Drake, Art in the Park lead weekend’s best in Las Vegas area

Drake

Drake has become by far the biggest rapper in the game, which also means he has become by far the biggest source of hip-hop beef. You can see him at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. With Drake taking over the MGM Grand Garden for two nights this weekend, let’s grade the juiciness of some of his best-known beefs.

‘Waitress’

A small-town waitress dreams of a better life in this Broadway musical inspired by Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 film. Directed by Tony winner Diane Paulus with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, “Waitress” opens an eight-performance run this week at The Smith Center. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Oct. 14, with 2 p.m. matinees Oct. 13 and 14, in Reynolds Hall, 361 Symphony Park Ave. Tickets are $36 to $127 at thesmithcenter.com.

Art in the Park

The juried art festival, a fundraiser for Boulder City Hospital, features more than 300 artists and craft vendors, live music and demonstrations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Wilbur, Bicentennial and North and South Escalante parks, 401 California Ave., Boulder City. Admission is free. For details, visit artinthepark.org.

UFC 229

Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov will meet Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in the main event of UFC 229 on what figures to be one of the most lucrative cards the organization has ever promoted. The pay-per-view card begins at 7 p.m. Read more about the upcoming fight.

Conor McGregor

After his match against Khabib Nurmagomedov in UFC 229 on Saturday, Conor McGregor heads to Wynn Las Vegas to host Encore Beach Club at Night. Fans of the MMA fighter can try out his new whiskey (Proper No. Twelve) at the post-fight party. Doors open at 10:30 p.m. Tickets start at $30 for women and $50 for men (encorebeachclub.com).

Freed’s Dessert Shop

Freed’s Dessert Shop, an offshoot of the perennially popular Las Vegas bakery, has opened at 6475 N. Decatur Blvd., near the northern 215 Beltway. A grand opening celebration, which also will commemorate the bakery’s 59th anniversary, is planned for noon to 3 p.m. Saturday with free sweets, prize drawings and outdoor games. Find out more about the new shop.

Events center hosts Knights watch party

The Downtown Las Vegas Events Center will host its first Vegas Golden Knights Road-Game Watch Party of the season Saturday evening. The Knights will be in Minnesota taking on the Wild, but fans can watch the game free on 72 feet of screen with stadium sound, along with Chance, The Golden Aces and the Knight Line drummers. Doors open at 4 p.m. and the puck is scheduled to drop at 5. For details on reserving a table or cabana at the venue, at 200 Third St., go to dlvec.com.

Thunderbird Lounge

The newly renovated Thunderbird Lounge complements its throwback style with some cool classic cocktails you rarely see these days. The bright and fun Pink Squirrel dates to the 1950s at Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge in Milwaukee but feels perfectly at home on Las Vegas Boulevard. See how the Pink Squirrel is made.

Haute Cuisine at the Palazzo

Twelve members of the Master Chefs of France will present Haute Cuisine from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Friday at The Aquatic Club at the Palazzo. The wine- and food-centric event will focus on sustainable seafood, meat and vegetarian selections, and the wine, beer and spirits will be organic, biodynamic and sustainable. Tickets, at $75 per person or $135 per couple, are available at venetian.com or at any box office at The Venetian or the Palazzo.

October First Friday theme is ‘Connect’

First Friday celebrates its 16th anniversary this month with the theme “Connect.” October’s featured artist is painter, sculptor and fabricator/designer Justin Lepper, aka Dr. Lepper. Live entertainment will include Rising Stars, Shea Freedom, Lovers and Strangers and Jason Rylan, who will sing “Strong” on the Main Stage at 9 p.m. as a tribute to Oct. 1 victims and survivors. The festival’s main stage is located at the south end of the Art Way parking lot, with the majority of artists and vendors on First Street, extending to Hoover. firstfridaylasvegas.com