club where Sam Feldt was playing. But once Torres started, the energy completely changed. The music was better, the effects were amazing, and we ended up staying until 3 AM—way later than we expected.

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Vegas was a fun experience. It wasn’t our usual type of trip, but it was worth it for the atmosphere, the lights, and the overall energy of the city. Would we go again? Maybe, but not anytime soon. If you’ve never been, though, it’s definitely something to experience at least once!

Cheers.