People come to Las Vegas for experiences that can’t be had elsewhere, and there’s only one place on the Strip to take in a concert while wading at a beach. The nearest ocean may be almost 300 miles away, but there’s room for everyone to feel sand between their toes, spread out a blanket or recline in a lounge chair while catching acts at Mandalay Bay Beach.

The 2016 season of Concerts on the Beach launched with smoking sets by roots reggae acts Katchafire and Mystic Roots, followed by last weekend’s ’90s-flavored lineup featuring Salt-N-Pepa, Kid ’N Play, Tone-Loc, Rob Base, Color Me Badd and Kool Moe Dee. This weekend’s show finds Ziggy Marley and Steel Pulse returning to the stretch of coast in the desert.

The Gogos

The Gogos

It’s not likely to be the last time either A-list reggae act sails into Mandalay Bay. It will, however, be the final Vegas concert by the Go-Go’s when the all-girl group brings its farewell tour to the sand on the south end of the Strip Aug. 26. Sounds of the ’80s work well at the Beach, with the end of last summer marked by another decade-dedicated lineup when Flock of Seagulls headlined the Sept. 26 Lost ’80s Live tour stopover.

ABC, Animotion, Gene Loves Jezebel and Wang Chung performed at that final 2015 Concert on The Beach, but there were many other sunset soundtracks that summer. O.A.R. brought their Back to Rockville Tour to the outdoor venue the week prior, and Marley appeared July 31, the week after Better Than Ezra shared a bill with Sugar Ray and Uncle Cracker.

That just scratches the surface of the history of concerts at the Beach. Howard Jones, Ultravox’s Midge Ure, Katrina of Katrina and the Waves and Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins closed out the 2013 season. Collective Soul closed the 2012 season after concerts by Soul Asylum, Gin Blossoms and Smash Mouth.

Weezer, The Human League, Peter Frampton, The Beach Boys, Blondie and Cheap Trick all played beneath the stars as part of a lineage some Vegasologists claim date back to 1996 when Jars of Clay played a July 11 show. Others note Dio’s Nov. 12 concert later that year as a significant date, and Blue Öyster Cult’s Oct. 30, 1995, show as a precedent to what would become known as Concerts on the Beach.

Huey Lewis and the News

Huey Lewis and the News

Fast forward to the present, and crowd favorite Marley returns to headline the 12th annual Reggae Wine Jam, a part of the Wine Amplified series of concerts sponsored by vino event connoisseurs Rock ’n Roll Wine. There will be lots of red, red wine on hand as well when UB40 appears at Wine Amplified’s July 30 event, and wine will be available, if less obvious, at the July 18 appearance of recording artists Phillip Phillips and Matt Nathanson, as well as concerts by Sublime with Rome (June 25), Slightly Stoopid (July 1), 311 (July 2-3) and Huey Lewis and the News (Aug. 19).

UB40

UB40

A Flock Of Seagulls and Wang Chung return with a fresh lineup of MTV-era stars when Lost ’80s Live returns Sept. 10, but it’s the Go-Go’s final Vegas show that will perhaps be the highlight of the 2016 season. As Belinda Carlisle told Las Vegas Magazine earlier this year, the band wanted to go out on a high note and celebrate the legacy of the band, and what better way than in a setting that brings back memories of when Beauty and the Beat was part of the sounds of the summer.

Ziggy Marley Mandalay Bay Beach, 9 p.m. June 3, $45.50 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster