The best things to do in Las Vegas in December

Twinkling lights, a holiday feel and maybe, just maybe, a light dusting of snow. That’s Las Vegas in December, when temperatures plummet to near-freezing and locals drag duffle coats, scarves and thick woolen mittens out of storage. This is when you’ll find hotels decked out in all their festive glory: think grand lobbies festooned with thousands of fairy lights and cacti dressed in tinsel and other shiny holiday baubles. 

The December cold will keep you indoors most of the time, though hardy souls can still brave hikes around the Grand Canyon’s South Rim as well as its diminutive (but similarly spectacular) sibling, the Red Rock Canyon. It’s worth wrapping up to head out and see the Strip’s Christmas lights in all their glory. And the chilly weather is equally unlikely to dissuade you from going to see the Bellagio’s dancing fountains in action, still one of the best free things to do in Vegas in December, as in every month.

December’s hotel prices are fairly reasonable, with a hike if you’re staying for Christmas, and some fairly astronomical pricing on the 31st, when half a million revelers party in the New Year.

It should go without saying that Las Vegas has some of the best indoor entertainment on the planet but, if you want to get (sort of) out and about during the day, we recommend a spin on the classic hop-on hop-off bus tour. It’s a great way to see a lot of the city with very little effort, and visits iconic landmarks including the famous ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign, Fremont Street, the STRAT tower and, of course, those unmissable Bellagio fountains. You can hop off anywhere you like to start filling your Instagram feed with wintry Vegas selfies, or stay on for the full two-hour narrated loop for a proper Sin City intro. 

Pro-tip: a nighttime bus tour also operates to allow you to experience the Strip in all its twinkly festive finery.

Come in from the cold and check out some of Las Vegas’s best museums. The Mob Museum takes a look at the history of organized crime in the US, with a permanent collection that includes old rifles, wiretap recordings and flapper dresses – there’s even an underground speakeasy serving Prohibition-inspired cocktails. 

Mosey over to the Neon Museum to be dazzled by hundreds of historic neon signs (where else but Vegas?), headbang your way down to the Punk Rock Museum, and get your culture fix at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. While you’re there, don’t skip the chance to pop by the Bellagio’s (free) Conservatory and Botanical Gardens for some of the most eye-popping seasonal displays you’re likely to encounter anywhere in the world. Think towering, ornament-festooned trees, massive animatronic polar bears, and more lights and poinsettias than you’ve seen in your life.

Fancy trying your luck in the casinos? Catch some old-school Vegas vibes on the slot machines at the iconic Caesars Palace, go for glory at The Golden Nugget or plan a (legal) heist on the blackjack and roulette tables at the Mirage and the MGM Grand, both of which featured in the movie Ocean’s Eleven. 

Concerts in Las Vegas in December often take on a holiday theme, and you’ll be able to catch Sin City stalwarts Cirque du Soleil and the Blue Man group in a number of different venues. Check listings for the likes of the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, the T-Mobile Arena and the Sphere for big-name rock, pop and comedy legends. And wield your Go City Las Vegas pass for access to umpteen great shows, including comedy, cabaret, conjurors and tribute acts.

December is also a great time to do your Christmas shopping in Las Vegas, with Black Friday sales ongoing at the major malls – Las Vegas Premium Outlets, The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, The Forum Shops at Caesars, the Fashion Show Mall – especially in the early part of the month. In fact, if your pockets are deep enough, there’s virtually no end to the number of places you can shop for luxury goods. Cartier, Prada, Versace, Louis Vuitton: you’ll find them all here, and then some.

But maybe you’re looking for rather more unique and special gifts and souvenirs than the big designer brands and electronics stores can offer. In which case, check out some of Vegas’s big holiday fairs and markets, like Cowboy Christmas at the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Tivoli Village Nutcracker Night Market, for crafts, custom jewelry, indie apparel and more.

While pine trees may be de rigueur elsewhere in the States at this time of year, here in Vegas it’s all about the cacti. And nowhere does holiday decorating better than the folks here in the grounds of the famed Ethel M Chocolate Factory, where the three-acre cactus garden gets an annual December makeover that includes more than half a million twinkling lights and a family of animated reindeer. It’s open until around 10PM throughout December and is quite possibly the most magically festive experience in town.

For sheer Christmassy vibes, The Cosmopolitan’s rooftop runs the cacti a very close second. High above the Strip, this winter wonderland boasts firepits, cocktails, s’mores, holiday movies and stellar views of the neon skyline. Oh, and did we mention the 4,200 square foot ice-skating rink? There are even guaranteed snow showers throughout the evening, thanks to the resort’s very own snow machines!

If you can swallow the eye-watering hotel prices in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve, then you’re in for one helluva fun time, as revelers take to the Strip in their hundreds of thousands to brave the winter chill and ring in the New Year with wild, boozy abandon. The whole of the Strip – from Mandalay Bay at the southern end to the STRAT's cloudbusting tower four miles north – closes to traffic at dusk, allowing the party to begin in earnest. By mid-evening, the streets are seething with merry-makers, all ready to have a good time and enjoy an epic fireworks show, the likes of which only a city as flamboyant and hedonistic as Las Vegas can pull off with such impressive bombast.