Celebrate Chinese New Year this year with a special dinner, by watching a lion dance or taking in a concert. Here is just a little of what’s happening to welcome the Year of the Pig in the Las Vegas Valley.
Events:
Aria A special performance Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. by the Green Valley Ranch Marching Band opens ceremonies at the resort; it is followed by at 6:30 p.m. through the casino.
Bellagio The hotel hosts a processional throughout the casino Feb. 6 starting at 4 p.m. at the main porte cochere.
The Forum Shops at Caesars The Meadows School students will perform the traditional dragon parade throughout The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace at 9 a.m. on Feb. 5. The parade starts at the Fortuna Terrace, and stops for a performance at the Fountain of the Gods.
Cosmopolitan Kicks off celebrations with an opulent lion and dragon dance throughout the resort and casino. The ceremonial dance will begin at the Las Vegas Boulevard entrance on the first floor of The Boulevard Tower at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7, and proceed throughout the casino to the digital column art in the lobby.
Fremont Street Chinese New Year in the Desert Holds the Spring Festival Parade on Fremont Street from 11th to 7th streets from 11 a.m.-noon Feb. 9 with floats, costumes, dragons and more. And from noon-4:30 Downtown Container Park hosts the Parade After Party, with lion dances, children’s crafts traditional Chinese music and folk dances.
Gold Coast Enjoy the resort’s annual Lion’s Dance parade throughout the casino floor on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
The Grand Canal Shoppes The center holds lunar new year festivities Feb. 5 with traditional Chinese fan dances at 3:45 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. More than 250 envelopes will be distributed to guests during the fan dance, each filled with a special prize from gift cards to chocolate gold coins.
MGM Grand The resort holds a processional through the casino floor beginning at 4 p.m. Feb. 5 and Hakkasan Las Vegas hosts a traditional lion dance on Feb. 5 at 8 p.m.
PARK MGM The hotel host ceremonies starting inside Eataly Feb. 5 at 7 p.m., continuing through the casino into the hotel lobby.
Tropicana Las Vegas At Feb. 9, at 8 p.m., casino guests can enjoy traditional lion dance held on the casino floor.
The Shops at Crystals World Dance Champions and America’s Got Talent finalists Yau Kung Moon performs a traditional lion dance Feb. 6 noon-1:30 p.m. after a Yusheng noodle toss.
Suncoast A lion’s dance celebration begins at 3 p.m. Feb. 15, culminating at the entrance to the Asian restaurant, Peng Zu.
The Venetian Leon Lai, the popular Cantopop singer, presents shows in Mandarin and Cantonese at The Venetian, Feb. 8-9. (Tickets, 702.414.9000)
Special food and drinks
China Tang Enjoy a “4 Hands” lunar new year dinner menu Feb. 3-10 at the MGM Grand restaurant with dishes such as crab meat pomelo mango salad and stir-fried lobster among the offerings.
Hakkasan Las Vegas Through Feb. 24, Hakkasan Las Vegas features a special menu, desserts and cocktails, including a fortune cookie made with a macaron. The Ping Jing cocktail features Haku vodka, Campari, blood orange and yuzu soda for $16. Dishes available a la carte and on the prix fixe menu includes Peking duck with crispy bean curd and mango, crispy suckling pig with sticky rice and the dark chocolate Wealth Pot. Prix-fixe menu is $128 per person with a two-person minimum. (Reservations, 702.891.7888)
Mott 32 Feb. 2-12, enjoy a Chinese New Year prix-fixe multicourse family-style menu at The Palazzo, with such items as King prawns with pan-fried sticky rice cakes, truffle fried five-grain rice with vegetables and wild mushrooms for $98. Entire table must order menu. (Reservations, 702.607.3232)
Red Plate At Cosmopolitan, the restaurant offers a 10-course “Emperor’s Feast” menu is offered Feb. 5-10 and is $388 per person with a four-person minimum or more, features roasted pork belly, braised fish fin soup with uni, and double boiled bird’s nest soup.
Black Tap The restaurant has created an Almond Cookie Shake, topped with a Chinese New Year Almond Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich, available only on Feb. 5 for $15 at The Venetian.
Ping Pang Pong The locals favorite presents a gold-brick shaped Golden Fortune New Year Sweet Rice Cake, symbolizing ascending prosperity, health and peace for the coming year. It is $13.88 at Gold Coast through Feb. 5.
Ondori Asian Kitchen The Orleans restaurant serves the “Mandarin-tini,” to celebrate Chinese New Year throughout the month of February, for $12.
Peng Zu To commemorate Chinese New Year and the restaurant’s one-year anniversary at Suncoast, a special menu will be served Feb. 8-16 with highlights including pan-fried seabass and braised mushroom with lettuce for $20 (eservations, 702.636.7111).
Tao On Feb. 5, try a four-course, pig-centric prix-fixe menu for $85 per person, including black truffle and spicy pork soup dumplings, and caramelized pork chop with blood orange chow fun, or order dishes a la carte.
