It is with the greatest pleasure that Las Vegas Magazine inducts its Hall of Fame class for 2021. Unlike the inaugural class of 2020, which was selected exclusively by Las Vegas Magazine, this year’s class was voted-in exclusively by 2020’s inaugural honorees. This year’s judges included Carrot Top, David Copperfield, Wolfgang Puck, Wayne Newton, Barry Manilow and more. (For a full list of our Hall of Fame honorees, click here.) And what a fantastic list our judges selected! We think you’ll agree these are all no-brainers.
The following honorees have all made a considerable impact on the history and culture of Las Vegas. From entertainment and dining to attractions and nightlife, these are some of the city’s finest examples of how to change the game (and inspire countless imitators in the process).
Some of our honorees are not currently up and running, but we have little doubt all will soon be back to their former glory. Join us in congratulating this year’s shining class!
Drai’s Nightclub and After Hours
Put a nightclub in the basement of a Las Vegas Strip hotel? With a musical format that included electronic dance music? And let revelers party into the wee hours of the morning? Yes, yes and heck yes! Renowned nightlife innovator Victor Drai shook up the industry when he opened the doors to Drai’s After Hours in 1999 underneath the casino floor at the now-shuttered Barbary Coast hotel and casino. His vision paved the way for late-night romps soundtracked by EDM music that had just made its way into the mainstream.
For more than 15 years, Drai’s After Hours continued its reign on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo—that is, until the hotel property was newly minted as The Cromwell in 2014. With that rebranding, Drai and company set their sights from underground to the rooftop and opened Drai’s Nightclub.
Wet Republic
Some would say that Rehab at Hard Rock Hotel kicked-off the dayclub craze in Las Vegas, but it was Wet Republic that took over and carried the torch into the future of daylife.
Opened in 2008 by world-renowned nightlife and daylife operator Hakkasan Group, the sprawling, 54,000-square-foot dayclub at MGM Grand meshed together a high-intensity party with upscale surroundings. Designed by the premier Rockwell Group, deluxe bungalows with private dipping pools, VIP cabanas and the open-air lounge and bar helped establish a more luxurious poolside experience for day revelers.
Fantasy
It’s hard enough for a show in Las Vegas to even make it past its first year. Then you have the show Fantasy, which celebrates its 21st year at Luxor this year. In the long tradition of showgirl entertainment in this city, Fantasy elevates the art with a dazzling stage production filled with some of the sexiest dance performances on the Las Vegas Strip.
The topless revue, produced by Anita Mann with choreography collaboration by famed choreographer Mandy Moore, has been titillating audiences with its cast of ladies that entertain through a series of seductively stunning dance vignettes. Inspired by the show’s name, audiences can enjoy sensual delights through hot dance numbers featuring both ensemble and solo performances. There are amazing group dances, as well as individual displays of athleticism and serious stamina, all scored to some of the most instantly recognizable music of all time.
At the helm of the cast is longtime singer Lorena Peril, who really knows how to connect with a crowd and keep the proceedings loose, and recently added for fun entertainment midway through is magician Murray Sawchuck.
Cirque du Soleil’s “O”
When Bellagio opened in 1998, it was a stunning showcase that brought visitors from all over the globe to admire everything from the Fountains of Bellagio to actual Picasso works. But no one was prepared for the show that launched there the same year, Cirque du Soleil’s water-based production, “O”. No one who has seen this show has been quite the same since.
It starts with a magnificent theater, rigged so that the various performers in the show can appear in front of, above, to the side of, and behind you. It’s not a stretch to say it’s impossible to see everything “O” has to offer in one sitting.
The Forum Shops at Caesars
Las Vegas has become a shopping mecca for millions, and the centerpiece of that universe is the Forum Shops at Caesars. Rapidly approaching its 30th anniversary, the opulent and massive retail center has lost none of its ability to not only draw in shoppers of every stripe, but keep them there the entire day trying to check out every store, restaurant and attraction.
There are so many eye-catching sights here, from the spiral escalator that spans three stories, to the Fall of Atlantis Fountain and Aquarium animatronic show that performs every hour on the hour, to the faux blue skies throughout.
Penn & Teller
Penn & Teller are the undisputed kings of magic in Las Vegas, not only because they have the longest-running magic residency in Vegas history (2021 will mark 20 years since their show at Rio began), but because their influence has brought better magicians, and better magic, to the city. Young, groundbreaking performers such as Mat Franco, Shin Lim and Piff the Magic Dragon all have a debt to pay to Papa Penn & Teller, because all were cut from the same magic handkerchief, a philosophy that focuses on magic’s artistry and expression, not the fervent desire to convince audiences they are capable of the impossible.
Much of the duo’s success stems from their commitment to facts rather than fiction, for the two skeptics are determined to expose truth, to encourage others to question the answer.
Mon Ami Gabi
One of the most popular dining destinations in Las Vegas has to be Mon Ami Gabi. From the street-side patio looking across the Strip at the Fountains of Bellagio to the bistro menu, this restaurant’s power to attract visitors has not waned in the 21 years that it has been open.
Mon Ami Gabi opened in late 1999 at the same time that Paris Las Vegas did, a perfect accompaniment to the French-themed hotel. It was a perfect match, bringing the success that Lettuce Entertain You’s Illinois original had built in only a few years to the Las Vegas locale.
Gondola Ride
Gondola Rides at The Venetian
Along with iconic architecture and replicas of famous structures in Venice, Italy, the newly Venetian in 1999 also introduced a facsimile of one of the Italian city’s most famous attractions—its gondolas. The Las Vegas version was a motorized version which wound its way throughout a number of indoor and outdoor water routes around The Venetian and The Grand Canal Shoppes. Singing gondoliers added that feel of not quite being in the desert environment.
Those same routes operate for thousands of visitors every year, with gondolas gliding past replicas of St. Mark’s Square, the Rialto bridge and dozens of quaint shopfronts while listening to opera performed live.
The attraction is as big a draw for romantic couples as it is for guests who want to experience a little of that Italian flavor without traveling to Italy. And of course, it's one of the most Vegas-defining experiences there is, right up there with the Fountains of Bellagio among the destinations almost everyone puts on their to-do list.
Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat
It’s not often that a Las Vegas attraction becomes known as much for its educational benefits as for its entertainment value, but Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat is all that and more. It opened in 1990 when the legendary duo began their iconic residency at The Mirage, and it’s an absolutely perfect tribute to their legacy, both in the animals that reside there and its ongoing contributions to the local community.
In addition to housing the white tigers that performed in Siegfried & Roy’s show, the habitat is home to four generations of dolphins. The birth of baby dolphins here is a major event, and there have been many over the years.
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is further proof that age is only a number. This year, the hotel and casino turns 55 years old, which makes it one of the oldest properties on the Las Vegas Strip. Yet, despite its age and the Strip's innumerable facelifts, Caesars Palace always finds a way to reinvent itself and remain relevant.
For instance, what started out as a 14-story, 680-room resort in 1966, has turned into an empire with 6 towers and 3,960 rooms. The 800-seat Circus Maximus Showroom hosted performers like Frank Sinatra, and when the showroom was torn down, it made room for the nearly 4,500-seat Colosseum, which was built for Celine Dion—a risk for both parties, but hey, it wouldn’t be Vegas if some things weren’t left to chance, right? Regardless, it paid off.
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