Las Vegas Weekly’s Fall Arts & Entertainment Guide

Festivals

RISING TO THE OCCASION

Each fall, tens of thousands of people trek out to the Jean Dry Lake Bed—just 25 miles south of Las Vegas—for Rise Festival. The emotionally charged weekend, happening October 3-5 this year, unfolds like a collective unburdening. Live music and meditation build up to the evening ceremony, when festivalgoers write their hopes and intentions on biodegradable lanterns before releasing them into the Mojave Desert sky. 

“We have everything from people who are out there grieving, people who are really praying for something, people who are just excited and grateful that they’re there with their friends,” explains Ashley Goodhue-White, Rise’s president and chief operating officer. “Everyone’s experiencing a different emotion. But collectively, you feel so connected to these people, these strangers, that it’s an experience unlike anything else.” 

This year, Rise Festival celebrates 10 years as a symbolic desert tradition with the new, 200-foot-wide Horizon Stage and one of its largest musical lineups yet. After the lantern lighting, nights will conclude with headlining sets from Australian dance maestros Rüfüs Du Sol; electronic duo Disclosure and global hitmaker Calvin Harris; and celebrated singer-songwriter John Mayer. But that’s not all: Future house phenom Oliver Heldens will perform over the weekend, along with jam band Goose, DJ twins Coco & Breezy, U.K. producer and DJ Elderbrook and many more.

“You’d go through this moment, this release, and everyone around you is on such a high. You don’t want it to end. So that’s how the idea of adding this incredible talent lineup came to be,” says Goodhue-White. “It was like, what do we fill that gap with? How do you match that level of excitement? You certainly can do it with Calvin Harris, John Mayer and Rüfüs Du Sol.” 

But make no mistake, Rise is “not just another music festival,” Goodhue-White says. Art installations will be on display all weekend long, including HYBYCOZO’s large-scale geometric sculptures, This is Loop’s light installations, and William Cenoté’s interactive synesthetic piano. And the core of the festival still centers around connection and reflection. 

Regardless of how people choose to experience Rise, Goodhue-White says the intention has always been “to be a space for everyone.” And it always will. risefestival.com.

iHeart Radio Music Festival (September 19-20, T-Mobile Arena) Where else can you catch Mariah Carey, John Fogerty, GloRilla and Tate McRae all performing in one place? IHeart’s annual music showcase kicks off with a stacked lineup of legacy artists, rising stars and a free fan experience featuring a set by Julia Michaels. iheart.com/music-festival.–AS

Paradice Festival (September 27, Downtown Las Vegas Events Center) Ravyn Lenae and Thee Sacred Souls headline this new soul and R&B-focused fest, joining psych-funk trio Balthvs, Latin instrumentalists LA LOM, alt-R&B artist JMSN and more for one groovy day in Paradice. paradicefest.com. –AS

Reggae Rise Up (October 3-5, Downtown Las Vegas Events Center) Modern reggae legends Rebelution, The Dirty Heads, Slightly Stoopid, Iration and more bring sun-soaked grooves and endless good vibes to the desert, delivering a musical escape that’s as close to the beach as Vegas gets. reggaeriseup.com. –GR

Best Friends Forever (October 10-12, Downtown Las Vegas Events Center) The second annual alt-rock takeover unites icons like Minus the Bear, Jimmy Eat World, and Jawbreaker with rising names like Midrift and Crochet, blending nostalgia and discovery into an unmissable weekend for diehard fans of emo anthems. bestfriendsforeverfest.com. –GR

When We Were Young (October 18-19, Las Vegas Festival Grounds) Nostalgic fans have kept the hype train rolling for this emo and pop-punk fest. And with more than 50 bands on the bill, including Panic! At the Disco, Blink-182, Jack’s Mannequin, Avril Lavigne and Weezer, who can blame them? whenwewereyoungfestival.com. –AS

ComplexCon (October 25-26, Las Vegas Convention Center) Fashion, hip-hop and sneaker culture collide at this star-packed convention. Attendees can discover more than 300 exclusive brands while enjoying performances by Yeat and Young Thug, plus Peso Pluma, Ken Carson, 2hollis and Central Cee. complexcon.com. –AS 

