Each January, anyone who is anybody in adult entertainment—or wants to be—heads to Las Vegas for a multifaceted celebration of their industry held at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, and organized by AVN Media Network. The peak of the pilgrimage is the 2018 AVN Awards (Jan. 27), headlined this year by Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Wayne, and hosted by performer/director Angela White and cam star Harli Lotts. The awards show is preceded by the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, AVN Novelty Expo and web-centric Internext Expo, making Las Vegas the adult entertainment capital of the world for eight steamy winter days.
Last award winner highlights included AVN Female Performer of the Year Adriana Chechik, Male Performer of the Year Mick Blue and Best New Starlet Holly Hendrix. Categories cover everything from All-Girl Performer of the Year to Best Pleasure Product—Large, but for many attendees the parties are the real winners. Starting with AVN Expo Welcome Party at the site of the former 35 Steaks & Martinis (Jan. 24), the bacchanalia continues with nightly private suite parties, the Saint & Sinners event at Culinary Dropout (Jan. 25), and the LATATA White Party at Vanity (Jan. 26), where the climactic AVN Awards After Party will also be held.
Other events include GayVN (Jan. 21-22) and the Lair Fetish Party at Festival Hall (Jan. 26). Seminars and meet-and-greets with performers are part of the daily action at the Expo. Attendees can learn how to market pleasure products to religious clients, how natural disasters affect adult entertainment, and how to stay fit like porn performers. Fans can also see the results of the entertainers’ workouts for themselves as they mix and mingle with familiar faces, but while snapping photos is allowed attendees should always be mindful of respect. Looking is OK, but inappropriate touching or commentary is prohibited.
