Las Vegas is a desert city of about 679,000 people in Clark County, southern Nevada, and the centre of a 2.4-million metro area. It is known for the casino resorts of the Las Vegas Strip, the vintage neon of Downtown and Fremont Street, big-name shows and restaurants, and easy day trips to Red Rock Canyon, Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire.
Las Vegas runs on a 24-hour liquor licence: bars inside casinos never close, superclubs on the Strip run from about 10:30 PM to 4:00 AM, and Downtown (Fremont Street and Fremont East) offers cheaper drinks, rooftop bars and a free canopy light show. The Arts District south of Downtown has the city's best independent cocktail bars, while Chinatown on Spring Mountain Road hides tiki and speakeasy bars favoured by locals. The legal drinking and gambling age is 21 and ID is checked at every club door.
Strip megaclubs with headline DJ residencies, casino lounges open around the clock, Downtown dive and rooftop bars, Arts District craft-cocktail bars and Chinatown tiki bars.
At a glance
- Peak hours
- Clubs fill from about 11:30 PM to 2:00 AM; Fridays, Saturdays and holiday weekends are busiest
- Average drink
- Strip cocktails $20-30, beer $10-15; nightclub cocktails $25-35 and bottle service from about $500-1,000; Downtown and off-Strip cocktails $12-18, beer $5-9; free drinks for active casino gamblers (tip the server $1-2 per drink)
- Dress code
- Strip nightclubs enforce a dress code: men need collared shirts or smart tops, long trousers or dark jeans and closed dress shoes (no athletic wear, sportswear, hats, baggy clothing or flip-flops); women typically wear dresses or smart outfits with heels. Downtown and Arts District bars are casual.
- Cover charge
- XS Nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas closed for renovation after summer 2026 with a reopening planned for New Year's Eve 2026; check wynnsocial.com before planning around it.
Nightlife districts
Where the action happens after dark.
The Strip (Las Vegas Boulevard South)
Superclubs at MGM Grand, Caesars Palace, The Cosmopolitan, The Venetian, Resorts World and Fontainebleau, plus 24-hour casino lounges and cocktail bars.
Best for: DJ nightclubs, cocktail lounges and late-night shows
Fremont Street and Fremont East (Downtown)
The covered Fremont Street Experience pedestrian mall with free live-music stages and the Viva Vision canopy show, and the Fremont East bar strip between Las Vegas Boulevard and 8th Street.
Best for: Cheap drinks, rooftop bars and bar-hopping on foot
Arts District (18b)
Independent cocktail bars, breweries and galleries along Main Street and Charleston Boulevard south of Downtown, busiest on First Friday (first Friday of each month).
Best for: Craft cocktails and craft beer
Chinatown (Spring Mountain Road)
A 3-mile corridor west of the Strip with tiki bars, speakeasies and restaurants open past midnight.
Best for: Tiki drinks and late-night food
Bars & pubs
Where locals drink.
The Chandelier
Iconic three-storey cocktail bar wrapped in strands of crystal beads at the centre of The Cosmopolitan casino.
Known for: Three-level bar inside a 2-million-crystal chandelier; the off-menu Verbena cocktail
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, 3708 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Ghost Donkey
Tiny hidden mezcal bar behind an unmarked door with a donkey symbol inside Block 16 Urban Food Hall.
Known for: Mezcal and tequila bar; truffle nachos
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Block 16 Urban Food Hall (Level 2), 3708 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge
A 24-hour diner and retro lounge with a sunken fire pit, a Vegas institution since 1972.
Known for: Giant Scorpion bowl cocktails beside a fire pit in neon-lit 1970s decor
2985 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Atomic Liquors
Las Vegas's oldest freestanding bar (licensed 1952), famous for 1950s patrons watching atomic tests from the roof.
Known for: Craft beer and classic cocktails at the city's oldest freestanding bar
917 Fremont St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Legacy Club at Circa
Rooftop cocktail lounge 60 floors above Fremont Street; free Friday 'Welcome to the Weekend' parties ran June-September 2026 with 9:00 PM fireworks.
