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Tags: Nightclubs / Nightlife / Outdoor Parties / Rok Vegas / New York-New York / Paris / Risque / → All Tags

At Home with House Music for ROK’s ‘Patio Nights’

ROK Vegas nightclub at New York-New York Hotel Casino is all about music, so it stands to reason that the venue would be home to some of the hottest outdoor parties on the Strip.

The latest parties, however, come with a twist: they’re all outside. Every Friday night, the club hosts what it’s calling Patio Nights—house music spun on the outdoor patio between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. The DJs behind the ritual rotate every week, but one of the regulars is Miss Dust.

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Tags: CityCenter / The Light Group / Nightlife / Pools / → All Tags

Not-So-Shocking News: The Light Group To Run Aria's Nightlife and Pool

Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter, August 2009.

The Light Group already runs several nightlife establishments through the MGM Mirage's monopoly collection of hotels on the Strip so it's no surprise that they've been picked to operate four venues inside Aria Resort & Casino within CityCenter as well as the Harmon Hotel & Spa, which has been put on hold until late 2010.

Inside Aria, the Light Group will run Union Restaurant and Lounge which will serve contemporary American food; the Liquid Pool (opening in spring 2010) which will actually feature more than one pool; the Haze Nightclub and The Deuce Lounge, a smaller bar with high-limit gambling.

The Light Group already runs JET and Caramel at The Bellagio, BARE at The Mirage and several restaurants with the MGM Mirage family. Hmm...we think it's about time they start a loyalty program a la The Borgata's Nightlife Rewards program.

Tags: Nightlife / Bars / Light Group / Bellagio / → All Tags

Caramel Hits The (Sweet) Spot for Low-Key Nightlife

For nights when you aren’t quite feeling like full-blown partying, but are still feeling social, Caramel at Bellagio is the place to be. We’re partial to playing (and staying on the rare occasion when our budget allows) at the Bellagio and we love this swanked-up lounge option for the nights we’re feeling slightly more subdued.

The vibe at this small The Light Group-owned club (owners of Jet and The Bank) is cozy and warm, almost like a subtly feminine cigar bar – think caramel hued leather couches, super-sized ottomans, marble tables, and hand blown glass sculptures.

Like the décor, the staff is friendly, inviting and easy on the eyes – you won’t find harder working bartenders on the Strip. As expected, drinks are on par with Vegas prices (read: not cheap), but are stiff. Don’t miss out on the signature martinis – during hot summer months, we like the Cucumber Martini.

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Tags: Closings / Nightlife / Pool Parties / Rio Las Vegas / Sapphire / → All Tags

Perhaps The Rio's Sapphire Pool Should Have Done Without The Stripper Pole

When The Rio's Sapphire Pool debuted this summer, we called it "stripper-friendly." That's because the pool was set up in partnership with one the Las Vegas's strip clubs, Sapphire. Oh, and because it had stripper poles on site.

But that may not have been such a good thing. After a few arrests for prostitution at the pool shut it down for a few days, The Rio has since ended all topless sunbathing for the rest of the season. The Daily Fiasco writes:

Though the Rio’s pool area remains open, what’s unclear is the future of the relationship between the casino and the gentleman’s club of the same name. It was an internal decision to strip away topless sunbathing, and it’s hard to imagine why the two entities would continue to do business without it. (Yeah, yeah, we know. We couldn’t resist the puns.)

Indeed, this just might be the tip of the iceberg for both Vegas' party pools and its nightclubs. With Prive officially closed down now after some serious violations of their liquor license, all clubs are under scrutiny in town. Sin City's own all-knowing wizard, Robin Dumbledore Leach, has whispered (through his blog, of course) that a few more party pools and clubs could be shuttered as city official cramp down on the nightlife.

While the recent closings are a major bummer for Las Vegas, what would be worse is having more places close down left and right. So if you're running a club in Vegas somewhere, make sure you've got everything up to code, now.

Got a scoop on the Vegas nightlife scene? Send it to us at Tips@VegasChatter.com. (Anonymity assured.)

Tags: Krave / Nightclubs / Nightlife / Gay Vegas / → All Tags

Hello Boys and Girls, Krave's Got Your Hot Summer Nights 'Kovered'

Things are getting all sorts of steamy this summer at Krave Nightclub. Named one of the top 100 bars in America by Nightclub & Bar Magazine and Best Gay/ Alternative Bar by the Las Vegas Review-Journal in 2009, the sexy, LGBT friendly nightclub is hosting several events this summer guaranteed to get you hot and bothered.

Here are some of our picks for your social kalendar (oh yeah, we just spelled it like that):

Kouture
Every Tuesday night in the lounge at Krave
Mingle with the hottest stores in Vegas while sipping $2 specialty martinis. Look for mannequin wars, giveaways from the hottest brands in fashion and grooming and sexy go-gos and bartenders all while rubbing elbows with the fashion elite. DJ LightKnife spins tunes found on the runways of New York, Milan and Paris. Fashionable attire suggested. Doors open at 11 p.m. Free for locals, $10 for tourists.

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Tags: Snapshot / Nightclubs / Shopping / Nightlife / Encore / XS / Tryst / → All Tags

XS The Nightclub Gets Excessive With XS Merchandise

Yes, XS inside Encore might be the hottest new club on the Strip these days but does that really warrant an entire storefront devoted to XS gear and Tryst merchandise? (Tryst is the club at Wynn Las Vegas.) Or is Steve Wynn just filling shop space until a legit retailer comes along?

