All The Las Vegas News And Rumors In May 2022
April was a crazy month to be in Las Vegas, with BTS performing one of the biggest runs of concerts in US history and attracting hardcore fans from around the world. That might be a lot for some cities, but Las Vegas also hosted the NFL Draft, and Palms Casino Resort reopened after being closed two years ago.
Las Vegas entertainment in May will be highlighted by Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) festival weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Memorial Day Weekend. It may feel as if spring is just getting started, but Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial beginning of summer.
The highlighted weekends are mostly focused on electronic dance music (EDM). As usual, there will be a much wider variety of entertainment in Las Vegas in May.
On top of all this, there are plenty of new restaurants open in Las Vegas and rumors of a new luxury casino and hotel being built from scratch on the Vegas Strip.
While Las Vegas is heating up – literally and figuratively – visitation continues to increase. The recent boom in tourism is a trailing number. The visitation is based on people that have already visited Las Vegas this year.
Las Vegas visitation
Las Vegas tourism data that is showing increasing visitation doesn’t include April and all the big events that just occurred. On top of the great events drawing people to Las Vegas, there are probably some tourists that were waiting to fly to Las Vegas without wearing a face mask.
Well, that day is here. One of the biggest changes from visiting Las Vegas last month will probably happen before you get into town. The TSA is no longer requiring passengers to wear a mask on airplanes.
Anyone visiting Las Vegas at this time has the option to wear a mask or not. It’s been a couple of years since visitors could enjoy a trip to and from Las Vegas without wearing a mask.
One thing we can all agree on is hoping that there isn’t another grasshopper invasion in Las Vegas this spring and summer. Grasshoppers probably won’t slow visitation to Las Vegas on a grand scale, but they’re still nasty.
Visitation to Las Vegas continues to boom, but this isn’t entirely unexpected. During fourth-quarter earnings reports in January, Las Vegas casino operators mentioned seeing trends of busier months ahead.
First-quarter earnings are starting to roll in, and Boyd Gaming sees record revenue in its Las Vegas casinos. This trend should continue as other casino operators report earnings.
Adults started visiting Las Vegas as COVID-19 restrictions were lessened last year. While adults continue to flock to Las Vegas, they’re bringing children with them for a warm-weather family vacation.
EDC + EDC week takes over Las Vegas in May
EDC takes place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway May 20-22. There will be hundreds of performers on multiple stages at the event throughout the weekend.
In addition to the main festival, EDC Week will take place at more than 15 Las Vegas day clubs and nightclubs May 18-24. All the big-name performers like Tiësto, Kaskade, and Steve Aoki will be performing at their normal Las Vegas venues.
Many of the DJs taking part in EDC and events during the week will stick around Las Vegas to perform at the clubs again during Memorial Day weekend.
Whether you enjoy the music, EDC is a great time to be in Las Vegas. The vibe among all the visitors in Las Vegas for EDC is fun and positive. PLUR is real and fantastic.
Rumor has it Adele’s residency on the move
The Adele Las Vegas residency drama continues. The singer fired the creative team she blames for the collapse of her Caesars Palace residency.
Now, TMZ is reporting Adele is close to finalizing a new residency deal with Caesars. If true, the residency will take place at the Zappos Theater inside Planet Hollywood.
The theater size is a big change. The Colosseum at Caesars Palace holds about 4,100 people. Zappos Theater has a capacity greater than 7,000.
This could be a monster deal for both Caesars and Adele with the high demand for the initial residency. Additionally, being able to sell 3,000 more tickets is big bucks for both parties.
On the other side, the move would mean that more people would be able to see Adele perform in Las Vegas.
It appears as though Adele and her new team are targeting shows to begin later this year.
Entertainment at Las Vegas pools, clubs, and everywhere in between
The big events get the shine when we talk about what’s happening in Las Vegas. However, there are so many entertainment options that include residencies, stage shows, and special events. There’s even a new venue on the Vegas Strip for adult entertainment.
Resorts World will have a few different residencies taking place in May. Carrie Underwood will take the stage on May 11, 13, 14, 18, 20, and 21. Katy Perry follows Underwood with residency shows at Resorts World on May 27, 28, and 29. Her shows continue in June.
If you happen to enjoy Carrie Underwood, tequila, and mezcal, you might want to stop off at Resorts World’s first annual tequila and mezcal festival on May 14. If you prefer wine, Resorts World is hosting Wine Spectator’s Grand Tour on June 4.
