Las Vegas is nothing short of entertaining the millions of visitors who come every year to revel in its abundance of activities (e.g. shows, concerts, clubs). After all, there’s a reason why it’s called the “Entertainment Capital of the World.” I’ve experienced many of Sin City’s forms of entertainment since I was a kid, from magic shows to the Blue Man Group to Cirque du Soleil, and I had fun watching them all.

However, during my latest visit to Las Vegas last October, I didn’t stay long enough to see any shows. I also didn’t really want to, as tickets aren’t cheap, and the trip was more of a food visit than anything else (refer to the last post). We did manage to catch some of the free shows, though, which are the light shows at several of the hotel-casinos at night. I definitely encourage checking them out, as they’re budget-friendly (again, free!) and pretty impressive. Here are the ones I saw during my recent trip:

Viva Vision Light Show at the Fremont Street Experience

20211015_180616Viva Vision at the Fremont Street Experience

This light show is essentially a large video screen suspended on the roof of the covered Fremont Street, which is sort of a galerie that’s home to several hotel-casinos and tacky souvenir shops and tourist trap bar-restaurants. Viva Vision plays brief, 10-minute light shows on the hour, with different line-ups starting at 18h00 until 02h00. To catch one of the shows while strolling the pedestrian street is a real treat, with plenty of color and visual effects to captivate you.

It’s important to note that Fremont Street is located off the Strip, and it’s in an older part of town. This part of the city is more of the “original” Las Vegas, with older, historic hotel-casinos like the Golden Nugget. Visiting this part of Vegas, you get that classic, no-frills vibe, as it welcomes tourists just trying to get their gambling in, away from the high-end and pretentious hotel-casinos on the Strip. In other words, Fremont Street is the “old school” Las Vegas.

We caught the first Viva Vision show of the night at 18h00, which featured songs from The Killers. It was a short one at less than 10 minutes, but it offered the highlights from the band’s career, all in tune to the kaleidoscopic visuals of golden, red, and blue. Although such light shows are brief, it’s just enough so that you get to stop and watch for a bit, take a few photos and videos, and continue on your way. The line-up changes every year, I believe, and it has featured songs from other famed artists like Shakira, The Chainsmokers, and Imagine Dragons (at least, from 2021).

The Volcano at Mirage Hotel & Casino

20211015_190653The Volcano at the Mirage Hotel & Casino

Back on the Strip, you have several options of light shows to choose from. One of them is the Volcano Show at the Mirage Hotel & Casino. The whole concept of the hotel-casino is a sort of fantastical paradise (as its namesake). That means it includes an artificial volcano floating on its artificial lake, which in the daytime looks rather small and unassuming, but transforms at night into a hot and illuminating fire show.

The show starts at 19h00 every night, and it occurs right on the dot at each hour until 23h00. If you’re staying on the Strip, it’s best just to walk over just a few minutes prior to grab a spot by the rails to catch the show– otherwise, I recommend parking for free at The Venetian just across the street and heading over. It’s a popular show, so you’ll see tons of people congregating closer to the volcano to see it “erupt” up close and personal.

I didn’t have high expectations for the show, but I was pleasantly-surprised at how neat it turned out to be. The volcano doesn’t actually “erupt,” of course, but rather spits out streaks of fire from the hidden pyrotechnics of it inside. There’s also a steam/fog effect that occurs in the beginning of the show, which adds a level of suspense and mystery to it all. And not only does the volcano spit out fire, but also the lake produces fire! This is all in tune to some ominous, tribal music, and it really is fascinating to see the technology of fire and water coming together.

Fountains at Bellagio Hotel & Casino

20211015_193632Fountain show at the Bellagio

If there’s one light show that you should check out while in Las Vegas, it would have to be the fountain show at the Bellagio. It’s the most-famous show in all of town, and it’s one that I’ve seen countless of times throughout my childhood, every time I visited in the past. There is something truly magical about seeing the show at night, when the whole lake lights up and sprays perfectly-calculated volumes of water in time to whatever song is played in the background. And thankfully, you’re far away so that the water doesn’t splash on you!

