12 Days of a Las Vegas Christmas — Your 2023 Guide to Christmas in Vegas

While it is rarely a white Christmas in Vegas, the holiday season in Sin City is not without its share of magic and festive spirit.

Every year, casinos and attractions across the town create exciting and extravagant holiday displays and experiences. From over-the-top decorations and towering Christmas trees to special seasonal events and appearances from the Big Man in Red, there’s no shortage of festive fun to be had in Sin City, whether you have two days or 12 to explore.

Let’s tear off the wrapping and take a peak at how you can celebrate Christmas in Vegas in 2023:

Las Vegas may not be the first place you think of for a yuletide family vacation, but there are tons of family-friendly things to see and do around the city during the Christmas season. Here are our favorites:

Based on previous years, you might hear these tunes during the 2023 Fountains of Bellagio Holiday Music shows:

While you’re there, step inside the Bellagio to see the Atrium and Conservatory. Both are completely done up for Christmas.

The annual Christmas display at the Bellagio Conservatory will transport you out of the desert into a festive winter wonderland. Every year, the Conservatory is decorated with thousands of twinkling lights, more than 28,000 poinsettias, and a spectacularly-decorated Christmas tree that’s over 40 feet tall. The tree alone is decorated with more than 7,000 LED lights and 2,500 ornaments!

This year’s theme is “The Nutcracker”, showcasing “iconic scenes from the classic ballet, following protagonist Clara’s journey through her holiday dreamland”. Dreamed up by designer Ed Libby and brought to life by Bellagio’s Horticulture team, “each bed will showcase different enchanting moments from the show, transporting visitors to a true winter wonderland where they can celebrate the most wonderful time of the year.”

Admission is free and the Holiday display at the Conservatory is open 24 hours a day from December 2,2023 till January 7, 2024.

If you’re in town for the holidays, you can’t miss Nevada’s largest drive-thru light show. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s 2.5 mile course is illuminated with 5 million LED lights that make up more than 600 animated displays. It opens at 5:30pm and runs from November 9, 2023 to January 7, 2024. Admission starts at $39 per vehicle.

Who needs Christmas trees when you have Christmas cacti? 2023 is the 30th anniversary of this Las Vegas holiday staple, featuring more than half a million lights draped over three acres of cacti, as well as chocolate houses and sculptures and live demonstrations of Ethel M chocolate creations. The lights are switched on each night between 5:00-10:00 PM from November 3-December 31, 2023. Learn more about Ethel M’s 30th Annual Holiday Cactus Garden Lights.

There is a $2 entrance fee per person. This money is donated to Help of Southern Nevada and Three Square Food Bank.

Santa sometimes makes a few surprise stops at Mandalay Bay’s famous shark reef and aquarium, but this isn’t your standard visit. This year, Santa will be visiting with “ a rather large and toothy holiday helper – Santa Jaws. Throughout the day, Santa Jaws will happily “swim” by to join the kiddies for a photo.”

Santa can be found in the shipwreck between 10am and 4pm, from December 16 to Christmas Eve. With each paid admission, children 12 and under receive a complimentary photograph with Santa Claus.

Shark Reef Aquarium is open daily from 10:00 AM-8:00 PM. Last admission is at 7:00 PM.

If the 40-foot tall Christmas tree at the Bellagio Conservatory doesn’t cut it for you, make sure you check out the 65-foot tree at the Venetian. It’s truly a spectacle to behold, with over 50,000 programmable lights and a nightly light show.

Inside the Sam’s Town hotel, you can find the wooded, waterfall area of Mystic Falls Park. At any other time of year, you can catch the Sunset Stampede Laser Light and Water Show, which “chronicles the Western pioneer experience with music, dancing water and a state-of-the-art laser light show”. But every December, Mystic Falls transforms into a Winter Wonderland, complete with a seasonal update that includes Santa’s workshop, a nightly snow show, and the addition of holiday classics to its laser light show music.

Mystic Falls Winter Wonderland is free to enjoy and open 24/7. Holiday laser light show performances run every two hours between 2:00 pm and 10:00 pm daily from November 22, 2023-January 1, 2024.

ARIA’s winter setup is a must-see for any holiday die-hard. Last year’s display was called “The North Star” and was made up of over 90 pounds of fondant and 2,000 pounds of sugar. It took over 100 working hours to build, and was composed of:

This year’s display hasn’t been revealed yet, but is sure to be spectacular.

Make sure you pick up your own Christmas candies and confections at the ARIA Patisserie, which is currently offering holiday sugar cookies, gift boxes, and more.

From the ashes of Merry Crimson, a new annual Vegas tradition emerges. This year, the Rouge Room at Red Rock Resort Casino will be “transporting guests from the 1920s to the snowy peaks and frosty forests of the North Pole. Featuring festive holiday décor, instagrammable photo moments, fire pits, frosty treats and a merry lineup of seasonal cocktails”

Guests can visit Rouge Wonderland from November 23 to December 30, Sundays and Thursdays from 5 pm-12 am and Fridays and Saturdays from 5 pm.-1 am.

The Tournament of Kings arena is transformed into a medieval winter wonderland for “‘Twas the Knight”—a seasonal show featuring holiday costumes, lights, and a magically conjured snowfall courtesy of Merlin. And, of course, there’s a holiday-inspired meal.

The Tournament of Kings holiday dinner show runs from November 16-December 25. Tickets start around $74.

Get a bird’s-eye—er, reindeer’s eye?—view of the Strip on a helicopter night flight over the dazzling lights of Vegas’s most iconic casinos and resorts, as well as historic Fremont Street. For some added holiday luxury, upgrade your night flight and travel to and from your chopper in a stretch limousine!

Guests must provide their own transportation to our Las Vegas Terminal located at 5060 Koval Lane, Las Vegas, NV.

See the glittering lights of fabulous Las Vegas in a luxury helicopter! Upgrade your tour and travel to McCarran International Airport by shuttle. Airport fee is included in your price.

Las Vegas is known for its heat, but it does cool off in the winter. Around Christmas time you can expect daytime temps of 56 F and overnights around 35 F, though the temperature can drop even further and sometimes the city even gets snow! Typically only trace amounts will fall, but there are years on record (as recent as 2019) where it has snowed a couple of inches.

When visiting Las Vegas for Christmas, plan to pack warm layers and a light jacket for the evenings, just in case it gets colder than you expect.

Regardless of whether you are looking for kid-free fun or family-friendly activities, Las Vegas has lots of holiday things for you to do in 2023.