HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS

Celebrate the holiday season in Las Vegas

By Heather Turk

Photo of Enchant courtesy of Enchant Christmas LLC; Barry Manilow courtesy of Stiletto Entertainment For the second consecutive year, Barry Manilow will bring his holiday concert, “A Very Barry Christmas,” to Las Vegas Las Vegas is the only city in the country with two Enchant locations

From special seasonal productions to festive attractions the whole family will love, there’s no shortage of ways to get into the holiday spirit when you’re in Las Vegas.

Several of the city’s ongoing shows undergo merry makeovers during the holiday season, like “Tournament of Kings” at Excalibur Hotel & Casino. The Strip’s longest-running dinner show transforms the Tournament of Kings Arena into a medieval winter wonderland for its “Tournament of Kings:’ ‘Twas the Knight” holiday show. Running select evenings through Christmas, the production lets audiences relish a holiday feast fit for royalty — complete with a hand-decorated holiday sugar cookie for dessert — while they’re entertained by holidayinspired music, poems, songs, decorations and costumes. The majestic Merlin even summons snowfall upon the arena, since no holiday celebration ever feels complete without it! mgmresorts.com/excalibur

Las Vegas headliner Terry Fator always gets into the holiday spirit as well, and can be seen performing his seasonal spectacular, “A Very Terry Christmas,” at New York-New York Hotel & Casino select nights through Dec. 27. Joined onstage by his beloved cast of puppets, including Winston the Impersonating Turtle,

Celebrate the holiday season with Terry Fator and his hilarious puppets at “A Very Terry Christmas”

the singing comedy ventriloquist performs a variety of holiday classics like “Blue Christmas” and “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel” while also introducing audiences to a new holiday that’s sure to make them laugh. terryfator.com Resident music headliner Barry Manilow will bring some holiday cheer to Vegas, too, when he performs “A Very Barry Christmas” at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino Dec. 1 through 3 and 8 through 10. The production features the Grammy, Tony and Emmy award winner singing his classic hits like “Copacabana” along with some holiday favorites on a festively decorated stage. Last year, Manilow even had a local high school choir join him on stage to sing some holiday tunes! westgatelasvegas.com For those who always make “The Nutcracker” a part of their holiday festivities, fans will be able to enjoy the beloved classic in Las Vegas two ways this holiday season. Not only will Nevada Ballet Theatre put on the dazzling production inside The Smith Center select days Dec. 9 through 24, but a magical experience that reimagines the story — “The Immersive Nutcracker: A Winter Miracle” — can be seen inside Lighthouse ArtSpace Las Vegas at The Shops at Crystals through Dec. 30. A great way to introduce younger family members to the cherished holiday tale, the show uses the latest projection mapping technology to tell the story of “The Nutcracker” in just 30 minutes as viewers are encompassed in more than 500,000 cubic feet of projections composed of over 1 million frames of video. immersive-nutcracker.com

Naturally, both versions of “The Nutcracker” are set to the sweeping music of Pyotr Ilyich

Tchaikovsky, with select performances of Nevada Ballet Theatre’s production featuring a live orchestra playing the iconic score. nevadaballet.org

The Ice Rink at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is another favorite that holiday revelers won’t want to miss. Now in its 11th season, the popular attraction transforms the resort’s Boulevard Pool into a winter wonderland high above the Strip. Through Jan. 2, 2023, guests can go ice skating in the desert on a 4,200-square-foot rooftop rink, watch holiday films on The Cosmopolitan’s 65-foot-tall digital marquee, savor seasonal bites and cocktails and even roast s’mores over an open fire. Ice skate rentals are available, plus there are festive skate aid seal and reindeer rentals so younger family members can safely get out on the ice. cosmopolitanlasvegas.com

Since the holiday season is synonymous with twinkling lights, one of Las Vegas’ brightest off-Strip holiday attractions can also be found illuminating the Strip this year. An instant holiday classic when it debuted at Las Vegas Ballpark last season, Enchant — the world’s largest holiday light experience — now has two walk-thru light mazes in Las Vegas for guests to enjoy through Jan. 1, 2023: one at the Downtown Summerlin ballpark and the other at Resorts World Las Vegas. While both mazes are comprised of over 4 million lights, each one has its own holiday-themed story. Additionally, visitors to Enchant can go ice skating, purchase holiday gifts from local artisans, visit with Santa and more, making it one of the best ways for Las Vegas locals and tourists alike to create some merry memories. enchantchristmas.com

Enjoy a holiday-themed dinner and show at “Tournament of Kings: ‘Twas the Knight”

Enchant’s outdoor light display at Resorts World Las Vegas spans three football fields

Did You Know Guests can enjoy a variety of custom Hallmark Channel experiences at Enchant this year, including photo opportunities and the chance to win a trip to the set of a Hallmark Channel movie.

The Ice Rink at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is a holiday favorite with visitors of all ages