SEMA Fest (November 7, Las Vegas Convention Center) The ultimate mashup of high-octane motorsports and rock ’n’ roll brings acts like Queens of the Stone Age and the Black Crowes together with Neon Trees, delivering a weekend showcase of speed, riffs and pure adrenaline. semafest.com. –GR

Music

Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán (September 15, Reynolds Hall) The iconic Mexican folk ensemble began performing in 1897, passing mariachi music down through generations. Regional Mexican greats like Pancho Barraza, Julio Preciado and Grupo Cañaveral will join them onstage, with Las Vegas High School’s Mariachi Joya opening. –AS

Benson Boone (September 26, T-Mobile Arena) The backflipping hunk behind breakout pop-rock hits “Beautiful Things” and “Mystical Magical” has emerged as an overnight sensation. Now he’ll bring his powerhouse vocals and Queen-era energy to T-Mobile Arena. –AS

The Strokes (September 27, the Chelsea) When The Strokes call, fans can’t help but answer. The New York City-bred indie rockers who sell out shows in minutes are stopping in Las Vegas and El Paso ahead of their Austin City Limits festival headlining set later this month. –GR

Durand Jones & The Indications (October 10, Brooklyn Bowl) Durand Jones & The Indications, pillars of the retro-soul revival, deliver a decade of craft with their latest album Flowers. Groove to their wholesome throwback sounds that bridge generations and keep the soul alive. –GR

Lorde (October 17, MGM Grand Garden Arena) After a years-long break, Lorde has returned with Virgin, an album that finds her at the height of her potential—even as a reluctant pop star. Witness that evolution in an arena setting with Blood Orange and The Japanese House as support. –AS

MORE!

The Struts (September 12, Bel-Aire Backyard); Motley Crüe (select dates September 12-October 3 at Dolby Live); Midland (September 13, Sandbar Stage); Cuco (September 13, Brooklyn Bowl); Lee Ritenour (September 13, Myron’s); Tropica Magica (September 19, Backstage Bar); Ashlee Simpson (September 19-27 at Voltaire); Chevelle with Asking Alexandria and Dead Poet Society (September 20, the Chelsea); Tears for Fears (September 24, BleauLive Theater); Counterparts (September 26, House of Blues); Falling in Reverse (September 26, PH Live); John Legend (September 26, the Chelsea); Bob James Quartet (September 26-27, Myron’s); Prayers (September 27, Swan Dive); Luis R. Conriquez (September 27, Michelob Ultra Arena); Band of Horses and Iron & Wine (September 27, Bel-Aire Backyard); Fishbone with The Slackers(September 27, Westgate International Theater); Las Vegas Philharmonic: Bugs Bunny at the Symphony (September 27, Reynolds Hall); The Who (September 28, MGM Grand Garden Arena); Carcass (September 30, House of Blues); High Vis (September 30, Swan Dive); Shoreline Mafia (October 1, House of Blues); Poppy (October 2, House of Blues); The Beach Boys (October 3-4,Venetian Theatre); Thomas Rhett (October 3-4, BleauLive Theater); Air Supply (October 3-4, Westgate International Theater); Paul McCartney (October 4, Allegiant Stadium); Erykah Badu (October 4, Resorts World Theatre); Hozier (October 5, T-Mobile Arena); Mineral (October 9, Backstage Bar & Billiards); Giveon (October 10, BleauLive Theater); Narrow Head(October 10, Backstage Bar & Billiards); Stevie Nicks (October 11, T-Mobile Arena); The Beaches with Annie DiRusso (October 12, Bel-Aire Backyard); NxWorries (October 15, House of Blues); Earth, Wind & Fire (October 17, Venetian Theatre); Playboi Carti (October 18, MGM Grand Garden Arena); French Police (October 21, House of Blues); Alanis Morissette (October 22, the Colosseum); John Maus (October 25, Area 15); Xavier Wulf (October 31, Brooklyn Bowl); The Meteors (October 31, Backstage Bar & Billiards); ZZ Top (October 31, Pearl Concert Theater); Mammoth WVH (November 1, House of Blues); Junior H (November 1, T-Mobile Arena); Leona Lewis (November 1-January 3, Voltaire); Quadeca (November 2, the Beverly Theater); The Brian Jonestown Massacre (November 6, Swan Dive); Vampire Weekend (November 7, BleauLive Theater); Spiritbox (November 13, Pearl Concert Theater); Sanguisugabogg (November 15, Fremont Country Club); Richard Elliot (November 15, Myron’s); Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert (November 16, Reynolds Hall); Neon City Festival (November 21-23, Downtown Las Vegas).

