Must dos this weekend in Vegas: Nov. 14 – 16, 2014
Got a case of the Mondays? You can cheer up by planning your weekend — and we’re here to help you.
Get yourself to Vegas and get moving. The annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon takes over the Strip on Sunday. If you’re not an athlete there are still opportunities to party and cheer on those who are brave enough to run 26.2 miles non-stop.
Besides running there’s plenty of rocking on tap in Vegas, as well as food and fine art. Here are our picks for what to do this weekend:
Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, photo courtesy Las Vegas Sun
Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon
When: 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16
Where: The Strip
Cost: Free for spectators, prices vary for runners
Lace up your running shoes and do some carbo-loading. It’s time for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, the world’s largest nighttime running event. Runners can get pumped up with a 3 p.m. concert from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis before the 4:30 p.m. race start. Even if you’re not running, it’s totally fun to be a spectator. More than 25,000 people will run up and down the Strip. If we were going to run a marathon this would be our kind of race. There are bands playing every mile, you can jog past scenery like the Bellagio Fountains and the Mirage Volcano and you might see a group of running Elvi trotting past. There’s also a run-thru wedding for couples to elope on the go. Only in Vegas.
Look for plenty of pre- and post-race parties throughout the weekend at bars and clubs around town. Rockhouse will be throwing an after-party for those in town for the marathon. Race finishers are invited to celebrate their achievement with bar food like Philly cheese steak sliders, chicken nachos and build-your-own tacos. Just think, you can enjoy it all guilt-free considering you just burned 3,000 calories.
PBR Rock Bar will be another spot for hungry runners to eat and party over the marathon weekend. Those with Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon wristbands receive 10 percent off their check at the restaurant Nov. 14 – 16. For those of us who aren’t quite as ambitious, the bar will also host a spectator party Nov. 16 at 4:30 p.m. and an after-party with mechanical bull riding, country music and hearty American fare.
KISS Rocks Vegas
When: through Nov. 23
Where: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Cost: From $85
This weekend you can go from running a Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon to partying with rock ‘n’ roll royalty. KISS brings its first residency, KISS Rocks Vegas, to The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino through Nov. 23. Each night, the legendary group will perform a mind-blowing set list created exclusively for the Vegas shows. You’ll be rock ‘n’ rolling all night with the band’s elaborate set designs, intense pyrotechnics and classic head-banging hits like “Lick it Up,” “Detroit Rock City,” “Heaven’s on Fire” and “I Was Made for Loving You.”
Photo courtesy of Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art: Fabergé Revealed
When: through May, 2015
Where: Bellagio
Cost: From $17
The name Fabergé is synonymous with exquisite craftsmanship, taste and the history of the Russian imperial family from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In other words, they’re known for making some very fancy Easter eggs.
Opening Nov. 14 at the Bellagio’s Gallery of Fine Art, “Faberge Revealed” showcases 238 rare Fabergé artifacts, the largest public collection of Fabergé items outside of Russia.
Fabergé produced more than 150,000 objects of art, jewels and silver articles – many of which were one-of-a-kind, for the imperial family of Russia. Most famously, Fabergé designed a series of Easter eggs, some which are featured in this exhibit, including the Imperial Pelican Easter Egg (1897).
In addition to the Fabergé treasures, a small collection of “Fauxbergé” objects — Fabergé look-alikes once believed to be originals — will also be on display.
World Food Championships, photo courtesy Las Vegas Sun
World Food Championships
When: Nov. 12 – 18
Where: Downtown Las Vegas/Fremont Street Experience
Cost: From $25 for ticketed events
The World Food Championships bills itself as “the Ultimate Food Fight,” which sounds like a good time to us. The cook-off brings together competitors who’ve won culinary titles across the country for a weekend throwdown. This year there are nine categories including: barbecue, chili, sandwich, burger, dessert, bacon and recipe, pasta and seafood. As in years past, the recipe category is based on a theme of food, and this year that theme will be cheese. As far as we’re concerned, cheese should be one of the major food groups, so we can’t wait to see what kind of things the competitors dream up.
In a tournament-style competition, the World Food Championships will identify winners in each of the key categories. Once the champions of each category are crowned, they will meet at the Final Table for ultimate bragging rights and a pile of cash.
Throughout the event, foodies can enjoy local food trucks, culinary demonstrations, music, a mixology competition and ticketed events like a music and ribs festival and a chili cook-off.
