Strip Tips: Holiday decor on display at Wynn, Encore

Gingerbread replicas of Strip resorts add a whimsical touch to the holiday decor on display at Wynn Las Vegas and Encore. At The Buffet, Wynn cake artist Flora Aghababyan created 3-foot-tall replicas of Wynn and Encore using more than 7,500 gingerbread cookie panels. In the Wynn Atrium, the hotel's horticulture team spent 5,000 hours creating a wintry scene with 16 fruit croquembouche trees, 21 mirrored obelisks and thousands of holiday lights. More than 50,000 flowers and 5,500 pink and orange poinsettias were used to create 120 floral sculptures. Dozens of holiday trees, thousands of poinsettias, wreaths, garlands and lights are found throughout the rest of both properties and will be on display through the holidays.

Pastry class

In honor of National Pastry Day on Sunday, one of the world's most famous pastry chefs, Francois Payard, will teach a pastry class at his patisserie in Caesars Palace. Payard was awarded the James Beard Foundation Pastry Chef of the Year in 1995. The demonstration will be held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday at Payard Patisserie & Bistro. He will teach participants how to make pastries from his cookbooks "Simply Sensational" and "Chocolate Epiphany." The class is $85 per person and includes the demonstration, a buffet of canapes and confections and a gift bag with a Payard cookbook. Space is limited. For reservations, call 731-7292.

Hurricane benefit

Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada is hosting a food and wine event at New York-New York to benefit Hurricane Sandy victims. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Tom Colicchio, Scott Conant, Todd English, Bobby Flay and others will be on hand at the hotel's Brooklyn Bridge to provide a feast for attendees. Tickets cost $100 with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Purchase tickets by calling the New York-New York box office at 866-606-7111.

12-12-12

Get ready to see lots of promotions tied to the auspicious date 12-12-12, including Madame Tussauds Las Vegas special admission price. For that day only, Nevada residents with a valid ID can gain admission to the wax museum by paying $12. That's more than a 50 percent savings on regular admission. The special can't be combined with other offers and is available only through the box office. Call 862-7800 for information.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564. Follow @StripSonya on Twitter.