Stage

STORYTELLING THROUGH SONG

Opera Las Vegas enters a new chapter as Jim Sohre steps down and passes the mic to new general director and CEO Cecilia Violetta López. She’ll introduce herself to the community through song in Mariposa Que Vuela on September 28 at 3 p.m. at Nicholas J. Horn Theatre at the College of Southern Nevada Cheyenne campus. 

Featuring Lopez’s internationally acclaimed soprano voice, pianist Nathan Salazar and Mariachi Plata, the recital serves as an autobiography, taking the audience through Lopez’s humble beginnings working in the fields of Idaho to finding opera as a means to transcend borders. 

“I graduated from UNLV in 2011 and found my path in an opera career. … My career has taken me all over the place. Now, it’s a full circle moment, because I’m back at Opera Las Vegas,” López says. 

Expect supertitles in English and Spanish and a showcasing of López’s Latina heritage and story. 

“I grew up singing mariachi music and was never exposed to opera until I went to UNLV. So I use that as a prime example that opera is for everyone. … It’s an art form for the people,” she says. operalasvegas.com.

The Craft’d: An Unauthorized Musical Parody (September 11-November 15, Majestic Repertory Theatre) Hell hath no fury like teen angst. Majestic’s reinvention of the 1996 cult film follows four girls who cope with the nightmares of high school by forming a coven. Spells play out to a retro soundtrack (think The Cure and Nine Inch Nails) performed by a live band. majesticrepertory.com.

Scream Queens: Opera in the Scary Movies (October 10 & 11, Charleston Heights Arts Center) Vegas City Opera brings to life haunting scenes from Harry Potter, Squid Game, Stranger Things, Resident Evil and Rosemary’s Baby. Powerhouse operatic voices will immerse you in the eerie, the epic and the enchanting world of cinematic horror. vegascityopera.org. 

Nevada Conservatory Theatre: The Underpants (October 3-18, UNLV Black Box Theatre) When Louise Maske’s underwear falls down in public, her uptight bureaucrat husband Theo fears the faux pas could cost him his job and reputation. From the play by Carl Sternheim adapted by SNL’s Steven Martin comes a hilarious satire about sex, fidelity and love. unlv.edu.

Nevada Ballet Theater: Romeo & Juliet (October 17-19, Reynolds Hall) “You have dancing shoes with nimble soles. I have a soul of lead so stakes me to the ground I cannot move,” Romeo tells Mercutio in Shakespeare’s classic tragedy. With choreography by James Canfield and music by Sergei Prokofiev, soles will soar and star-crossed lovers meet their fate. thesmithcenter.com.

MORE!

The Cottage (thru September 21, Las Vegas Little Theatre); Super Summer Theatre: Singin’ in the Rain (thru September 27, Spring Mountain Ranch State Park); Fiesta Folklorico Series (September 12, East Las Vegas Library; September 13, Whitney Library; October 18, West Las Vegas Library and West Charleston Library);That Show About the Hot Dog (September 13-14, Vegas Theatre Company; November 7-8, Dance Studio One at Alta Ham Fine Arts); A Public Fit:Ironbound (September 26-27, Clark County Library); Nevada Conservatory Theatre: Hedda Gabler (September 26-October 19, UNLV Black Box Theatre); UNLV Dance:Orbits (October 3-4, Judy Bayley Theatre); Cirque Mechanics: Tilt (October 4, Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall); Suffs (October 7-12, Reynolds Hall); Urban Death Vegas (October 10-November 2, Vegas Theatre Company); THIRD Street: Soirée Eclectic benefit (October 12, 814 S. 3rd St.); The Shark Is Broken (October 17-November 2, Las Vegas Little Theatre); Stereophonic (October 21-26, Reynolds Hall); A Public Fit:What the Constitution Means to Me (October 24-November 23, Super Summer Theatre Studios); National Geographic Live: A Pirate’s Life (November 6, Reynolds Hall); UNLV Opera: Offen/bach (November 13-14, Dr. Arturo Rando-Grillot Hall); UNLV Dance: Gravitational Pulls (November 14-15, Dance Studio One at Alta Ham Fine Arts); Vegas City Opera & Las Vegas Sinfonietta:Semele (November 16, Clark County Library); Disney’s The Lion King (November 19-30, Reynolds Hall); UNLV Opera: Crime & Punishment (November 25, Dr. Arturo Rando-Grillot Hall); Nevada Conservatory Theatre: A Christmas Carol 1941 (November 29-December 14, Judy Bayley Theatre).

