Tricks and Treats

It's your night to howl.

Granted, every Vegas night carries that get-carried-away promise, but this Halloween offers a special array of tricky treats.

From Circus Circus' annual Fright Dome to Mandalay Bay's Haunted Reef, Strip venues observe Halloween in various ghoulish ways.

This Halloween, however, offers even more reason for casinos to celebrate: It's Friday.

So, rather than an isolated night to carouse, Halloween's start-of-the-weekend status gives partygoers more time to prowl, especially at casinos preparing for thousands of costumed clubbers.

Halloween falling on a Friday "takes it from a one-day event to a three-day event," says Patrick Riesgo, director of music and entertainment for The Mirage's Beatles Revolution Lounge.

Tonight's Halloween spooktaculars give out-of-towners "another reason to visit," reasons David Koloski, Imperial Palace marketing director. After all, he says, when they realize Halloween's a Friday, their response very well may be a hearty " 'Let's go to Vegas!' "

It makes perfect sense, considering that the "What Happens in Vegas" marketing campaign meshes perfectly with Halloween masquerades.

"When you're here, you can really be whoever you want to be and enjoy that feeling," notes Alicia Malone, public relations manager for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

"People love to get dressed up, especially in Vegas," adds Michael Fuller, vice president of the N9ne Group, which operates the Palms' various nightclubs. "People come here from Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, wherever, and pretend, 'I'm going to be a high-roller.' Halloween embodies that whole idea."

And while the economy may be enough to scare anybody these days, the falling price of gasoline "definitely helps with the traffic," points out Michael Snedegar, who handles entertainment marketing at The Venetian's Tao.

There, adult film star and lingerie designer Tera Patrick presides over her third consecutive Taolloween bash and promises "more crowd interaction" than in previous years. "It's a great place to party," she says. "Everybody's really into it."

At New York-New York's new Rok Vegas nightclub, which opened Labor Day weekend, Carmen Electra vamps it up (with fiance Rob Patterson) as presiding siren. Rok Vegas officials have been planning their Halloween bash since the club's debut, notes general manager Ethan Asch.

In part, that's because Halloween's "just as important as the rest of the holidays," Asch maintains, placing it behind New Year's Eve, Labor Day and Memorial Day in the holiday hierarchy.

Besides, "Las Vegas and Halloween should go together," contends Don Marrandino, president of Harrah's, the Flamingo and the Imperial Palace. "Halloween is one of the most underrated and undercelebrated casino events."

In the past, security concerns cut down on the costumed revelry, Marrandino notes.

These days, however, casino clubs get into the Halloween spirit in a big way.

New York-New York officials decided they wanted a haunted house attraction on the Strip -- and gave producer Adam Steck and partners Seth Yudof and Douglas Leferovitch four days to come up with one.

The result: a 3,000-foot tent dubbed "Screamers -- The Haunted Bridge," which showcases $500,000 of props and sets from Cree Barnes' Creeations Fabrications, whose credits include shows featuring, among others, Siegfried & Roy and Steve Wyrick.

"People who have gone to Circus Circus' Fright Dome or other haunted houses give it an '11' on a scale of '10,' " Steck says.

Another big Halloween attraction: cash prizes for best guest get-ups at various parties around town.

The Palms' "Night of the Killer Costumes" -- promising more than $100,000 in cash and prizes -- takes over the casino's Playboy Club, Moon, ghostbar and Rain.

"The casino is the nightclub," explains Fuller. "Halloween is one of the easier events to pull off," he adds, because "the guests do all the work."

Studio 54's "Nightmare on 54th Street" (which began its 11th annual run Tuesday) features Sexy Spider Girls spinning, swooping and swinging on aerial webs at the MGM Grand venue, while a serpent-toting Snake Babe joins torture maidens, death warriors and naughty nurses on the ground. Before the festivities end, Studio 54 will have handed out more than $10,000 in cash prizes.

Wynn Las Vegas' Blush transforms itself into a haunted mansion -- with a $5,000 costume contest for the most original get-up.

They're thinking pink at Revolution Lounge, where a "Pretty in Pink Halloween: Think Inside the Box" bash serves up cash and prizes from P.I.N.K. vodka worth $5,000.

The Imperial Palace's fifth annual "Scary-okee" party features costume, air guitar and booty-shaking contests in addition to karaoke renditions of "Monster Mash" and "Werewolves of London."

The Rio's VooDoo Lounge hosts "Mingle & Mayhem," with costumed revelers competing for a $5,000 cash prize. Sushisamba's "Spooky KaBOOki" at the Palazzo adds a Japanese kabuki-theater twist to its costume contest, while Paris Las Vegas' Risqué throws a $5,000 Latin-themed bash.

And Harrah's outdoor Carnaval Court plays host to a "Superheroes and Villains" party, where a total of $10,000 will be up for grabs.

"It's fun, it's outside, the weather's still nice," Marrandino says of the Carnaval Court revelry. (And even if the weather's not so nice, outdoor heaters will kick in.)

"This is our fourth Halloween," he notes. "And it keeps getting better and better."

Contact reporter Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.