You might be thinking of heading to Las Vegas to soak up the glamour of the casinos and have a flutter or two at the roulette table – but I reckon it’s the pool parties you should really go for. Below, you’ll find a brief guide to the Las Vegas pool party season, from the bare basics on what exactly it is to some of the top events to be check out.
Pool party season – what is it?
At first, this might sound like a bit of a pointless question – a pool party is, as you’d expect, a party by a pool. But there’s a lot more to it in Las Vegas. Pool parties here are generally hosted by some of the city’s best hotels, and people will queue for hours to get in.
Plus, they involve much less lounging around the pool than you’d expect. In actual fact, Vegas pool parties are pretty similar to nightclubs, with thumping tunes and readily flowing drinks, with the exception that they take place during the day.
Just because they are held at hotels, don’t think they’re just a tourist attraction – though people definitely do flock from miles around to attend. They attract the rich and beautiful in their droves, including top celebrities, so they’re perfect places to soak up all of Sin City’s characteristic glamour and excess.
As a quick tip, if you’re staying a hotel hosting a pool party, your entry won’t be guaranteed or free – you’ll have to queue and pay like everyone else. That doesn’t mean they’re not great places to stay.
When to go
The pool party season runs from March to September. Events usually start around 10:00 or 11:00 local time and run until late afternoon, and it’s well worth showing up early to queue. You see, once the place is full to capacity, anyone left in the queue will be turned away – and you don’t want that to be you.
I’ll talk more about the top events to head to below, but generally speaking, each party picks a day of the week to run and will hold events on that day on a regular basis until the end of the season. Each has a grand opening event – this year’s Wet Republic at MGM Grand kicked off the pool party calendar.
Top parties
So, what are the top parties to add to your itinerary?
Rehab (Hard Rock Hotel)
Rehab is easily one of the best pool parties in Vegas, and this year opens on April 21st from 10:00 to 17:00. Taking place on Sundays, it has a fantastic tropical paradise look, complete with daybeds and cabanas. Plus, some of the world’s best DJs grace the decks as guests on a regular basis, while the in-house DJs include DJ Wellness and DJ Shift.
Summercamp Fridays (Hard Rock Hotel)
Also at the Hard Rock Hotel, Summercamp Fridays kick off from April 19th on the hotel’s Paradise Beach. If you fancy sipping cocktails while splashing around with loads of fun activities – think water balloon fights and such – then this is the event to attend.
Wet Republic (MGM Grand)
Wet Republic is one of the best-known pool parties in Las Vegas – and with good reason. This whopping 53,000 sq ft venue is the place to go if you want to be seen, so, unsurprisingly, it’s a top haunt of celebrities – even Prince Harry has been spotted here before, along with the likes of Lindsay Lohan. It has also got an impressive set of resident DJs, including Tiesto, Calvin Harris and Steve Aoki.
TAO Beach (The Venetian)
TAO Beach is a bit different to the above, with an Asian theme and ultra-cool vibe that makes it the pool party of choice for super-trendy partygoers. Come here if you like the sound of shimmying in Balinese decor and relaxing in cabanas complete with TVs and pre-order mini bars, which can be stocked with your chosen drinks.
