What To Do in Las Vegas in May 2026

Goodbye David Copperfield. Hello May. It’s promising to be a busy and exciting month in Las Vegas.

🌮 Tacos and Tequila Por Favor

When Cinco de Mayo and Taco Tuesday fall on the same day, you already know May is gonna be awesome. Learn more about the history of Cinco de Mayo, plus specials and festivals in Las Vegas in our updated story 👀

🎰 Vegas History is the Best History

EDC isn’t the only parade in town. The Helldorado Days parade is back, marching through Downtown on May 9 in honor of our city’s Old West history. You can further celebrate the past with the Empowered: Women of Clark County exhibit, which wraps up at the Clark County Museum in Henderson on May 25. The Mob Museum has two special events this month: Jack Sheehan presents Deadly Sources: A Las Vegas Journalist’s Close Encounters with Killers ​ (presented by Jack Sheehan) on May 6 and The Lives of the Showgirls: True Stories from Mob-Era Las Vegas on May 21. Both are free to attend with admission.

🚀 Party Like You’re In Mos Eisley

“Star Wars” fans are so passionate, May the 4th (as in “May the force be with you…”) has almost become a de facto holiday. See the best movie in the series, “The Empire Strikes Back” the way it was intended — on the big screen — at the Beverly Theatre with two May 4 showings. It’s also a great excuse to cosplay with fellow geeks at Millennium Fandom, win a game of Empire Trivia at House of Blues, and get more familiar with our amazing library system, which has crafts, movies, and other ways to celebrate.

✍️ A Competition for Local Writers

Have some words to share? Enter the Henderson Libraries Adult Writing Contest. Submissions are accepted May 4-30 with “pathways” as the theme. The piece can be a short story, creative nonfiction piece, or poem.

😋 Festivals for Food and Booze

🧳 A New Hotel on the Strip

The Cromwell is gone. Say hello to the Vanderpump Hotel, which welcomes hotel guests for the first time on May 29. The casino floor and Giada restaurant continued to do business as usual during the transition and the rooftop pool has changed its name from Drai’s to Soleia. Expect the influence of restaurateur, designer, and reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump to expand beyond remodeled rooms and suites in the months ahead.

🧑‍🍳 Restaurants Coming and Going

A big congratulations to French Laundry alumni Tyler Vorce who just locked down a lease in Chinatown for a brick and mortar version of Lilli, which continues in pop-up form at Durango Social Club. Book a reservation for a multicourse meal or just walk in and sit at the bar to check out a menu of small bites. We’re equally excited for the May 1 arrival of Maroon at the Sahara. The Caribbean steakhouse by Kwame Onwuachi is unlike anything else in Vegas. Even the chef’s cucumber salad at a new Vegas airport speakeasy lounge impressed me 😋