John Legend kicked off his Planet Hollywood residency in April. There will be a few more shows from May 4 through 7.
Michael Buble also started his Las Vegas residency in April. Shows at Resorts World will take place on the same nights as Legend in May.
The duo of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak returns to the stage at Dolby Live inside Park MGM throughout the month of May. The Silk Sonic residency will take place on May 4, 6, 7, 10, 13, 14, 17, 20, 21, 25, 28, and 29.
A lowkey hot festival is Lovers and Friends. The one-day festival sold out quickly that a second show was added. Lovers and Friends are taking place at the Las Vegas Fairgrounds across the street from Sahara on May 14 and 15. Ms. Lauren Hill, Usher, T-Pain, Ludacris, and so many huge stars from that era will be appearing one on three stages all day and night.
Last year, Wynn Las Vegas dove headfirst into standup comedy. The funny shows return in May with the following comedians returning to the property for the following shows:
- May 6: Tom Papa
- May 13 and 14: Nate Bargatze
- May 20 and 21: Jim Gaffigan
- May 28 and 29: Sebastian Maniscalco
Las Vegas will be home to three All Elite Wrestling (AEW) events in May. The Double or Nothing show at T-Mobile Arena on May 29 is sold out but there are secondary market tickets available. Tickets for the two AEW shows at Mandalay Bay on May 25, and 29 are still available.
Get ready for a new Vegas Strip casino
In March, there was a rumor that Golden Nugget owner Tilman Fertitta was going to buy land on the Vegas Strip and build a casino. It looks as though this rumor may be correct, with the Las Vegas Review-Journal confirming the information.
Fertitta purchased six acres of land across the street from Planet Hollywood and CityCenter/Aria. This is a small footprint compared to most Vegas Strip casinos, but not all. The Cromwell occupies less than two acres, while the Cosmopolitan occupies less than nine acres of land.
The land sale should close in a couple of months, and specific plans should come soon. There are plenty of possibilities for this land and the retail space next to it.
One of the more interesting possibilities is Fertitta building a small boutique casino hotel that would be somewhere between The Cromwell and Cosmopolitan. Imagine a single tower Cosmopolitan style property on the other side of the street.
In addition to owning the Golden Nugget casino chain, Fertitta owns Landry’s restaurants, the Houston Rockets, and the Post Oak Hotel in Houston.
We could speculate for days on what could be done with the land, but it’s probably wise to wait on plans. On an unrelated note, MGM Resorts should be taking over operations of the Cosmopolitan by the time we look at the June news and rumors.
Las Vegas sports scene
The Las Vegas sports scene continues to grow. As far as teams and events go, when a team or sport has a one-off event in Las Vegas, they seem to want to return.
TNT’s made-for-TV golf event, The Match, is returning to Las Vegas this year. The Match this year will have two teams of active NFL quarterbacks playing each other at Wynn Las Vegas.
Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers will take on Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen at Wynn Golf Club. The 12-hole competition will take place on June 1. This event isn’t open to the public but should provide gorgeous videos of Las Vegas on TV.
The Oakland A’s continue to tease everyone with the possibility of moving to Las Vegas. It appears as though Oakland voters will have a say on building the team a new stadium. Meanwhile, A’s representatives are still saying they have a “strong interest” in moving to a stadium on the Vegas Strip. This could go on all year…
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Aviators season is underway for anyone that wants to see baseball in Las Vegas. The team plays a six-game homestand across the street from Red Rock Casino from May 10-15.
The Las Vegas Aces begin their WNBA season in May. The team will play home games at Mandalay Bay on May 8, 17, 19, 21, 23 and 31
Mandalay Bay will also be home to a National Lacross League team later this year. The Las Vegas Desert Dogs will play starting in December. Wayne Gretzky, Steve Nash, and golfer Dustin Johnson are all part of the ownership team.
Las Vegas restaurant openings
Caesars recently opened a slew of restaurants at its Las Vegas properties recently:
- Vanderpump à Paris, Bobby’s Burgers, and Nobu at Paris Las Vegas.
- Cake Boss (Buddy Valastro) has restaurants at The Linq and Harrah’s.
- Walk-On’s (sports) Bistreaux at Harrah’s.
- (Gordon) Ramsay’s Kitchen will open later this year at Harrah’s.
A bar that first made its home at a Caesars property, Tipsy Robot, will be expanding. The bar inside the Miracle Mile Shops location at Planet Hollywood to The Venetian. The new bar should be open by October.