July in Las Vegas kicks off with a long holiday weekend. Most of the fireworks celebrating Independence Day will take place on Tuesday, July 4 but the holiday weekend in Las Vegas begins on July 1.
Before we get to the action, here’s a heads-up that flash flood season is underway in Las Vegas. Don’t be surprised to see short blasts of incredibly heavy rain. The Linq parking structure was built for water to leave the Vegas Strip during these downpours. Expect to see videos of water flowing away from the action on the Vegas Strip. This is normal and the reason the structure was designed the way it is.
Some of the most popular Las Vegas residencies will take place during the first weekend of the month. Other performers will take a break and return to the stage continue later in the month.
Las Vegas will host a handful of different sports throughout the month starting with NBA Summer League and NBA Con taking place the weekend after the July 4 celebration.
Change in Las Vegas is a constant and visitors will see new casino amenities from downtown to the suburbs. Vegas Strip visitors may notice a large swath of empty land across the street from Aria.
The appeal for so many visitors to Las Vegas is that there’s always something new to see and do all over town. At the same time, there are so many constant attractions that there’s still a familiar quality to the Vegas experience.
July 4 Las Vegas fireworks shows
While the holiday weekend begins on July 1, most of the Las Vegas casino fireworks shows take place on July 4. There are shows outside of casinos throughout the Las Vegas Valley from the Vegas Strip to downtown and the suburbs.
- Vegas Strip: Caesars Palace at 9 pm
- Downtown Las Vegas: Plaza at 9 pm
- Henderson: Green Valley Ranch at 9 pm
- Summerlin: Red Rock Casino at 9 pm
Anyone traveling with animals should know that there will be professional and amateur fireworks shows throughout Las Vegas from July 1 through 4. Prepare accordingly if your pets are sensitive to noise.
The amateur fireworks can be a bit obnoxious for locals or anyone staying at an Airbnb.
Summer of sports in Las Vegas
Las Vegas has become a big player in professional sports with the Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights and the NFL’s Raiders. Before the pros showed up Las Vegas was home to one-off events and combat sports.
Basketball
NBA Summer League has become a staple on the Las Vegas sports calendar. Games will take place at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion from July 7-17.
The league added NBA Con to the Summer League lineup this year. Guests can see NBA entertainers, fashion, and technology at the event that will take place at Mandalay Bay from July 7-9.
The WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces will play home games at Mandalay Bay on July 1, 5, 11, and 30. WNBA All-Star festivities will take place in Las Vegas during the middle of the month.
The WNBA 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge will take place on July 14. WNBA All-Star Game will take place on July 15. The “WNBA Live” fan festival will take place on both days.
Fights
UFC International Fight Week returns to Las Vegas on July 3-9. The bulk of the action begins on July 6 with the UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at T-Mobile Arena.
UFC X will offer fans a chance to meet and greet as well as get autographs from fighters on July 7 and 8 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The weekend will culminate with UFC 290 on July 8th at T-Mobile Arena. Volkanovski Vs. Rodriguez is the main fight on the card. Visit UFC for detailed information on the week of events.
Other sports
Soccer fans will enjoy a couple of matches at Allegiant Stadium in July. One CONCACAF Gold Cup Semifinal game will take place on July 12 in Las Vegas. Later in the month, on July 30, there will be a friendly between Manchester United FC and Borussia Dortmund.
While the sports menu grows in Las Vegas, this is still where many of the biggest boxing matches take place. Terence Crawford takes on Errol Spence Jr. at T-Mobile Arena on July 29.
Las Vegas residencies and limited engagements
Many familiar performers are returning to Las Vegas for residencies and limited engagements. A few are playing just once during Independence Day Weekend.
This month there’s one band performing its first limited engagement in Las Vegas. If it goes well, expect to see them return for future engagements.
- Usher at Park MGM: July 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15
- Keith Urban at Planet Hollywood: July 1
- Carrie Underwood at Resorts World: July 1
- Adele at Caesars Palace: July 1
- Garth Brooks at Caesars Palace: July 6, 8, 9, 13, 15, 16, 20, 22, 23
- Miranda Lambert at Planet Hollywood: July 7, 8, 12, 14, 15, 19, 21, 22
- Kelly Clarkson at Planet Hollywood: July 28, 29
- Maroon 5 at Park MGM: July 28 & 29
- Smashing Pumpkins at The Cosmopolitan: July 28 & 30
- Katy Perry at Resorts World: July 28, 29
The free Downtown Rocks concert series at the Fremont Street Experience continues in July with three shows.
- July 1: Switchfoot
- July 11: Skillet
- July 15: The All-American Rejects
Expect a huge crowd in downtown Las Vegas during the night of these shows since there’s no charge to see these national touring bands.
Las Vegas show news and rumors
Hartbeat Weekend is taking place at Resorts World from July 6-8. The celebration of Kevin Hart’s birthday includes a poker tournament, two shows by Kevin Hart, and various rappers including Ludacris performing in the clubs. Visit the Resorts World website for more information.
Add Phish to the list of performers rumored to become resident artists at the MSG Sphere at The Venetian. Earlier this year it was rumored that Harry Styles would become a resident performer at the MSG Sphere.
So far, U2 is the only band confirmed to be playing multiple shows at the venue that is slated to open behind The Venetian. “U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At The Sphere” begins Sept. 29
“Awakening”, the full production stage show at Wynn is back after receiving a makeover. The show features new characters, costumes, choreography, and original music.
Las Vegas casino news and rumors
There are several changes to Las Vegas casino rewards programs. The biggest change is with Genting Rewards from Resorts World Las Vegas. The structure of the rewards program has changed as the company reshapes itself as it celebrates being open for two years.
MGM Rewards changed the hours of its “gaming day” to 12 a.m.-11:59 p.m. The change will affect when players earn Reward Points and Tier Credits each day. This is useful information for those participating in promotions like the recent Tier Accelerator.
Nevada now uses the same Caesars sports betting app as the rest of the country. Before the new app was released, Caesars Rewards reduced how many points sports bettors can earn when betting in person or via mobile.
Fontainebleau is planning to open its doors on Dec. 1. The big blue building on the north end of the Vegas Strip has been sitting empty for more than a decade.
The incoming operators of the Rio are slowly releasing information about plans for the property when they take over later this year. It appears as though the near-strip casino resort will undergo a multi-year renovation that touches on the casino, hotel, pool, and entry. More news should be released as the year progresses.
Casino Royale may not exist as we know it for much longer. Through Federal Aviation Administration filings appears as though a casino developer is exploring developing a new taller structure on the property located between The Venetian and Harrah’s. This is all very preliminary, so be patient to see how this develops.
Green Valley Ranch in Henderson is receiving some upgrades. The pool area has been updated and there’s a new bar. There will be new high-limit gaming spaces and two new restaurants added later this year and next year.
New restaurants open on the Vegas Strip this month
- Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Sports Kitchen is now open next to the sports betting counter at Horseshoe Las Vegas.
- Chicken Guy, another Fieri restaurant, is now open at the Caesars Palace food fall.
- Flanker Kitchen & Sports Bar is now open at Mandalay Bay.
- It appears as though Tom Colicchio’s name will no longer be associated with Heritage Steakhouse at The Mirage.
- Ocean Prime Steakhouse is open in the new shopping plaza between the Cosmopolitan and Crystals Mall.
Anyone visiting Ocean Prime or nearby casinos will notice a large swath of empty land across the street where the Hawaiian Marketplace was located. Construction is underway on a new multi-level retail and entertainment complex named BLVD.
