By the Lights of the Sphere

New properties, additions and a host of events

The recent developments in Las Vegas over the years have given the city a proper catapult into a successful 2024. With the recent opening of Sphere near The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, Formula 1’s debut last November, and hotels on and off The Strip that keep renovating and making themselves more attractive for locals and visitors alike, there’s something new to see with every visit.

Read to see what lies ahead in Sin City.

Success at Sphere

Since Sphere opened in Las Vegas with the debut of U2’s “U2: UV Achtung Live at the Sphere” performance on Sept. 29, 2023, the eye-catching entertainment center has received widespread attention, so much so that U2 added four more shows in February and March 2024. About a week later, on Oct. 6, director Darren Aronofsky debuted his 50-minute “Postcard from Earth” film. According to Aronofsky, there were 5,000 people in attendance at each of the opening night’s two shows, a relatively rare high number in the cinema world.

According to a Dec. 5 Form 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Sphere Entertainment, the company behind Sphere, has reported that the venue has already made $75 million in total revenue on these two shows alone.

Phish is the next band to perform at Sphere, performing for four days in late April 2024. Additionally, the NHL plans to holds its annual draft at the venue, making it the first sporting event to take place at Sphere. This places the NHL a step ahead of UFC owner Dana White, who booked Sphere for the organization’s Mexican Independence Day event in September 2024.

New Hotels and Restaurants On and Off The Strip

Pinky’s by Vanderpump will be restauranteur, television star and philanthropist Lisa Vanderpump’s third F&B venue in collaboration with Caesars Entertainment, this time at Flamingo Las Vegas. Like Vanderpump’s other locations, Vanderpump a Paris at Paris Las Vegas and Vanderpump Cocktail Garden at Caesars Palace, Pinky’s will feature the restauranteur’s signature aesthetic, as well as Art Deco designs as a nod to Flamingo’s history.

Pinky’s is slated to open summer 2024. Vanderpump is set to open her first F&B concept in Lake Tahoe, Wolf by Vanderpump, at Harveys Lake Tahoe this winter.

Fontainebleau Las Vegas opened its doors on Dec. 13, 2023, with a celebration attended by Las Vegas executives, local government officials and A-list celebrities, among others. Event profs making their way here can expect 3,644 guest rooms and more than 500,000 across 60 floors and 550,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

Durango Casino & Resort opened its doors Dec. 5, 2023. Durango Resort is Station Casinos’ sixth property in the greater Las Vegas area. The property is roughly 20 minutes from The Strip and the only resort within a 5-mile radius, giving it the designation as a location for locals and visitors who want access to The Strip without the foot and car traffic.

Station Casinos has also made new additions to its Santa Fe Station in Northwest Las Vegas, including two new F&B options, Stallone’s Italian Eatery, its second location in Las Vegas, and Nielsen’s Frozen Custard, owned by husband and wife Howard and Amanda Zayon, as well as Stoney’s North Forty, a 13,000-square-foot country restaurant, bar and venue with a live performance stage, a mechanical bull and several VIP booths.

The space also features a 2,300-square-foot outdoor pergola that has a fireplace, beer pong area and games. There’s also the property’s 14,000 sq. ft. of dedicated event space, including a ballroom, boardroom and a couple of cozier meeting spaces.