Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Best Bets: Lindsey Stirling, ‘The Nutcracker,’ college basketball and more for your Las Vegas weekend

Lindsey Sterling

Courtesy

Stirling hits the Chelsea on December 22.

It will be hard to stay home for the holidays with these exciting entertainment options beckoning you to bundle up and have some fun this weekend.

LINDSEY STIRLING Violinist and composer Lindsey Stirling’s cinematic brand of orchestral and electronic pop music is perfect for a big Christmas show, which is why she’s touring behind her first holiday album, “Warmer in the Winter.” That tour lands at the Cosmopolitan’s Chelsea concert hall Friday night. December 22, info at cosmopolitanlasvegas.com.

PAUL SHAFFER & THE SHAF-SHIFTERS The venerable bandleader launched his mini-residency at Cleopatra’s Barge at Caesars Palace last night, bringing high-powered R&B, soul, funk, pop, rock and more—plus some great stories from his long career on “Late Night with David Letterman”—into the legendary lounge. The show goes on Thursdays through Saturdays through January 6. December 22-23, info at caesars.com.

CONTINENTAL TIRE CLASSIC College basketball squads from Nevada, San Francisco, Duquesne, Southern Illinois, UC Davis, Radford, Lamar and North Carolina A&T hit the court at the Orleans Arena for this two-day hoops extravaganza. December 22-23, info at orleansarena.com.

MASTERS OF ILLUSION The latest show to land on the Strip is this ensemble production based on the CW network TV show of the same name. From grand illusions to comedy magic to sleight-of-hand trickery, Jason Bird, Farrell Dillon, Greg Gleason, Chris Randall and Tommy Wind pack all the wonder you can handle into the Jubilee Theater at Bally’s. You can make your holidays magical this weekend or any night other than Tuesday, when “Masters of Illusion” takes its break. December 22-24, info at caesars.com.

THE NUTCRACKER It’s an institution. You haven’t properly celebrated Christmas in Las Vegas until you’ve seen the Nevada Ballet Theatre’s classic production of “The Nutcracker” at the Smith Center’s Reynolds Hall, and it wraps up its annual run on Christmas Eve. Don’t miss it. December 22-24, into at thesmithcenter.com.