Year of the Dragon: Take a photo tour of casinos decked out for Chinese New Year

By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact)

Monday, Jan. 23, 2012 | 6 p.m.

Red lanterns and dragons exhaling fire and steam have taken their place inside Las Vegas hotels and casinos for the Chinese New Year.

The Year of the Dragon kicked off today, and visitors are sure to get a glimpse of the celebratory traditions of the 15-day spring festival.

Tina Lee, events coordinator with the Las Vegas Chinese American Chamber of Commerce, said Chinese New Year is a time when families sweep away the previous year’s bad luck in hopes of making room for good luck in the coming months.

A 43 feet long, 12 feet tall dragon is the centerpiece of a display at the Crystals shopping mall at CityCenter, while dragons exhaling steam are surrounded by thousands of flowers at the Bellagio Conservatory.

MGM Resorts properties, such as Aria, Mirage and MGM Grand will host lion dances over several days of the festival.

Asian-themed restaurants will be offering specialty dishes and cocktails, like the Dragon Cocktail, available at bars inside the Venetian and Palazzo.

A major celebration is scheduled for Jan. 29 at the Chinatown Plaza, 4255 Spring Mountain Road, where attractions include traditional lion and dragon dances, arts and crafts, calligraphy booths, and Chinese fortune tellers.

For a full listing of Chinese New Year happenings, see the Las Vegas Sun's dining and events guide.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is expecting a large crowd for the holiday.

“We’ll definitely see additional visitors from China,” said Michael Goldsmith, the LVCVA’s vice president of international sales. “All of our data shows that international visitors stay longer and spend more, so there’s terrific value in this holiday from all the money they’ll spend and the experiences they’ll take back and share with their family and friends. Hopefully, it leads to return visits in the future.”