Christmas and holiday events in the Las Vegas Valley
This winter, discover unique pop-up bars, family-friendly festivities and sparkly new ways to enjoy the holiday season in the Las Vegas Valley.
Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens 
At Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, it is “time” to celebrate the holidays.
The newest botanical display decks the conservatory’s halls with a 42-foot-tall fir tree with thousands of lights, a snowcapped mountain range, a cozy Swiss chalet and Santa’s sleigh filled with gifts.
Enchant 
A new Christmas village and light maze are slated to bring holiday cheer to Las Vegas Nov. 26 through Jan. 2.
Enchant will take over the Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin, transforming the venue into a winter wonderland.
Enchant will feature “The Great Search” maze, an Ice Skating Trail, a Christmas Village serving holiday treats from around the world, an artisan Christmas market and visits with Santa Claus.
Tickets start at $19 for children and $20 for adults.
Enchant partners with the Vegas Golden Knights and the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation to host a special “Knight of Giving” on Dec. 13. Tickets for the event start at $29 for adults and $19 for children 2 through 12. enchantchristmas.com
Festival of Lanterns
In December, experience a holiday spectacular at Cowabunga Bay, 900 Galleria Drive, with all the festive trimmings.
Listen to the sounds of carolers, then have a photo taken with Santa. Vibrant vistas bring the magic of the Christmas Lanterns to life with Santa Claus, Candyland and a 20-foot tall Christmas tree.
Beginning at 4 p.m. each day, guests can stroll through the outdoor festival enjoying the lantern exhibits at their leisure. Tickets are $25.95 for adults and $21.95 for children 12 and under. Parking is free. cowabungabayvegas.com
Glittering Lights 
Glittering Lights, the holiday drive-through spectacular, is a dazzling array of festive Christmas lights and sounds featuring more than 5 million LED lights that intertwine throughout a 2.5-mile course through the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It’s shining 21 years bright this holiday season.
The attraction runs through Jan. 9 and admission is $25 per vehicle at the Speedway, 7000 Las Vegas Blvd. North. glitteringlightslasvegas.com
Hidden Cinema Rooftop Garden
Hidden Cinema Rooftop Garden in downtown Las Vegas hosts a season of holiday cheer featuring classic Christmas movies for all ages, a holiday-themed photo booth for fun family photos, festive décor and a hot chocolate, beer, wine and snack bar. Find showings of “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Elf,” “Love Actually” and more at hidden-cinema.com.
Holiday Cactus Garden 
Holiday Cactus Garden at Ethel M Chocolates’ in Henderson, 2 Cactus Garden Drive, is open through Jan 2.
Guests can stroll through the three-acre cactus garden with over a million twinkling lights from 5 to 10 p.m.
Santa will be in the garden nightly through Dec. 23 and available for photos.
Reservations are recommended and can be booked at ethem.com. Walk-ins are welcome but will have to wait in line. Each reservation can accommodate up to 6 people. For more information, call 800-438-4356. Reservations are not required to enter the store.
In lieu of collecting toy and food donations this year, a $5 non-refundable donation will be required per group of 6 people when making a garden reservation. The $5 fee will be donated to Three Square Food Bank and HELP of Southern Nevada.
Ice Rink 
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas opens Ice Rink for its 10th consecutive season through Jan. 2 .
The Boulevard Pool will once again transform into a holiday wonderland showcasing a 4,200-square-foot rooftop skating rink made of real ice, seasonal light bites and cocktails, a holiday village with fire pits for s’mores making, cozy seating areas and fan-favorite holiday films displayed above the rink on the resort’s 65-foot marquee.
Magical Forest
The Magical Forest is a winter wonderland with millions of sparkling lights, exciting rides, great food and endless holiday cheer.
This year, the Magical Forest at Opportunity Village, 6300 W. Oakey Blvd., will celebrate its 30th season.
The Magical Forest is a walk-through attraction of lights and festive installations. Attractions include a train, a slide, carousel, food trucks and photos with Santa.
It will be open Nov. 26 through Jan. 2; closed Christmas Day. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. daily. Individual tickets are $25 at the gate for those 4 years and older; $22 if purchased at opportunityvillage.org. The website also has ticket packages. Children 3 and younger admitted free.
Miracle on Spring Mountain 
The Miracle on Spring Mountain holiday-themed pop-up bar takes over The Sand Dollar Lounge, 3355 Spring Mountain Road, once again for the season.
The Las Vegas location of the renowned Miracle Bar Popup will transform The Sand Dollar Lounge into a fully immersive Winter Wonderland from Nov. 22 through a New Year’s Eve celebration.
Hours for the pop-up will be 3 p.m. to 4 a.m. seven days a week, closed Thanksgiving Day.
The pop-up has five themed dress-up nights including Vodka Latke night and Ugly Sweater night. thesanddollarlv.com
Mystic Falls Park
Sam’s Town is making the season merry and bright with the return of Mystic Falls Park’s winter wonderland display, featuring festive décor, more than 26,000 points of light and the return of its holiday laser light show.
The holiday attraction can be enjoyed starting at sundown on Nov. 24 through Jan. 1.
Returning for the first time since 2019 is a nine-minute holiday laser light show.
Performances run every hour, between 2 and 10 p.m. Mystic Falls Park® will make it snow in the Las Vegas desert every night through the new year. samstownlv.com
Rock Rink
The Rock Rink at Downtown Summerlin, located at Sahara Avenue east of the 215 Beltway, has returned for the holidays.
Downtown Summerlin kicked off the holiday season Friday with the arrival of Santa Claus and the opening of the skating rink Rock Rink. Skate rentals are $16. Hours vary, and appointments are required. Check summerlin.com for details.
“This is Christmas” show
Backed by a live all-star band, “This is Christmas” will bring audiences on a magical journey through the holiday season featuring timeless Christmas favorites.
The show, held in The Palazzo Theatre, will feature a cast of 10 performers from television and Broadway including “American Idol’s” Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young.
Tickets are available for the 7 p.m. show: Nov. 26-28; Dec. 2-5; Dec. 9-12; Dec. 16-19; and Dec. 22-25. In addition, a 3 p.m. matinee performance is available on Dec. 19, 25 and 26.
“Winter at The Terrace” 
Green Valley Ranch rings in the season with its festive holiday-themed outdoor pop-up lounge, “Winter at The Terrace.” OpeningNov. 19 through February, the resort’s patio, located in The Backyard, will transform into a winter wonderland.
The 21+ holiday experience will have merry music and photo opportunities,with cozy igloos, fire pits, twinkling lights, snowflakes and more.
Live music on Fridays and Saturdays will set the tone for the festive pop-up.
“Winter at The Terrace” will be open Sunday through Thursday from 3 to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 3 p.m. to midnight.
Contact Janna Karel at jkarel@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jannainprogress on Twitter.
