Top 10 things to do this week in Las Vegas

MUSIC

1. Adam Lambert

No one can fill Freddie Mercury’s shoes, but Adam Lambert has slipped them on and high-stepped across stages worldwide in fine fashion for the past nine years as frontman for Queen + Adam Lambert. Now he’s on his own once more, minus Queen but sacrificing none of the hip-swishing flamboyance and jet-powered pipes that made him an ideal singer for those rock ’n’ roll greats. See him at 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Wednesday; Oct. 29 and 30 at the Venetian Theatre, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Tickets start at $52.95; ticketmaster.com.

— Jason Bracelin

FESTIVAL

2. Las Vegas Book Festival

Keynote speakers are Fran Lebowitz (“Pretend It’s a City” on Netflix), Sandra Cisneros (“The House on Mango Street”) and Dr. Oriel Maria Siu (“Rebeldita the Fearless in Ogreland”), and dozens of panel discussions, readings, performances and workshops are scheduled. The festival is free and runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Historic Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth St. lasvegasbookfestival.com

— John Przybys

MOVIE

3. ‘Dune’

Frank Herbert’s landmark sci-fi novel has long been considered “unfilmable.” Anyone who’s seen David Lynch’s 1984 version knows why: The story of young noble Paul Atreides is just so sprawling. That didn’t deter filmmaker Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival,” “Blade Runner 2049”). He’s assembled a cast — including Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem — that’s nearly as noteworthy as the source material. See “Dune” starting Friday in theaters and on HBO Max — but it really belongs on the big screen.

— Christopher Lawrence

CLASSICAL

4. Las Vegas Philharmonic

“Fanfare for the Common Man” + “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman” = fanfare for the return of the Las Vegas Philharmonic. The orchestra’s first performance of its 2021-22 campaign will feature those two works from Aaron Copland and Joan Tower, respectively, in addition to Dvořák’s Cello Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s rousing Symphony No. 5. The season begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Ave. Tickets start at $29 at lvphil.org.

— Jason Bracelin

BENEFIT

5. Biletnikoff Foundation Crab Fest

Crab shells and pigskin will mingle Friday at Paris Las Vegas, when the Biletnikoff Foundation serves up its 21st annual Celebrity Crab Fest. The foundation was founded by Super Bowl XI MVP, Hall of Famer and former Raiders wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff and his wife, Angela, after the death of their daughter, Tracey, and current and former Raiders are expected to attend. The event, from 6 to 11 p.m. (with a red carpet from 6 to 6:30), will feature crab freshly flown in, live entertainment and silent and live auctions. Tickets start at $200; visit biletnikoff.org or call 925-556-2525.

— Heidi Knapp Rinella

ICE SKATING

6. Skate America

The 2021 Skate America international ice skating championships glide gracefully into Orleans Arena with a slate of events that begins Friday evening and concludes with a “Skating Spectacular” at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Single-session and all-session ticket packages are available at orleansarena.com.

— John Przybys

MUSICAL

7. ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’

Love lift them up where they belong. “An Officer and a Gentleman,” the musical update of the 1982 blockbuster film, is launching its 50-city national tour at The Smith Center. The story of a brash Navy officer candidate who — literally — sweeps a factory worker off her feet, the musical is peppered with 1980s hits from the likes of Pat Benatar, Richard Marx, Steve Winwood and Las Vegas’ own Debbie Gibson. See it Tuesday through Oct. 31 in Reynolds Hall. Tickets are $30-$138, plus fees, at thesmithcenter.com/tickets.

— Christopher Lawrence

DRINKING

8. Seltzerland

You’ve heard of wine fests and beer fests, but here’s something new: a hard seltzer fest. Seltzerland, now on a 25-city national tour, will move into Angel Park Golf Course, 100 S. Rampart Blvd., on Saturday. Those attending will travel in small groups along the fairways, meeting representatives of brands including White Claw, Mike’s Hard Lemonade Seltzer and Playamar, the Jose Cuervo seltzer, and sampling some of the 100 varieties available. Tickets for the 2½-hour time slots are $39, or $59 for VIP, at seltzerland.com.

— Heidi Knapp Rinella

THEATER

9. ‘The Sandman’

“A little nightmare musical,” they’re calling this. In signature Majestic Repertory fashion, “The Sandman” twines menace and whimsy into the tale of a clockmaker’s family drawn into an escalating series of “bizarre and unnatural events.” Based on the work of E.T.A. Hoffman, author of “The Nutcracker,” this production features original music and lyrics by Richard Oberacker and Robert Taylor, a Broadway writing team that actually lives here. Tickets are $35 ($25 for the under-18s). Thursday through Nov. 28, Majestic Repertory, 1217 S. Main St., majesticrepertory.com.

— Scott Dickensheets

FAMILY

10. Las Vegas Balloon Festival

The reflection of glowing hot-air balloons in the eyes of the kids is something you don’t see every day, but it’ll be part of the Las Vegas Balloon Festival, Thursday through Oct. 31 at Craig Ranch Regional Park, 628 W. Craig Road in North Las Vegas. The festival, from 2 to 9 p.m. each day (with no entry after 7 p.m.) will include the balloon glow at dusk (weather permitting), plus carnival rides, food and retail vendors and live music. Admission is free; tethered rides are $25 and private couple rides $75. Tickets at theballoonglowtour.com.

— Scott Dickensheets

The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Dr. Miriam Adelson, the majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Las Vegas Sands operates The Venetian.

Looking for more things to do? Check out our searchable database of events, exhibits and restaurants around the Las Vegas Valley.