What are some of Las Vegas’ most beloved holiday traditions?
Hnce in a while, if we’re lucky, we get half a day of snow in Las Vegas. It’s hardly the stuff of “White Christmas” or picturesque Hallmark wintertime scenes.
Still, Southern Nevada has a way of celebrating the holidays that is all its own. We asked some prominent Las Vegans to share their favorite traditions.
From “It’s Vegas” to a desert Christmas, here’s how they celebrate:
Kenny Epstein
‘Anything you want’
The longtime owner and CEO of downtown’s El Cortez says he loves all holidays because Las Vegas is a “holiday place — that’s what Las Vegas is all about.” Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas or spring break, Kenny Epstein says, “we’re involved.”
“It’s just like any other place,” the 83-year-old says. “It might be different than any other place, but the traditions are the same.”
He says his favorite part of the holidays is hosting Christmas dinner at his house, adding that he cherishes visiting with relatives he and his wife haven’t seen for a while.
“This is Las Vegas,” he adds. “You could do anything you want.” But if your ideal winter scene includes a blanket of snow, he recommends driving up to Lee Canyon or Mount Charleston. 
Nicole Brisson
No snow, no problem
In 2003, a career opportunity led chef Nicole Brisson to Las Vegas from Rensselaerville in upstate New York. She admits to missing the snowfall, especially at Christmastime, but over the years Brisson has replicated her own holiday scene here.
Amid the ice rinks and light shows, Las Vegas has a way of getting people into the holiday spirit. Brisson does her part from the kitchen of Brezza, the modern Italian restaurant she opened in 2021 at Resorts World, and the adjacent Bar Zazu. At the latter, guests can enjoy her White Christmas Truffle menu. At the former, it’s her seasonal off-menu white truffle tajarin, the Piemontese version of tagliatelle, served with European butter sauce, parmigiano reggiano and shaved white truffles.
Aside from celebrating with friends, family and her restaurant crew, Brisson loves cooking, hosting dinner parties and celebrating the holidays outdoors.
She calls it the desert Christmas way. 
Carolyn Goodman
Celebration never stops
“Most of us look forward to the holidays and spending time with our families, and we are no different,” Mayor Carolyn Goodman says of her and husband Oscar. “Our four children will come to the house with their families to enjoy being together.” They’ll watch football, hockey or basketball. And Goodman will ensure plenty of everybody’s favorite foods are on the table.
As mayor, her traditions include lighting the Christmas tree and the menorah at the Fremont Street Experience, as well as the Magical Forest tree at Opportunity Village, to switch the holiday season into full gear.
Goodman is also a fan of wintertime visits to Mount Charleston, calling it one of the area’s “world-class outdoor amenities” that locals and tourists can’t do without this time of year.
The mayor points out that, year-round, “Las Vegas is unmatched in how it celebrates life.”
“Whether choosing between dining options or incredible entertainment venues, the choices are staggering. Now having become a sports center of the world too, teams and individual competitions can be enjoyed almost every month of the year — the choices are unlimited,” she says. 
David Perrico
Food, music, memories
David Perrico, trumpet player, composer and conductor for the Raiders House Band at Allegiant Stadium, orchestrates a holiday season that revolves around food, music and family.
When Perrico toured with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra 48 weeks a year, he says, he didn’t get to spend time with family around major holidays. But food helped him stay connected. “Whatever culture, whatever your background is, food always brings you back home,” he says.
Coming from an Italian background, Perrico and his family make special foods during Christmas like pizzelle, a thin waffle cookie. On Christmas Eve, their main dishes feature fish. On Christmas Day, it’s lasagna and antipasto.
While food is the centerpiece, music always takes Perrico back. Some classic tunes he recommends are “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “White Christmas.”
“Regardless if it’s snowing or not snowing, white Christmas or not … you can just feel the energy,” Perrico says. “It’s that time of families getting together, and music really brings everybody together, because those are the songs that really remind you of Christmas.”
In that spirit, you can catch Perrico and his Pop Strings Orchestra’s “Christmas Holiday Show” featuring the Raiderettes in December at Myron’s at The Smith Center. 
Amy Saunders
It’s all downtown
Amy Saunders, also known by her stage name, Miss Behave, launched her “Mavericks” show residency in October at the Plaza, and the holidays for Saunders mean staying local.
The British-born producer and performer, who holds the Guinness World Record for sword swallowing, relocated to Las Vegas in 2017 and hasn’t moved out of downtown since. She loves the city so much, her holiday traditions involve a stroll downtown and sipping cocktails while staring up at the neon skyline.
She might start with a bite at PublicUs and then wander up Fremont Street to the Plaza. After a cocktail at the Carousel Bar, Saunders saunters around staring “dizzy-eyed at the neon, because I love it and it just does not get tired for me.”
Her favorite people-watching spot is the Fremont Street Experience. “If I was in Vegas at Christmas, which I often am … then I would come downtown and stare at all the beautiful neon and all the crazy people,” Saunders says. 
David Tupaz
Fashionably festive
Artist and fashion designer David Tupaz’s holiday traditions involve hosting out-of-town friends and family on the Strip.
Tupaz feels about Christmas the same way he does about Swim Week, which took place in August at Resorts World. Though Vegas doesn’t sit next to an ocean like Miami or Los Angeles, he says swimwear is huge here because we have the biggest pool parties.
Similarly, America’s playground has its own over-the-top way of creating winter wonderlands. Think of the grandeur of Bellagio’s seasonal display or the spectacle of an ice rink set amid the dazzling lights of the Strip, complete with snow showers.
Tupaz can’t wait to see how the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens will be decorated. “So that’s one stop that I would do,” he says. Wynn Las Vegas’ holiday display is another destination he recommends.
The Strip is always a magical place, even more so when you sprinkle in some holiday cheer. “I think Vegas has created some of the most fascinating institutions,” Tupaz says. ◆