Food

BREAK ME OFF A PIZZA THAT

Act fast if you don’t already have tickets to the fifth annual Las Vegas Pizza Festival, because the popular fest is already close to a sellout. As we recently documented in the pages of Weekly, our Valley offers every delicious style of pizza imaginable, and this homegrown event represents the scene beautifully. This year’s fest, happening November 15 at 1 p.m. at the Industrial Event Space, brings not only familiar favorites like Metro Pizza, Good Pie, Pizza Rock, Evel Pie and Settebello, but also shines a light on great pizzaiolos you might not know, like Christina Martin from Manizza’s, Madisen Saglibene from Pizza Stone’d, and Ricky Lewis and Ryan Perras from Rebellion. vegaspizzafest.com.

Oktoberfest DTLV (September 19-21, Fremont East) This inaugural event will take over Fremont Street from Las Vegas Boulevard to 7th Street creating a two-block, open air beer hall. It’s free to enter with a required wristband to purchase and consume alcohol. “It’s Bavarian tradition with Fremont Street flair—a new Las Vegas legend in the making,” founder Dan Hill said. oktoberfestdtlv.com.

Revelry (September 19-27, Wynn) This luxury culinary spectacular is back for year two featuring a fresh batch of special dinners, master classes, pop-ups and visits from some of the world’s most acclaimed chefs, vintners and mixologists. The centerpieces are The Feast, a multi-sensory exploration of global flavors, and The Icons Dinner with Emeril Lagasse, Alain Ducasse, Marcus Samuelsson and other superstars. lasvegasrevelry.com.

MORE!

San Gennaro Feast (September 17-21, M Resort); Great American Foodie Fest (September 19-21, Desert Breeze Park); HELP of Southern Nevada 26th annual Tea, Trends and Tranquility (September 26, Durango Resort); Greek Food Festival (September 26-28, St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church); Hospitality Charity Foundation MENUS Gala (October 10, Palms); Pinoy Festival (October 10-12); Haunted Harvest (October 23-26, Springs Preserve); Downtown Brew Festival (October 25, Clark County Government Center); Cigar Aficionado’s Big Smoke (October 31-November 1, Horseshoe).

Comedy

Adam Sandler (October 31-November 1, BleauLive Theater) A household name in comedy, Adam Sandler takes the Fontainebleau stage for his You’re My Best Friend tour. Famous worldwide for his onscreen presence, he returns to Vegas to showcase what made him a stand-up legend. fontainebleaulasvegas.com.

Hannah Berner (October 10, Palazzo Theatre) Hannah Berner thrives on chaos and quick wit, turning audience interaction into an art form. Known for her Netflix special We Ride at Dawn, she delivers relatable yet unpredictable, razor-sharp comedy that keeps the crowd on its toes. venetianlasvegas.com.

John Mulaney (October 11, Dolby Live) The multiple award-winning comic John Mulaney makes a Vegas stop on his Mister Whatever tour. Known for his side-splitting, self-deprecating humor and vivid storytelling, he finds the bit in everyday life and turns it into pure comedy gold. parkmgm.mgmresorts.com.

Don’t Tell Comedy (October 25, Punk Rock Museum) The Valley’s favorite pop-up comedy show has done surprise sets all around town at gyms, hair salons, coffee shops, on the Strip and, now, at Punk Rock Museum. donttellcomedy.com.

MORE!

