Maluma Lights Up Las Vegas

Welcome to LAMag’s semimonthly update on the biggest restaurant openings, club news, hotel announcements, celebrity and influencer sightings, and everything else you need to know before you venture to Sin City.

Maluma Commands Rumbazo Stage as More Festivals Near

It’s music month in Las Vegas and the inaugural RUMBAZO Festival on Sept. 10 kicked off with a welcome party hosted by Becky G at Circa Resort & Casino’s rooftop Legacy Club, followed by the RUMBAZO marquee music festival at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. Global Latin music idol Maluma and worldwide bachata icon Prince Royce were among the artists who amped up the energy during a full day of performances. The festival wrapped up with a day-after pool party at AYU Dayclub at Resorts World Las Vegas on Sept. 11. Later that night, Maluma headed to XS Nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas where he was seen partying the night away with a crew of 30 people.

Coming this weekend is the ninth Life is Beautiful festival with acts including Arctic Monkeys, Calvin Harris, Gorillaz, Lorde, Jack Harlow, T-Pain and Kygo. During the three-day festival, premier musical acts, experiential artists, comedians, thinkers and culinary talent and 170,000 attendees flow into the urban streets of downtown Vegas. And there’s more! Just announced on Sept. 15 is the news that Sean Diddy Combs will open the iHeart Radio Music Festival which will take over T-Mobile Arena Sept. 23-24 with performers including Avril Lavigne, Black Eyed Peas, Halsey, Lionel Richie, LL Cool J and many more. Ryan Seacrest will host, per usual.

Ocean Prime’s $20 Million Bet Plus New Restaurant Buzz

You may be familiar with the name from its Beverly Hills location; now, a $20 million Ocean Prime is coming to Las Vegas. Known as a contemporary seafood restaurant and steakhouse, Ocean Prime is scheduled to open its Las Vegas location in Spring 2023. The restaurant will be more than 14,500 square feet with a nearly 2,500 square-foot rooftop terrace, and will include over 400 seats, two bars, and three private dining rooms. The location, four stories above the Las Vegas Strip, will be an anchor restaurant for 63, a multi-level retail and hospitality complex scheduled to debut this fall, with a second phase opening in early 2023.

Meanwhile, Palms Casino Resort is bringing VetriCucina back to life on the 56th Floor of its Ivory Tower as of Nov. 1. First opened in November 2018, the restaurant became popular for its panoramic views of the city and acclaimed Italian cuisine from chef Marc Vetri before it was closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic. The style and warmth of the restaurant were inspired by the flagship location with 25 years of history in Philadelphia. Over at Resorts World Las Vegas, a new luxury bar and lounge, Jalisco Underground, is set to open on Sept. 15 and is located directly underneath Wally’s Wine & Spirits. The opulent cocktail experience will feature a collection of agave-based drinks and decadent bar bites inspired by bold, Mexican flavors. Standout menu items include the $100, 24-carat margarita featuring a gold flake and the $100 nachos with slow-roasted suckling pig, truffle queso and Siberian caviar. The restaurant will be open Thursdays through Saturdays.

Also opening at Resorts World is Crossroads Kitchen, which boasts of being the first fully plant-based Italian/Mediterranean fine-dining restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip, Crossroads Kitchen has now introduced weekend brunch and weekday lunch service. Check out Chef Tal Ronnen’s Chestnut Foie Gras.

And just down the street, The STRAT Hotel, Casino and SkyPod will open Chi Asian Kitchen in October. Taken from the Chinese word meaning “eat,” Chī will serve an array of authentic and reimagined Chinese and other Asian dishes. Across town, renovations at Oscar’s steakhouse at the Plaza Hotel & Casino downtown are complete and the restaurant is offering Queen Elizabeth’s favorite cocktail to pay tribute to the late monarch. The “Queen Elizabeth II,” cocktail is one part gin and two parts Dubonnet, a wine-based French aperitif, with a half lemon wheel and ice. The specialty cocktail is available for a limited time at a price of $10.

Shania Twain Donates $150,000 to Local Kids in Need

On Sept. 7, just days before wrapping her residency show, Shania Twain, along with Live Nation Las Vegas and Caesars Entertainment, presented Shania Kids Can with a final donation of $150,000. Since opening in December of 2019, $1 of every ticket purchased to  Twain’s “Let’s Go!” residency performances at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino has been donated to Shania Kids Can. Established in 2010 by Twain, Shania Kids Can (SKC) provides a helping hand to kids who are facing poverty and crises in their young lives.

Mexican Independence Day Celebrations Abound

Mexican Independence Day is Sept. 16 and many Vegas properties are taking the opportunity to offer some special events. Multi-platinum pop icon Enrique Iglesias will hit the stage at Resorts World Theatre with special guests Los Tres Tristes Tigres on Sept. 16 and 17. Iglesias’s hit 2001 song, “Hero,” (above), has more than 459 million views on YouTube. Meanwhile, Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian Resort will transform into the ultimate celebration destination for Mexican Independence. The Shoppes kicked off the festivities with an “El Grito” celebration on Sept. 15 including a march with a mariachi band and folkloric dancers. PanIQ Escape Room & Lounge will feature buy-one-get-one-free on all beverages, as well as 10-percent off Escape Room Experiences. Asian Fusion restaurant, The X Pot, will feature a live DJ, as well as happy hour specials, with 30 percent off beers and well cocktails, and 20-percent off food. Cañonita at Grand Canal Shoppes will highlight food and beverage specials all weekend long. Tacos & Tequila at Palace Station Hotel & Casino will also celebrate Mexican Independence weekend with food and beverage specials, plus a Sunday Mariachi Brunch.

Emo Nite, Kevin Hart and Amy Schumer at Resorts World

EmoNite is debuting its first-ever residency at Zouk Nightclub at Resorts World Las Vegas. Emo Nite is the duo Morgan Freed and T.J. Petracca, who will deliver a brand-new stage show curated specifically for this residency. The performances will give alternative music fans the chance to experience EmoNite in a new way as they enjoy a mix of both old emo favorites and newly crafted sounds exclusively at Zouk Nightclub. Current dates on sale to the public are Oct. 21, Oct. 22 and Nov. 23. Meantime, AmySchumer, the Emmy-winning standup comedian, actress, writer and producer will be bringing her new tour to Las Vegas at the Resorts World Theatre for one night only on Nov. 5. Presale tickets for Schumer began Sept. 14. Soon after Schumer takes the stage, Emmy and GRAMMY-nominated comedian and actor KevinHart will headline a limited engagement at Resorts World, on Nov. 18 and 19. The shows will be filmed to be part of his next comedy special. Tickets and VIP packages are available here.

Xavier Mortimer Plans Stunt to Make Vegas Sign DisappearXavier Mortimer has announced he is planning a stunt to make the iconic Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign vanish for an upcoming production. Mortimer is the first ever Cirque Du Soleil featured performer to launch his own headlining show on the Vegas Strip, and his residency, Xavier Mortimer: The Dream Maker, has been named Best Magic Show in Las Vegas for four years running by . Now, Mortimer exclusively tells LAMag what’s fresh about his show at The STRAT.“This new show is an immersive journey inside the dream of a magician. It’s a show packed with visual and original illusions, dance, music, acrobatics for all ages and all nationalities,” Mortimer said. “We now have screens covering the entire background. This allows us to create entire video sets which match the storyline and create an ambiance with the character and the magic.” Get tickets