Thursday, May 23, 2019 | 3 p.m.
As far as big Las Vegas weekends go, Memorial Day is an especially anticipated one. Serving as the unofficial kickoff to summer, Thursday through Monday is packed with can’t-miss parties, superstar performers and a schedule of events so robust that many of us will be calling off from work Tuesday. The diversity of KAOS’ lineup is a passion project for Ronn Nicolli, Senior VP of Creative Strategy at the Palms. “Memorial Day Weekend is a great opportunity to highlight the real diversity of the lineup, from hip-hop, to pop, to Latin music, to EDM, to deep house,” Nicolli said. “Going further into the summer, we’re actively looking for new talent as well—it’s important to us to keep the lineup fresh and evolving.”
Creating an experience
With so many different venues, creating a synergistic and uninterrupted experience was paramount for the Palms team. “The single experiences are amazing, and each one has so many individual touch points,” Nicolli said. “We also wanted to ensure a fluent experience between them. The transition is important. If you’re at Greene St. and planning to head to KAOS, a host will meet you there and bring you to your table, where your server and buser will be waiting. And once you start winding down at KAOS, your server or host will make sure dinner is set up for you at your next stop.”
SOAK Sundays
KAOS’ new pool party series, SOAK Sundays, is already making waves. “We recently launched SOAK Sundays, which is something I’m really excited about,” Nicolli said. Nicolli, formerly of Wynn Nightlife, continues, “In my past life, I had the opportunity to build other Sunday night pool parties, and particularly on holiday weekends, they’re the best. You don’t have to overthink the outfit or anything like that, you can just take an afternoon nap and come back to enjoy SOAK.”
The perfect holiday weekend
Nicolli walks us through his ideal Memorial Day schedule.
• Thursday night: Greene St. Kitchen & G-Eazy. Before catching G-Eazy at KAOS, Nicolli recommends starting the night at Greene St. Kitchen. “There’s a great vibe on Thursday. It’s usually a collection of locals, industry people and the talent often stops in on Thursdays, too,” he said. “It’s kind of a who’s who going into Memorial Day Weekend.” For after-hour eats, check out Side Piece Pizza.
• Saturday: KAOS & Scotch 80 Prime. “Start the day at the pool on Saturday, and personally, I recommend ordering the chicken fingers for lunch,” Nicolli said with a laugh. “Chicken fingers and fries are always the No. 1 seller at dayclubs, so we wanted make sure KAOS has the best chicken fingers and fries around.” For dinner, Nicolli suggests Scotch 80 Prime. “The food is amazing, and the vibe is a combination of a steakhouse, art museum and social club. It’s unlike anywhere else.” After dinner, it’s back to KAOS.
• Sunday: Brunch’n at GreenE St. Kitchen and SOAK Sunday: Greene St. Kitchen’s Brunch’n debuted in late April and quickly became one of the most popular brunches around. “It’s the first brunch I’ve been to in the States that truly feels like a European brunch. It’s like being transported to Ibiza or the Greek Isles. The energy, the oversized food and beverage presentations, it’s a blast,” Nicolli said. From there, it’s KAOS, nap, KAOS for SOAK Sundays.
Lineup
• May 23: F#%KIN’ KAOS THURSDAYS with G-Eazy’s 30th Birthday Celebration
• May 24: Above & Beyond (day)
• May 24: deadmau5 (night)
• May 25: Marshmello (day)
• May 25: Kaskade with special guest DJ Politik (night)
• May 26: Armin van Buuren (day)
• May 26: SOAK Sundays with Marshmello (night)
• May 27: David Clutch (day)