Gabriel Iglesias (September 12-13, the Chelsea); Felipe Esparza(September 12-13, David Copperfield Theater); Teo González & Mario Aguilar (September 13, Palazzo Theatre); Sam Morril (September 19, Palazzo Theatre); Howie Mandel & Arsenio Hall (September 20, David Copperfield Theater); Jay & Silent Bob (September 20, Palazzo Theatre); Trevor Wallace (September 26, Palazzo Theatre); Tumua (September 27, Palazzo Theatre); Sebastian Maniscalco (October 3-4, Encore Theater); Daniel Tosh (October 4, November 8, the Chelsea); Kevin McDonald (October 4, Mom’s Basement); Jeff Dunham (October 5, PH Live); Jerry Seinfeld (October 10-11, the Colosseum); Steve Martin & Martin Short (October 10-11, Encore Theater); Monique Marvez (October 17-18, Wiseguys); Kumail Nanjiani (October 18, Palazzo Theatre); Kevin James (October 24-25, Palazzo Theatre); Ray Romano (October 24-25, David Copperfield Theater); Jay Leno (November 1, David Copperfield Theater); Phil Rosenthal (November 1, Palazzo Theatre); Sarah Millican (November 7, Myron’s); Kathy Griffin (November 8, Criss Angel Theater); Trey Kennedy (November 8, Palazzo Theatre); Tom Segura (November 21, Dolby Live); Chelsea Handler (November 29, the Chelsea); Chris Estrada (November 28-29, Wiseguys). 

Literature

BMI TURNS 20

UNLV’s Black Mountain Institute kicks off its 20th anniversary campaign this fall with a series of monthly events leading up to a celebration on March 7. 

The festivities commence with a live taping of former BMI fellow Jordan Kisner’s podcast, Thresholds, on September 20 at the Beverly Theater. Kisner and novelist Jayson Greene will highlight Greene’s new science fiction novel, UnWorld, while also touching on breakthrough moments writers experience in their craft.

On October 15, queer comedians George Civeris and Sam Taggart bring their Straightiolab podcast to Vegas Theatre Company, where they’ll debate comedic aspects of straight culture with two surprise guests. 

Iranian comedian Maz Jobrani—as seen on Grey’s Anatomy and Curb Your Enthusiasm—will convene with BMI’s City of Asylum Fellow and Iran native Maryam Ala Amjadi at UNLV’s Philip J. Cohen Theatre on November 18 for a conversation on humor’s role in bridging cultural boundaries. blackmountaininstitute.org.

P Moss (September 18, The Writer’s Block) Local author and Double Down Saloon owner P Moss joins Dayvid Figler for a reading of his new “twisted” historical fiction book, Screwing Sinatra. The plot features Ol’ Blue Eyes conspiring with John F. Kennedy and the mob to steal the 1960 presidential election. thewritersblock.org.

Amanda Uhle (October 3, The Writer’s Block) Amanda Uhle, publisher of the literary journal McSweeney’s, joins College of Southern Nevada creative writing professor and Obodo Collective founder Erica Vital-Lazare to present her new memoir, Destroy This House, which centers around her childhood experiences with a “scheming father” and “hoarding” mother. thewritersblock.org.

Las Vegas Book Festival (October 18, Historic Fifth Street School) The Las Vegas Book Festival returns for its 24th year with headliners like former Nevada Gov. Bob Miller, repeat New York Times bestsellers Taylor Jenkins Reid, Jasmine Guillory and Julie Murphy, plus political journalists Tim Alberta and Katherine Stewart. lasvegasbookfestival.com.

MORE!

