Las Vegas, Nevada

The history of the founding of this breathtaking metropolis, which is one of the fastest growing cities in the whole USA, is extraordinary: The Hoover Dam provided cheap electricity and Nevada’s quite liberal gambling legislation provided a good basis. The dam was finished in 1935, the first hotel arrived in 1941, and just under five years later, Mob Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel opened the Flamingo Hotel on the Strip.

Building the casino cost far more money than Siegel had, so the gangster paid with his life. Despite the initial difficulties, the city began to expand rapidly in the 1950s. More and more new casinos – like the “Sahara” and the legendary “Sands” were added. Since the early 1960s, the desert city has increasingly become the scene of top entertainment acts: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis jr. appeared here regularly and ensured not only for sold-out houses, but for completely fully booked hotels. Las Vegas has developed into one of the top-class entertainment cities in the world. Every world star has performed (and still performs) here.

In 1975, gambling brought more than $1 billion in tax dollars to Nevada’s coffers for the first time. But the development did not stop then, quite the opposite: the old houses have long since given way to new “theme hotels” with large shopping malls, restaurants and casinos. The massive buildings have completely changed the face of the city.

As soon as it gets dark in the desert, the imaginative worlds vie for attention with designs from ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, the fairy tale “The Arabian Nights” and Caribbean pirates to New York and Paris. Sleeping is out of the question here, because there is simply too much to see. And: if you haven’t been here for a year or two, you can look forward to a lot of new things.

Las Vegas information

Location and size
According to timedictionary, located in the south-east of the state of Nevada, Las Vegas is the state’s largest city and covers an area of ​​around 340 km².

Population
Las Vegas is the fastest growing city in the United States, with a population of over half a million, more than three times what it was in the early 1980s. Including the surrounding area, the city is the center of life for 1.5 million people.

Las Vegas
Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS) is located 14 km south of Las Vegas.

Tourism
Tourism is by far the most important economic factor in the desert metropolis. Every year around 38 million guests visit the city in the southwest of the USA and leave an estimated 6.6 billion dollars in Las Vegas.

Climate
Located in the middle of the Mojave Desert, Las Vegas has hot and dry summers, mild winters, and plenty of sunshine year-round. In midsummer from July to August the mercury column often rises above 38º C. Winters are cooler and bring wind and cold nights with daytime temperatures averaging 16º C and cool nights averaging 4º C. The winter months have little rain between January and March. In summer, however, there are sometimes thunderstorms in the late afternoon, moving in from Mexico.

Clothing
In Las Vegas almost everything is allowed – also when it comes to clothing. Here people get married in flip-flops, play in shorts and dance in bikinis. Only in the city’s restaurants and nightclubs is a certain dress code observed. A good tip is to always have a light pullover or jacket with you: if the outside temperatures also make your forehead sweat, European tourists can easily catch a cold because of the unusually strong air-conditioning inside.

Festivals, events and more
While the “everyday” entertainment on offer in Las Vegas knows no bounds, the city also knows how to put itself in the limelight with countless events.

january
dr Martin Luther King Jr. Parade A grand parade is held annually in honor of the human rights activist.

March
Laughlin River Stampede Rodeo Over 700 contestants compete in eight traditional rodeo competitions, including bareback bronco riding, team roping and bull riding. A colorful supporting program and numerous sales stands ensure that the audience has enough fun.

April
Las Vegas City of Lights Jazz & Rhythm and Blues Festival Music lovers picnic at Hills Park at Summerlin to see some of today’s most celebrated jazz musicians live.

May Las Vegas Helldorado Days The Helldorado Days, which have been held annually since 1934 and during which the “spirit of the Old West” is revived, have become a tradition. For five days, the culture of the Wild West will be celebrated by locals and visitors alike.

June
CineVegas Film Festival Matching the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas, the festival features high-quality film premieres and attracts some of today’s most talented actors and directors to the Strip each year.

July
Rockets Over the River Year after year, on the evening of July 4th, the dark desert skies over Laughlin are lit up with furious fireworks.

December
America’s Party: Las Vegas New Year On New Year’s Eve, Fremont Street and the Strip are transformed into a huge open-air party zone, where people party until the early hours.

Las Vegas Shows
Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world and offers the right show for every taste. For example, how about:

Celine Dion
At home in Las Vegas for years, the megastar’s fantastic show has been making the tills of the Colosseum in Caesars Palace ring loudly for years.

Cirque du Soleil
The Cirque du Soleil inspires with several parallel running shows in Las Vegas: “LOVE”, “KA”, “O”, “Mystère”, “Zumanity” and “Believe”

Blue Man Group
The Blue Man Group has captivated audiences at the Venetian for years with wit, rhythm and genius.