Located just to the north of the Strip, the Las Vegas Festival Grounds have been hosting major music festivals, conventions and other events since 2015 – and if you’re planning to attend a large outdoor event in Vegas, there’s a good chance this is where it will be.
To help you make the most of your time in Vegas, in this post, we have all the details you need about what’s on at Las Vegas Festival Grounds, how to get there and what to expect when you arrive, so all you need to worry about is turning up and enjoying your event.
A little history
Let’s start with a bit of background. The land that is now covered by Las Vegas Festival Grounds was once mostly taken up by the El Rancho Vegas hotel and casino, the first self-contained resort to appear on what is now the Las Vegas Strip.
The land was bought by MGM in 2007, and in 2014, plans were announced to turn it into an outdoor venue for music festivals in Las Vegas, with Cirque du Soleil and the Yucaipa Companies also involved in the project.
The original name for the site was MGM Resorts Festival Grounds, but the decision was taken to rebrand it as Las Vegas Festival Grounds to downplay the role of the MGM Group.
Rock in Rio USA, the American version of Rio de Janeiro’s Rock in Rio – one of the largest music festivals in the world – was the first major concert held there, taking place the following year in 2015.
However, this event proved to be much less successful than the organizers had envisioned, and plans to turn it into a biennial festival never materialized.
Nevertheless, the site continues to host major music festivals and other large events.
This means the large outdoor space located just minutes from the heart of the Las Vegas Strip has become a big draw for festivalgoers who can combine a trip to Sin City with outdoor events headlined by some of the best-known names in music.
What can you expect at Las Vegas Festival Grounds?
Covering 37 acres of ground and with a capacity of up to 80,000 people, Las Vegas Festival Grounds is capable of hosting even the biggest events.
It boasts 400 permanent restrooms – so you won’t need to worry about having to visit dirty portable toilets like at some lesser festival venues.
There’s also a whole range of pavilions and food and beverage vendors, so there’s plenty of choice when it comes to finding something to eat.
The site is served by a 7.5-acre dedicated transportation area, making it easy to reach.
Although there’s no parking for private cars, you can travel to the site by Deuce bus or monorail, and there’s also a designated drop-off zone for rideshares, taxis, ubers or limos.
The site is within easy walking distance of the Strip too, so many people will prefer to just arrive on foot.
Once inside the Festival Grounds, you’ll find the whole area is covered with synthetic turf, which gives it a pleasant natural look – but the grass never gets worn away from people trampling over it.
There are plenty of places to sit and rest, and when the sun gets too hot, there are also several areas with trees providing shade and somewhere to cool off.
So in short, whatever type of event you are attending there, you’ll find all the services and amenities you’ll need to make your experience as comfortable as possible.
Upcoming events
Here are some of the events that are due to take place at Las Vegas Festival Grounds in the coming months.
Day N Vegas
Dates: CANCELED
Type of event: Music festival
Note: As of July 2022, this festival has been cancelled due to “a combination of logistics, timing and production issues”.
When We Were Young
Type of Event: Music festival
Dates: Saturday 22, Sunday 23, Saturday 29 October 2022
Headliners
My Chemical Romance, Avril Lavigne, Jimmy Eat World, Paramore, AFI, The Used, Bring Me The Horizon and The All American Rejects
Description
When We Were Young is a music festival being held over three days in October featuring big-name headliners such as Avril Lavigne and others playing on multiple stages in the Las Vegas Festival Grounds area.
The festival is open to all ages. It starts at 11 in the morning of each festival day and finishes at 11 at night.
General admission starts at $244.99, but VIP packages and other options are also available.
Note: Tickets for this festival have now sold out, but if you still want to try to go, you can sign up for the waitlist on the festival’s website.
CONEXPO-CON/AGG
Type of event: Construction trade show
Dates: 14-18 March 2023
Description
CONEXPO-CON/AGG is North America’s largest gathering of those involved in all segments of the construction, aggregates and ready mixed concrete industries.
The 2023 edition will feature over 24 product categories, more than 1,800 exhibitors and 150 education sessions, spread over 2,700,000 square feet of exhibition space.
The event takes place in Las Vegas every three years.
Past events
As well as these upcoming events, many other big concerts and events have been held on these grounds in recent times, including:
- Intersect Music Festival (organized and sponsored by Amazon Web Services)
- ACM Party for a Cause Festival
- iHeartRadio Music Festival
- Day N Vegas Music Festival
- Martha Stewart Food & Wine Festival
Read More:
Las Vegas Festival Grounds: FAQs
1. How big is Las Vegas Festival Grounds?
Las Vegas Festival Grounds covers a total area of 37 acres (15 hectares).
2. What is the capacity of Las Vegas Festival Grounds?
The maximum capacity of Las Vegas Festival Grounds is 85,000.
3. What is the address of Las Vegas Festival grounds?
The address is 311 W Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89101
4. How do you get to Las Vegas Festival Grounds?
The Las Vegas Festival Grounds site is conveniently located near the Las Vegas Strip on the southwest corner of Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard.
There are several easy ways to get there, including:
On foot: Perhaps the simplest way to get to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds is simply to walk there. It will take you about eight minutes from Circus Circus, 12 minutes from Wynn and half an hour from Caesars Palace.
By Deuce bus: You can take the Deuce on the Strip bus to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds stop on Las Vegas Boulevard.
By Monorail: Take the Las Vegas Monorail to Sahara Station and then walk across the Monorail pedestrian bridge above Paradise Road. From there, continue through Sahara Las Vegas, cross Las Vegas Boulevard and arrive at the Festival Grounds front gate/east entrance.
Taxi, Limo, Uber etc.: If you tell your driver to take you to the Festival Grounds, they will drop you off at the designated Rideshare drop-off point at 480 Circus Circus Drive in the Festivals Transportation Lot. You will then enter through the south entrance.
5. Is there parking for private cars at Las Vegas Festival Grounds?
During festivals and other events, there is no parking for private cars at Las Vegas Festival Grounds.
An impressive outdoor space for hosting large events in Vegas
There’s no shortage of entertainment venues in Vegas, including exclusive casinos, world-class nightclubs and more – it’s not for nothing the city is known as “the entertainment capital of the world”.
However, when somebody needs to put on an event on an even grander scale, Las Vegas Festival Grounds is one possible venue, so if you’re in town for a festival, an exposition or something similar, this is likely to be the place your event is held.