Latinx/Hispanic Poetry Showcase (September 17, West Charleston Library);Fall Writers Workshop Series with publisher Jo Wilkins (September 20 & October 25, Flamingo Library); Healing Through Writing presented by Reannon Muth (September 20, Clark County Library); Elaine Hsieh Chou in Conversation with Tajja Isen (September 26, The Writer’s Block); Love Is Inconvenience: A Conversation with Maya Salameh and KB Brookins (September 30, virtual, blackmountaininstitute.org); One Book, One Henderson with Yangsze Choo (October 1, Henderson Multigenerational Center); Writing Children’s Books with More Emotional Depth (October 5, East Las Vegas Library); Wild and Windy Vegas Book Event(October 17-18, Paris Las Vegas); Writing the Personal and the Planetary: A conversation with Meera Subramanian and Neal Thompson in partnership withOrion Magazine (October 22, virtual, blackmountaininstitute.org); Sydney Martinez: Finding Nevada Wild (October 25, The Writer’s Block); John Birdsall: What Is Queer Food (November 1, The Writer’s Block); Publishing Your Passion with L’Ve Hall (November 6, Whitney Library); How to Raise the Stakes When Writing Children’s Books (November 9, East Las Vegas Library); Amy Reed-Sandoval in conversation with Marisa Duarte and Susana Sepulveda (November 14, The Writer’s Block); Matthew Davis in conversation with Beverly Rogers (November 18, The Writer’s Block);A Conversation with Johanna Hedva and Isle McElroy(November 19, virtual, blackmountaininstitute.org).

Film + Visual Art

WE’RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD

The Wizard of Oz has blown into Sphere for an open-ended engagement, currently showing up to three times daily. This is the beloved 1939 movie, but not as you’ve known it or even imagined it; Dorothy and her cohorts have been upscaled to fit Sphere’s 160,000-square-foot, super high-resolution curved screen, and areas that didn’t previously appear on screen have been added with AI. The city of Oz appears at an epic scale; the plains of Kansas glow underneath a majestic, sepia-toned sky. In-theater effects like the legit wind tunnel that accompanies the tornado sequence and actual flying monkeys make the fantasy feel more durable and real. thesphere.com.

Brian Martinez: Cosmic Chicano (Thru November 22, NuWu Art Gallery) The latest solo exhibition by artist and Scrambled Eggs collective member Brian Martinez wears a mask—a luchador mask, that is. It’s a central theme to Cosmic Chicano, “an exploration of Mexican American identity through the lens of the mythical, the ancestral and the now.” nuwuart.com.

Alison Braun (September 27, Punk Rock Museum) Photographer Alison Braun began shooting LA punk shows at the dawn of the 1980s, publishing her high-contrast B&W shots of everyone from Black Flag to the Ramones in Maximumrockandroll and the like. She’s compiled them into a book, In The Pit, which she’ll be signing at the Punk Rock Museum—in addition to giving a tour of the museum’s collection. thepunkrockmuseum.com.

Autumn at the Beverly Theater (Various October dates, the Beverly Theater) The Valley’s premier art house cinema presents Animation Mixtape, an 85-minute program of animated shorts compiled by the great Don Hertzfeldt, on September 18. And The Wake, its peerless program of horror movies, will once again devour October in its entirety. thebeverlytheater.com.

MORE!

Sundance Film Festival: short film tour(September 13, The Beverly Theater); Kirby M. Brownell:Scribble (Thru September 21, Clark County Library); Mario Loprete: In Cemento Veritas (September 23, West Las Vegas Library); Film: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure(September 26-27, The Beverly Theater); Film: The Hustler (September 27, Clark County Library); David Leiserowitz: From Nothing To Something (Thru October 5, Windmill Library); Michelle Patrick:Grace (Thru October 5, Whitney Library); Film: Tron IMAX Double Feature(October 8, AMC Town Square 18); Eduardo Tavares: Convergence (Thru October 12, Centennial Hills Library); Megan Oettinger Little: Finding Beauty Where We Are (Thru October 19, Spring Valley Library); Rick R. Ledesma: Living in a Memory (Thru October 21, East Las Vegas Library); Triple feature: Dracula, Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein (October 24, Clark County Library); Scrambled Eggs:Home Is a Place Rooted Inside My Throat (Thru October 25, Sahara West Library); Nevada Watercolor Society 2025 Fall Exhibit (Thru October 25, Sahara West Library); At The Heart of Nevada: Basin & Range (Thru November 19, Nevada Humanities); Sarah Robles: Home Means Nevada (Thru November 2, Sahara West Library); Marie Martelly: Let Your Dear Child Journey (September 18-November 23, Summerlin Library); Living Here (Thru December 20, Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art); Film: Wrong Reasons (September 20, Punk Rock Museum); Family Album (October 14-January 9, Las Vegas Civic Center Gallery).

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