Either way, if you love XS so much you wanna take it home with you, pop into this store called Nite/Life/Shop (get it?) for some t-shirts, hats and frivolous items with the XS and Tryst logos plastered on them. Just don't wear them when you're standing in line waiting to get into the clubs. That will definitely not get you into the clubs.

Tags: Survival Strategies / Nightclubs / Nightlife / Tips / → All Tags

Think You've Got A Free Pass To A Club? Think Again.

There are tons of shameless promoters in every casino in Vegas giving out what appear to be free passes to the nightclubs. If you're already on your way to a club and you aren't on the guest list, when a promoter slaps some free passes into your hands, you'll think, "Awesome! We're in! We've got the Golden Tickets!" And that's actually what The Bank at The Belloagio calls its club passes.

But if it were that easy, then the lines outside TAO and Tryst wouldn't always be at least a 100 people deep on Friday and Saturday nights. We hate to break it to you but getting into the club is still going to be a hassle. Here are five things you should know about those supposedly free passes.

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Tags: Survival Strategies / Nightclubs / Nightlife / Pure / Tips / → All Tags

Six Ways To Get Your Booty Into Pure Nightclub

Oh PURE Nightclub, why do we love you so? Was it the kick ass time we had at Beverly Hills 90210 alum Tiffani Thiessen’s 34th birthday soiree a few years back? Maybe it was the time we threw down $375 a pop for Skyy bottle-service (a ridiculous sum of money, but worth every cent in primo people watching) and danced barefoot on the white leather banquettes to DJ AM – Nicole Richie’s ex and spitting image of every Jewish guy we’ve ever dated?

Or, is it that you appeal to our inner size queen with your enormous outdoor party terrace? Perhaps it’s something far more simple: all-star talent (Ja Rule, Method Man, Girls of Vivid, and Chris Cox) spinning on sexy sound systems and four fabulous spaces to groove.

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Tags: Nightclubs / Nightlife / Tryst / PURE / VooDoo Lounge / TAO / → All Tags

Where to Shake It In Vegas

When the 2009 Club World Award winners (yes, there is actually a Club World Awards) were announced in Miami recently, it was no surprise to see a few Vegas-familiar names on the list. After all, Las Vegas nightlife these days has every bit as much to do with where you’re shakin’ it than who’s shakin’ it for you.

Tabú Ultra Lounge at MGM Grand was named best lounge (and also Best Bottle Service), and Body English at the Hard Rock Hotel was honored for Best Sound System. Tabu is an undeniably cool place to go. Between the tunes and the interactive projections thing they have going and the servers moonlighting as models, it’s easy not to be seduced by the experience. Body English is beautifully designed and the aforementioned sounds are great.

But we don’t really go to a club for the sound system, so here are a few of our recommendations.

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Tags: Cinco De Mayo / Mexican Food / Holidays / Nightlife / Bars / Restaurants / → All Tags

Where to Celebrate Cinco De Mayo on The Strip

Taqueria Canonita at the Venetian

Feliz Cinco de Mayo! There's no way any sort of drinking holiday would go uncelebrated on the Strip and today, Vegas is celebrating Cinco de Mayo hard-core.

But before we send you off on a sure to be memorable drinking adventure, we'd like to remind you that Cinco de Mayo is not just about tequila, tacos and Coronas. Here's a little history lesson:

The holiday commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.

And with that,, you may now proceed with your regularly scheduled drinking programming. Here are our favorite five spots for Cinco de Mayo. Hint: have a lot of $5 bills handy.

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Tags: Nightclubs / Nightlife / Rio Las Vegas / ND's / → All Tags

Beware of the Moving Dance Floor at The Rio's New Nightclub

Every hotel and casino in Las Vegas has at least one big-name nightclub that pulls in celebrity guests, gets constant tabloid media ink and has a dreadfully long line every Friday and Saturday night. Caesars has Pure, The Venetian has Tao, Hard Rock has Body English, Luxor has LAX and so on. But the poor Rio Las Vegas hasn’t really had a nightclub worthy of press and celebrities – until now, that is.

The oddly-named ND's The Club is a multi-level club venue that promises "interactive productions" and "sensory experiences." And want to reiterate that this is a club, not some sort of intimate space a la Tryst at The Wynn. ND's is a menagerie of bars (six in total), dancers in elaborate costumes, VIP booths made of red alligator leather and Vodka-RockStar drinking partiers out on the dance floor. Except this dance floor is a bit different.

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Tags: Nightclubs / Nightlife / Rain / The Palms / DJ Am / → All Tags

DJ AM Takes Up Residence at Rain at The Palms Tonight

It's not news that the Vegas nightclub scene has suffered during the off-season in combination with the recession. Now that the weather is warming up (and rather quickly, might we add) and tourists are taking time off for spring and summer vacations, the clubs need to pick up their business.

It looks like Rain nightclub in The Palms is trying to pick up its business by making quite the steal from Pure. DJ AM, former resident DJ at Pure in Caesars Palace, will start his new contract as Rain's resident DJ tonight.

No terms of the contract were released, but DJ AM, aka Adam Goldstein, will play at Rain every Friday night for an undisclosed amount of time. Rain already has a contract with famous DJ Paul Oakenfold, who spins at the club every Saturday night with his own signature party, "Perfecto." "Perfecto" seems to have had an effect on Vegas visitors and locals alike; the lines outside Rain on Saturday nights are longer than before.

Only time will tell, though, if DJ AM can use his celebrity to attract even more patrons to Rain. With two big-name DJs now weekend staples at the Palms' club, there's a good chance Rain's numbers will be going up.