Las Vegas will celebrate Chinese New Year from January 31 through February 16 with a collection of symbolic décor, traditional Chinese cuisine and activities to commemorate the Year of the Horse.
RELATED: Las Vegas Celebrates Chinese New Year 2013 With Entertainment and Festivities
Festive Decor and Entertainment
The Conservatory & Botanical Gardens at Bellagio has displayed a new exhibit with a fabricated three-tier mountain with eight massive stallions. The East Garden will include a prosperous money tree with oversized gold coins hanging from branches. Live performances of traditional folk and pop music with authentic Chinese instruments including the erhu, ruan, and pipa will take place in the South Garden from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The conservatory design will be guided by Feng Shui with the exhibit on display until March 1.
Wynn Las Vegas will display three, 800-pound Tang Dynasty horse sculptures now through February 14. The 9-foot-tall, 10-foot-long horses were created by master sculptor Sillipachai "Mod" Toonrud of FORTE Specialty Contractors in Las Vegas, and will be painted red and gilded in gold leaf.
"PANDA!" takes the stage at The Palazzo Las Vegas, now to February 28 for a limited engagement.
Singer Hacken Lee will perform live at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, February 7-8. The show starts at 8 p.m., and will include hit songs from his last decade of music.
Downtown Festivities
The Smith Center for the Performing Arts offers two special shows: “TAO: Phoenix Rising” on February 16 at 7:30 p.m.; Shen Yun performs from February 21-23.
The Fremont Street Experience will host "Chinese New Year In the Desert" February 7-9. Kicking off the weekend of celebration is the opening ceremony on February 7 at 6:30 p.m., followed by a concert series with special guests Victoria Wei Zhong and Henry Chuc. Other notable events include the Lotus Flowering/Thai Folk Dance, Muay Thai Exhibition and a special concert series on February 8. The Chinese New Year parade takes place on February 9 at 11 a.m. and starts at 4th Street, from Gass Avenue to Ogden. The festivities continue on Fremont Street Experience with performances by the Tendo Baikoki Cultural Dance Group, Las Vegas Hawaiian Civic Club Choral Group and a concert by Gloria Papin. Fremont Street Experience will host nightly lion dances performed by Lohan School of Shaolin taking place on the 3rd Street stage.
Lion and Dragon Dances
Traditional Dragon and Lion Dances will take place throughout the destination to celebrate the Year of the Horse. Performances will include:
-- January 31 - 3 p.m. at The Venetian Las Vegas: A traditional Dragon dance
and eye painting ceremony with firecrackers and festive decorations to
celebrate the Chinese New Year
-- January 31 - 6 p.m. at MGM Grand: Lion-dancing pioneers Yau Kung Moon will
perform a traditional Chinese lion dance that starts at the main lobby
and carries through the casino
-- February 1 - 4 p.m. at Bellagio: A lion and dragon will prance their way
through Bellagio's Porte Cochere welcoming guests
-- February 1 - 6 p.m. at Wynn Las Vegas: Guests can experience the traditional
dragon dance, which will start at South Valet at Wynn. The parade will
wind through the Wynn Casino before making its way to Encore. The
procession will feature a 90-foot-long-dragon, eight lions, firecrackers
and special acrobatic performance
-- February 1 - 5 p.m. at Flamingo Las Vegas: Traditional lion dance through
casino floor
-- February 1 - 6 p.m. at The Quad Resort & Casino: Traditional lion dance
through casino floor
-- February 1 - 7 p.m. at Harrah's Las Vegas: Traditional lion dance through
casino floor
-- February 3 - 6 p.m. at ARIA: Traditional lion dance that will start at the
main porte cochere and head through the casino
-- February 5 - 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. at Gold Coast: Traditional dragon dance
through casino floor. Guests will also enjoy trees filled with candy and
tangerines.
-- February 8 - 12 p.m. at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino: Traditional lion
dance through casino floor
-- February 8 - 1 p.m. at Paris Las Vegas: Traditional lion dance through
casino floor
-- February 8 - 2 p.m. at Bally's Las Vegas: Traditional lion dance through
casino floor
-- February 8 - 5 p.m. at Caesars Palace: Traditional lion dance through casino
floor
-- February 12 - 7 p.m. at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino: Traditional lion dance
through casino floor
RELATED: Las Vegas Gears Up For Chinese New Year
Special Menus
A number of restaurants on and off Strip are preparing special menus and dishes for the holiday celebration. Some of this year's menus include Dragon Noodle Co. & Sushi Bar at Monte Carlo, which will include a $29 dinner with three dishes. The meal includes gong hei fat choy (braised dried oyster and black moss with oyster sauce), ha ha smile (manila clam with black bean sauce), and Budda delight (Chinese Napa, bean thread, black fungus, black moss, snow peas and Chinese mushroom).
Rice & Company at Luxor Hotel and Casino will serve a four-course meal that includes signature selections, like the wicked roll, egg drop soup, kung pao chicken, beef and broccoli, and garlic shrimp with vegetables. The meal ends with the dessert duo of exotic fruits and berries with chocolate passion.
Visit Wynn Las Vegas' Wing Lei, for a dim sum lunch buffet from Jan. 30 to Feb. 9. The newly remodeled restaurant will allow guests to indulge in dozens of small delicacies, daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas is celebrating Chinese New Year in its Tea Lounge. Chinese New Year-inspired pastries, handmade fortune cookies and the traditional Chinese coin in an authentic red envelope will be the highlights of the traditional tea ceremony. Afternoon tea service will be served by staff trained in the art of the traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony. Specialty menus are also available at MOzen Bistro and Mandarin Bar.
Delectable Chinese New Year menus will also be available at FIN at The Mirage, The Grand Wok and Sushi Bar and Pearl at MGM Grand.
A special Lunar New Year menu is also being planned at Ming's inside Harrah's Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, Nobu at Nobu Hotel inside Caesars Palace along with Beijing Noodle No. 9 and Express Court at Caesars Palace.
Poppy Den Asian Bistro by Chef Angelo Sosa at Tivoli Village will offer a specialty five-course prix-fix meal on Jan. 31. Guests will enjoy a sugar snap pea and water chestnut salad, steamed fish made with black mushroom and ginger, soy braised pork belly with bok choy, peking duck served with scallion pancakes, pickles and hoisin.
The Las Vegas Monorail will be offering a $24 3-day pass discount. Just use the promo code: "CNY14" at their station kiosks or at www.lvmonorail.com.