Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019 | 4 p.m.
Powered by DK Las Vegas
Downtown has become the epicenter of local events in Las Vegas — from huge annual festivals such as Life is Beautiful to monthly street fairs, including First Friday. Individuals from across the Valley and around the country stream in to attend these celebrations, but for DTLV residents, it’s all at their doorstep. “When you live Downtown, you always have the option to attend a festival, parade or other community event. People gravitate Downtown because it’s authentic,” said Uri Vaknin, partner at KRE Capital, which owns the DK Las Vegas portfolio of condos. In addition to those mentioned above, here are a few other homegrown events you shouldn’t miss.
Beer Festivals
Motley Brews brings the Great Vegas Festival of Beer to the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center each spring and the Downtown Brew Festival to the Clark County Amphitheater in the fall. Both events include hundreds of craft beers, live music, food and VIP experiences. This year, the Downtown Brew Festival is October 19.
Las Vegas PRIDE
Downtown is home to one of the only nighttime PRIDE parades in the country. This year’s gathering kicks off October 11 with the parade at Fourth and Bridger Avenue and is followed by the Las Vegas PRIDE Family Festival at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center on October 12. Expect live entertainment, special appearances, pop-up drag shows and more than a hundred vendors. After-parties run well into the morning.
Other Parades
In addition to Las Vegas PRIDE and the Helldorado Parade, DTLV is home to other large-scale parades throughout the year, including the Veterans Day Parade held annually on November 11 and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade in January.
First Friday
First Friday is a monthly community festival in the Arts District that is organized by the First Friday Foundation, a local nonprofit that supports arts and culture in the Valley. “First Friday is a great example of how festivals and community events can change an area. It’s an opportunity for the community to come together on a monthly basis,” Vaknin said. First Friday features local artists, live music, food and drink trucks, and more.
Helldorado Parade
The Helldorado Parade, part of annual wild west festival Las Vegas Days, takes place every spring along Fourth Street, from Gass Avenue to Ogden Avenue. “Helldorado Days (now called Las Vegas Days) goes back to the founding of Las Vegas, and it’s one of those unique events that makes living Downtown so special,” Vaknin said. The parade itself includes cowboys and cowgirls, marching bands, floats and more and accompanies the Las Vegas Days Rodeo, which takes place at Core Arena next to the Plaza Hotel and Casino.
A Changing Downtown
Dubbed the historic heart of Las Vegas, Downtown continues to evolve and become revitalized by an influx of new businesses, residents and visitors, and in many ways, has established itself as Las Vegas’ cultural heart as well. “In addition to over 150 bars and restaurants, residents who live Downtown can walk outside on any given weekend and there could be a number of events available to them,” Vaknin said. “Downtown is vibrant and thriving, and these homegrown festivals contribute to that... and have changed the social fabric for DTLV.”