Just like the Mirage volcano show, the fountain show can be accessed along the Strip: you can just walk over or park at The Venetian before heading over. If you’re coming from the Mirage volcano show, the Bellagio is just a 10-15 minute walk over, so you could hop from light show to light show this way. It’s guarantee to be crowded, but the show takes place every 15 to 30 minutes, so in case you miss one of the showings (or didn’t get a good spot the first time), you can always wait for the next one. Times start at noon until midnight (Monday-Friday) or 15h00 to midnight (weekends). I would recommend going when it’s dark, however, so you can fully enjoy the lights along the water.

I watched the fountain show right after the Mirage volcano– luckily, we got a decent spot at one of the balustrades that was empty, so we got excellent views and footage of it all. The show featured the classic song “Luck Be A Lady” by Frank Sinatra as the fountains oscillated, rose in height, and overall made great splashes to the beat of the music. Truly a magical experience, and it was a on our final night in town– what a way to end it all!

…and there you have it! These are some light shows that I would encourage any of you to check out should you be in Las Vegas someday. There are plenty of others to see that I did not include on this list, but whatever you choose to attend, they’re sure to make your experience in Sin City a memorable one.

Thanks for reading my final installment of my road trip from last October. It was 1500 miles / 2400 km in seven days across three US states, and exhausting as it was, it was also exhilarating to be traveling once again after so long. It was my first taste of freedom since the pandemic started, and my dad and I had fun seeing the sites, all the while being safe with mask-wearing and avoiding crowds for long periods of time. I plan to share more adventures with you in due course. Safe travels! 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

47 thoughts on “Destination: Las Vegas, Nevada (ENTERTAINMENT EDITION- Part 3)”

  1. I am impressed at the variety of shows that there are in Vegas. If I visit someday, I do not know if I will be able to sleep with all of the activities going on there. Thank you for an inside view from during your travel!

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  7. I am glad to see that you don’t have to go out and spend money on expensive tours, admission tickets, and activities to have a great time in Las Vegas – there’s something for free, too. I would love to see Bellagio Hotel & Casino fountains soaring a few hundred feet into the air. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. If you look around, you’ll definitely find free things to do in town! The light shows outdoors are free and beautiful to check out. Bellagio’s is the most-famous one and a must-see while in Vegas– hope you can visit someday!

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    1. Glad you think the same! Free shows, free parking, and free activities can be hard to come by in Sin City, but if you look close enough, you can find some! Thanks for reading, Darlene; more adventures are coming soon!

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  12. To be honest I didn’t know there was much more to see/do in Las Vegas than gamble and eat (thanks to your food post ahah), and while it might still not be a bucket-list destination of mine, I’d now love to see all of these light show which seem to be really extravagant and beautiful! It was great to follow you and your dad on your adventures and I can’t wait to read more!

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    1. Vegas is primarily known for gambling and headline shows like Céline Dion, Britney Spears, etc, as well as Cirque du Soleil…but there are definitely free things to do like the light shows! Thanks for following along my US roadtrip series, and more adventures will be following soon!

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  15. Thanks for sharing your blogs, Rebecca. There are always mixed reviews about it, and I always thought it was all casinos and gambling, which isn’t really my thing, but your blogs show there’s more to it, and I’ve recently been seeing more and more hiking destinations there, so now it’s most definitely on my bucket list.

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  17. I missed out except for the fountain show! During my one and only visit, we were still pretty new travelers so we went without research. I would have loved watching shows, especially the free ones. Thanks for sharing Rebecca.

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    1. The Cirque du Soleil shows are a lot of fun! I’ve seen a good handful of them: KA, Le Rêve (no longer showing), KÀ, Mystère, and O. Definitely worth a splurge for at least one of them!

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  22. If you want a little “get aWay” try Tahitian village. They do Hawaiian luau in winter,, have a lazy river, good restaurants and shuttles. Check it out, concierge can tell you all about the amenities…we have friends that have been going for along time, we finally checked it out & decided we’d like to visit alot more!

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    1. Of all the hotel-resorts I’ve been to/heard of, I’ve actually never heard of Tahitian Village! I had to look it up, and it looks like a great deal. Thanks for sharing it with me, and I’m glad it has made your stay in Vegas an enjoyable one. 🙂

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