Las Vegas · Christmas in Las Vegas
Christmas in Las Vegas for Grown-Ups
Christmas in Las Vegas is the holiday without the hassle: no cooking, mild desert days, the big shows still playing and the casinos decked out in lights. Here's how to fill a December trip with light shows, a proper Christmas dinner and a fireside drink, with the 2026 dates.
- Drive-through
- Glittering Lights, November 6, 2026-January 3, 2027
- Walk-through
- Magical Forest, select nights November 27-January 1
- Free
- Bellagio Conservatory holiday display (2026 dates: confirm with Bellagio)
- Weather
- Cool, dry desert days; cold nights
Some links on this page go to booking partners. If we join their affiliate programmes we may earn a commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. It never decides what we recommend. How we make money.
Holiday lights
Glittering Lights is a drive-through light show at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, running November 6, 2026 to January 3, 2027. A carload is $39 in cash at the gate or $44 by card, and there's a $64 Fast Pass on peak nights. Closer in, Magical Forest at Opportunity Village, a walk-through forest of lights west of the Strip run by a local nonprofit, opens November 27-29, December 3-24 and December 26, 2026 to January 1, 2027, from 5:30 p.m.
Glittering Lights at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway (I-15 exit 54, Speedway Blvd)
Heads-up: Runs November 6, 2026 to January 3, 2027 only.
A drive-through holiday light show at the speedway northeast of the city, running November 6, 2026 to January 3, 2027. A carload is $39 in cash at the gate or $44 by card, and a Fast Pass to skip the line on peak nights is $64 per vehicle.
Tip: The organisers warn not to follow GPS: take I-15 exit 54 and follow Speedway Blvd half a mile to the entry.
Magical Forest at Opportunity Village
6300 W. Oakey Blvd, west of the Strip
Heads-up: Open on select nights from November 27, 2026 to January 1, 2027.
A walk-through holiday forest of lights run by Opportunity Village, a Las Vegas nonprofit. Open November 27-29, December 3-24 and December 26, 2026 to January 1, 2027: 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Tip: Ticket sales open in fall 2026; seniors 65+ get $3 off at the box office.
The Bellagio Conservatory
The free Bellagio Conservatory changes its display with the seasons, and its winter holiday display is a Vegas Christmas tradition. Bellagio's website blocked our check, so we can't confirm the 2026 dates: check with Bellagio before you go. Stay for the Fountains of Bellagio after dark.
Fountains of Bellagio
Bellagio, Center Strip
The free water-and-music show on Bellagio's lake. After dark the shows run often enough that you can time a walk past it between dinner and a nightcap.
Tip: The view from the Paris side of the boulevard (or from the Eiffel Tower Restaurant) takes in the whole lake.
A show for Christmas week
The big resident shows play through the holidays, but check each calendar for dark days around December 24 and 25. O at Bellagio is the classic first show; Absinthe is the racy, very adult alternative. For dinner and a show in one seat, book The Mayfair Supper Club.
"O" by Cirque du Soleil
Bellagio, Center Strip
Cirque's water show: acrobats, divers and synchronized swimmers performing in, on and above a stage that turns into a pool. It runs about 90 minutes and is the classic first Vegas show for good reason.
Tip: Mid-section seats give the best view of the whole pool; the first rows can get splashed.
Absinthe
Spiegeltent, Caesars Palace
Racy comedy, circus and burlesque in a small tent on the Caesars Palace plaza. Acts happen inches away, and the host's humour is very adult: great fun if you like bawdy, skip it if you don't.
The Mayfair Supper Club
Bellagio, Center Strip
A theatrical supper club facing the Bellagio fountains, with a 360-degree stage that rises and lowers during dinner. Performers move through the room as the courses arrive, so it is dinner and a show in one seat.
Tip: Book a table for the later seating on a Friday or Saturday if you want the room at full swing.
Dress: Dress up: jackets and cocktail dresses fit right in
Christmas dinner and a fireside drink
For an old-Vegas Christmas dinner, Golden Steer has red leather booths and tableside Caesar salad; Top of the World turns slowly 800 feet above the Strip. Afterwards, the Peppermill Fireside Lounge is open 24 hours, with its fire pit set in a pool of water.
Golden Steer Steakhouse
West Sahara, just off the Strip
Serving since 1958: red leather booths named for Sinatra and Monroe, tuxedoed servers, tableside Caesar salad and flaming desserts. Pure old Las Vegas.
Top of the World
The STRAT, 106th floor
Steak and seafood 800-plus feet up in a dining room that turns a full circle about every 80 minutes. The whole valley goes by during dinner.
Dress: Smart casual or dressier
Peppermill Restaurant & Fireside Lounge
North Strip (2985 Las Vegas Blvd S)
A 1972 coffee shop and lounge with neon, mirrored ceilings and a fire pit sitting in a pool of water. Big breakfasts by day, oversized cocktails by the fire at night. Open 24 hours.
Our advice
- Early and mid-December are often calmer for Strip hotels than New Year's week.
- Book Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners now; the best tables go first.
- Pack a warm jacket: desert nights in December are cold.
- Check current hours, event dates and prices before you go.
Everything on this page was checked on October 1, 2026, on each organizer's official site. Holiday dates, show runs and prices change, so confirm before you go.
Questions people ask
When is Glittering Lights in Las Vegas in 2026?
November 6, 2026 to January 3, 2027, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A carload is $39 in cash or $44 by card.
When is the Magical Forest open in 2026?
November 27-29, December 3-24 and December 26, 2026 to January 1, 2027: 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and until 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
When is the Bellagio Conservatory Christmas display?
Bellagio's site blocked our check of the 2026 dates, so confirm them with Bellagio before you go.
Is Las Vegas good at Christmas?
Yes, for a relaxed, no-cooking holiday: the shows keep playing, the resorts are decorated, the light shows are open and hotels are often cheaper before Christmas than at New Year.