Vegas on New Years weekend?
 

Been to Vegas 8-10 times now but never on New Years. Got tickets to the UFC 79 event so I'm heading with a friend out there from the 27th to the 1st. Any special observations of poker rooms on a busy weekend like that or anything in particular to avoid? I've been to Vegas on fairly busy weekends before for certain events and am aware of the higher table limits and packed nightclubs and things but I've never been there on a weekend quite this busy (from what I hear, anyway).

Thanks for any info on what to keep an eye out on.

Re: Vegas on New Years weekend?
 

I've been to Vegas 100+ times and this will be my 8th New Year's in a row (since the Millenium) in Vegas. EVERYTHING will be crowded including the poker rooms. Sat and Sun will be like any other busy Vegas weekend, but Monday afternoon on, it will be worse (crowd wise).

- Remember to carry your room key as each property fences up and only allows hotel guest to enter (even the casino) just before and after midnight.

- The Strip will be closed to car traffic beginning at about 6pm, until several hours after midnight. If you need to take a taxi from 2am till 6 am, GOOD LUCK! 2 years ago, we waited in a taxi line at the Venetian at 4am and we said 'nevermind' after an hour.

- If you are looking to eat at any decent restaurant, you better make reservations soon...

- The poker rooms will be packed all weekend! From my recollection, the games are much softer with tourist in town who want to just get some table time. Getting on the list from noon to 2am will probably be a challenge. Get there early morning and wait for the donks to come to you!

- Do check out the fireworks at midnight. FInd a good spot and hangout on the Strip with a drink (champagne!) and enjoy a truly unique NYE experience. Way better than Time Square if you ask me; alcohol, fireworks, decent weather and when it's all done, go inside and gamble!

- Plan ahead and allow plenty of time when leaving on the 1st (driving or flying). Chances are, many thousands of people will be leaving town that day as well!

Re: Vegas on New Years weekend?
 

Great advice, thank you.

Do you know how busy the taxi service will be around 7pm EST on the 31st? We have a certain engagement to attend that night and I wasn't looking forward to having to leave much earlier.

Thanks.

Re: Vegas on New Years weekend?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Great advice, thank you.

Do you know how busy the taxi service will be around 7pm EST on the 31st? We have a certain engagement to attend that night and I wasn't looking forward to having to leave much earlier.

Thanks.

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Check your times, we use PST, not EST out here. At 4pm PSt on new years eve, the entire city is going to be packed. The strip gets shut down around that time to traffic also. It's new years eve, the town will be jammed with 300,000 tourists as well as 1.7 million residents. So effectively a 1/6th overall increase, and most of that concentrated to one spot.

Re: Vegas on New Years weekend?
 

Oops. My brain specifically said to type 7pm PST but my fingers didn't listen.

My taxi destination will not be on the strip, it's towards the airport. Will the line be impossibly long at most places at that time you think? It's really my biggest concern for the weekend. I'm heading to a get-together and if I get there early due to having to leave earlier there's a good chance we'll have to sit around with nothing to do.

Re: Vegas on New Years weekend?
 

As long as you don't have to be on the Strip or cross the Strip, you'll be fine. I would suggest though that if you're heading East of the Strip, you should hang out at a property located east of the Strip or on the east-side of the Strip (Hard Rock, MGM, Venetian etc. Taxis can take the back route outta there). The opposite is true if you need to head west (Palms, Rio, Cesars Palace etc.).

The taxi lines should not be that bad. At 7pm, most everyone is set in staying where they want to be for the night. Then again, taxi drivers might be aware of this and might not be around. Ask your nearest bell hop in advance.

Re: Vegas on New Years weekend?
 

I say just shoot the person who scheduled an off-strip 7pm NY Eve thing.