With a month to go before the start of Life is Beautiful, co-founder Rehan Choudhry is in Vegas for a few days between trips to food-and-wine fests on both coasts. “The biggest piece of feedback I’m getting everywhere we go is that we’re incredibly well known in the industry now,” he says. “It’s only our second year, but I feel like we’ve been around for five years. There’s a lot of organic excitement that I’m walking into as we go into these markets, which is exciting because last year I felt like every conversation I was having, I was trying to explain to people what we were.”
Now Choudhry says it feels like there’s a lot of momentum building for the three-day festival taking place on the streets of downtown Las Vegas. Count on Kanye West to provide some of LIB’s most memorable moments as opening night headliner, topping off a bill that includes The Weeknd, Panic! at the Disco, Girl Talk and Jenny Lewis. Outkast heads up Saturday’s roster—highlighted by The Flaming Lips, The Roots and TV On The Radio—although Lionel Richie will be a tough act to follow. The Foo Fighters close out the festival Sunday after sets by Skrillex, Arctic Monkeys, Little Dragon, Mayer Hawthorne and more.
Choudhry and company count on cuisine to set Life is Beautiful apart from the rest of the festival circuit. Many of the celebrity chefs involved in last year’s event are returning, as is Life is Beautiful’s official kickoff party Grills and Guitars. Vintage Trouble, Sleeper Agent and The All-Togethers provide the soundtrack for Friday night’s gourmet backyard barbecue. Bruce and Eric Bromberg, Cat Cora, Hubert Keller and Jet Tila are among the all-star team of chefs, most of whom appear throughout the festival for live demonstrations alongside nearly two dozen of their peers from Las Vegas’ restaurant community.
Vegas’ art scene, meanwhile, contributes to the visual aspects. The reimagined Western Hotel will contain installations and collaborations curated from the best of the city’s talent, with noted artists Tim Bavington and Sush Machida enlisted to co-create a mural. An international lineup of artists has been recruited to contribute to the street art program, which transforms the urban landscape into a “magical art-inspired playground.” The speaker series returns as well, with more than 30 orators addressing topics tied to Life is Beautiful’s overarching “inspiration” theme. If Pussy Riot or Ricki Lake don’t catch a festivalgoers’ fancy, Penn & Teller or Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh just might—or perhaps Choudhry himself.
One element other than the length of the festival that has changed is the approach to the VIP areas. “Last year a (VIP) ticket got you better viewing of all the programming and performances,” he says, adding that this year’s version offers an enhanced bar experience, restaurants from The Linq represented by the Main Stage and possibly a bowling lane. “You’re going to have a great vibe, better viewing of the stages, better facilities … and then there’s definitely going to be food this year, so we’re excited about that.”
Downtown Las Vegas, Oct. 24-26, starting at $105 for single-day pass, starting at $249 for three-day pass, plus tax and fee.
For tickets and the full lineup, visit lifeisbeautiful.com