Known for: 60th-floor rooftop terrace with fire pits and Strip skyline views
Circa Resort & Casino (60th floor), 8 Fremont St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Velveteen Rabbit
Sister-owned Arts District cocktail bar with seasonal menus, live music and weekend DJs.
Known for: Rotating seasonal cocktail menu, local art and a pink back patio
1218 S Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89104
Frankie's Tiki Room
A 24-hour tiki bar with carved wood idols, rum drinks rated by strength and souvenir mugs.
Known for: Skull-rated strong tiki cocktails in a hand-carved tiki interior
1712 W Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89102
The Golden Tiki
Theatrical 24-hour Chinatown tiki bar popular with locals and hospitality workers after their shifts.
Known for: Tiki cocktails in a kitsch grotto with pirate skeletons and shrunken heads
3939 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89102
Herbs and Rye
Dimly lit steakhouse-bar regularly named among America's best cocktail bars, with a menu organised by cocktail history era.
Known for: Era-by-era classic cocktail menu and steaks
3713 W Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89102
Clubs
For dancing into the early hours.
Hakkasan Nightclub
Multi-level superclub at MGM Grand run by Tao Group Hospitality, ranked in DJ Mag's 2026 Top 100 Clubs.
Cover: Typically $30-100+ depending on DJ and night; women often pay less
Hours: Wed-Sat from about 10:30 PM to 4:00 AM
OMNIA Nightclub
Caesars Palace superclub with a moving chandelier centrepiece and an outdoor terrace above Las Vegas Boulevard.
Cover: Typically $30-100+ depending on headliner
Hours: Select nights (typically Tue and Thu-Sat) from about 10:30 PM to 4:00 AM
Marquee Nightclub
Long-running Cosmopolitan nightclub and dayclub, reopened after a 2025 redesign.
Cover: Typically $30-100+ depending on event
Hours: Select nights (typically Fri-Sat and Mon) from about 10:30 PM to 4:00 AM
TAO Nightclub
Asian-themed nightclub upstairs from TAO Asian Bistro at The Venetian.
Cover: Typically $20-60
Hours: Select nights (typically Thu-Sat) from about 10:30 PM to 4:00 AM
LIV Las Vegas
Las Vegas outpost of Miami's LIV, opened at Fontainebleau in December 2023.
Cover: Typically $50-150+ depending on headliner
Hours: Select nights (typically Thu-Sat) from about 10:30 PM to 4:00 AM
Zouk Nightclub
High-tech nightclub at Resorts World, also used as a concert venue for some Resorts World Live shows in 2026.
Cover: Typically $30-100+ depending on headliner
Hours: Typically Thu-Sat 10:00 PM-4:00 AM
Drai's Nightclub
Drai's closed its Cromwell rooftop club after Halloween 2025 and returned to its original basement space in early November 2025.
Cover: Typically $20-60
Hours: Select nights from about 11:00 PM until early morning
Live entertainment
Music, theatre, and performance venues.
Nightlife tips
Stay safe and have fun.
Carry a valid government photo ID (passport for international visitors); everyone must be 21 to enter clubs or drink, and IDs are checked even for people clearly over 21.
Promoters near casino entrances and on club websites offer guest-list spots with free or reduced entry, especially for women and mixed groups who arrive before midnight.
Check the club's calendar before going: headliner nights cost far more than regular nights, and many clubs open only 3-4 nights a week.
Open containers are allowed on the Strip and Fremont Street but not in glass bottles or cans on the Fremont Street Experience; drinks must be in plastic.
Use rideshare (Uber, Lyft) or the Las Vegas Monorail (runs late into the night along the east side of the Strip; check lvmonorail.com for current hours) rather than driving; Nevada's DUI limit is 0.08% BAC.
Downtown on Fremont East is much cheaper than the Strip for bar-hopping on foot.