The best Vegas experiences for 2025
Sin City has never been one to shy away from the spotlight. But an influx of new, awe-inspiring attractions is drawing in Vegas regulars—and even the Vegas-averse
Las Vegas is always out to impress, ever evolving in pursuit of the next daring and dazzling thing. As such, for every beloved stalwart whose lights fade from the skyline (goodbye, Mirage and Tropicana), exciting new developments rise up to fill the void (hello, Sphere and Fontainebleau)—and the last few years have brought about truly transformational change.
From the opening of multiple new mega-resorts and record-shattering entertainment venues to residencies from chart-topping A-listers, plus a slew of celeb-driven ventures and the city’s metamorphosis into a bona fide sports hub, there is ever more to see and do in Las Vegas. First-timers and long-time loyalists alike will find plenty of reasons to visit, with even more in store for 2025.
Experience the future of live music
On its opening in 2023, Sphere instantly became a top Vegas attraction, bringing a new set of otherwise “not really Vegas people” to the city. Dominating the skyline at 366 feet and seating up to 17,600 fans, the venue commands the city’s attention with its hypnotic animations.
The hyper-futuristic, immersive entertainment space has transformed live performance, thanks to a wraparound LED screen with the highest resolution in the world. It’s already home to residencies from major global rock icons with films created exclusively for the venue, as well as sporting events like the NHL Draft and UFC fights; stay tuned to see what it will expand into next.
The biggest and brightest shows
Cirque is as essential to Las Vegas as Phantom is to Broadway… so it’s oddly fitting that Sin City’s newest Cirque du Soleil production is the New York-centric Mad Apple at New York-New York Hotel & Casino. Expect gasp-inducing acrobatics, comedic storylines and energizing music.
Another celebration of vibrant New York nightlife, the immersive Discoshow from Spiegelworld serves as a high-energy homage to NYC’s decadent disco era. For a pre-show bite, drop into the venue’s Diner Ross for 1970s-style steakhouse fare with a modern twist.
Lights on for the Las Vegas Grand Prix
With the introduction of the Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023, the city built a thrilling street circuit that flies around the neon lights of the iconic Strip at night. Two years on, the Grand Prix Plaza is set to open this spring at the site of the 300,000-sq-ft pit building—the largest on the Formula 1 race calendar.
The new state-of-the-art, multi-use complex will offer year-round programming, as well as F1-inspired karting, 4D interactive exhibitions and private event spaces. Racing fans can also look forward to the opening of the F1 Arcade at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in 2025, a two-floor flagship venue with full-motion racing simulators, a champagne bar, dining, and impressive Strip views from its outdoor terrace.
Golf gets a glow-up
High-tech, entertainment-driven “social golf” that mainly caters to adults is having a big moment—and as with most entertainment trends, Vegas is all in. It started last March with the opening of Atomic Golf at The STRAT Hotel: The massive, four-story entertainment complex includes chef-crafted dining, six bars, the club-like Cosmic Lounge, and 103 golf bays with immersive video screens that translate each shot into a virtual game.
Over at Mandalay Bay, the just-opened Swingers Crazy Golf Club reimagines the typically family-friendly game of miniature golf as a cocktail-complemented, adults-only experience. Practice your swing at any of the four nine-hole courses while a DJ spins; take a break to fill up on elevated pub food; or try your luck at Skee-Ball and other games in the carnival area.
A whole new side of AREA15
The immersive art and entertainment complex AREA15 was already a hit; it’s home to Omega Mart, a huge, otherworldly grocery store from renowned art collective Meow Wolf (visitors step through “portals” into an alien world). But the ever-expanding space has even more in store: Last month saw the launch of the John Wick Experience, which transports fans on a mission through the “Las Vegas Continental,” with immersive, interactive environments based on the movie franchise. Also opening in 2025 is Universal Horror Unleashed, with four haunted houses, plus bars and dining options to soothe frazzled nerves.
A cultural guide to Las Vegas
Only-in-Vegas museums
The Punk Rock Museum, which opened in 2023, takes a revolutionary approach, offering in-person tours led by a revolving lineup of punk royalty guides. It’s a unique way to explore the institution’s galleries, which are stuffed with memorabilia from some of the genre’s most influential acts.
Meanwhile, just minutes away, a really and truly “only in Las Vegas” spot is the Neon Museum, dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the city’s iconic neon signs. Be sure to see the Insta-gold original Neon Boneyard while you still can—the museum plans to relocate to a new home in the DTLV Arts District in 2025.
A stay fit for the stars
The much-anticipated Fontainebleau Las Vegas luxury mega-resort finally opened in December, welcoming visitors with a taste of its Miami sister property’s mid-century glamour—albeit on a much grander scale.
At 67 stories, it towers over the Strip, and sprawls across 25 acres. Even the standard rooms here are spacious, so any stay will feel like a VIP experience. Guests will also find 36 restaurants, bars and clubs, including LIV Nightclub and LIV Beach, and the BleauLive Theater, where you can catch top touring acts and new Vegas residencies. Of course, just lounging by any of the six pools or booking a pampering treatment at Lapis Spa are both perfectly acceptable ways to spend your stay, too.
Must-see new music venues
While Sphere is soaking up all the new-venue limelight, Las Vegas is home to a few other new concert halls—all on a decidedly smaller scale. Voltaire at The Venetian is a stunning, intimate cabaret space inspired equally by art deco design and ’70s disco glam, a great place to see A-list headliners. Then there’s Ole Red, country singer Blake Shelton’s new restaurant, bar and venue at the newly renovated Horseshow Las Vegas—the honky-tonk features live music seven days a week and one of the best rooftop views of the Strip, complete with its own stage.
Over at Bellagio, The Pinky Ring by Bruno Mars is a glamorous jazz lounge and cocktail bar where Mars and his band the Hooligans frequently play. Pro tip: If he’s in town for a show elsewhere in Vegas, he will almost certainly end up here.
The latest tastes of Vegas
Vegas has one of the highest per-capita concentrations of celebrity-chef-helmed restaurants in America, and the list is constantly evolving. Chef José Andrés has a new seafood-focused spot called Bazaar Mar at the Shops at Crystals, with the Eastern Mediterranean Zaytinya coming soon to The Forum Shops at Caesars.
Reality star Lisa Vanderpump’s forthcoming Pinky’s promises to bring stylish, art deco glamor to the Flamingo, while Via Via food hall is set to open in mid-2025 with multiple global cuisines at The Venetian. Finally—and seemingly long overdue—three-time James Beard Award-winner Michael Mina recently launched the eighth edition of his upscale Bourbon Steak concept at the Four Seasons.
Nicole Rupersburg is a freelance food and travel writer whose work has appeared in Thrillist, Matador, Travelocity, Cosmopolitan, and more. She believes in the joys of being a tourist in your own city—especially when that city is fabulous Las Vegas—but travels frequently throughout the Southwest region to go hiking, eating, and exploring.
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