The Place to Party

It's the party, stupid.

That's the draw that makes Las Vegas one of the world's top destinations for New Year's Eve, travel experts say.

About 300,000 visitors are expected to usher in 2008 from the valley's streets, clubs, restaurants and concert venues, notes Terry Jicinsky, spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

The reasons why people come to Sin City for the holiday are as varied as the people themselves. For some, it's the entertainment. Others come for the scene, while some have reasons that can't be printed in a family newspaper.

Whatever their motivation, many have a collective desire: to get their drink on in a special way.

"I know when I come to Vegas, I let loose," Tiffany Andrews, who lives in Chicago, says during a recent phone interview. "Hopefully, I'll remember it all. Usually I need a week to recuperate from my Vegas trip."

Andrews, 27, has visited Las Vegas several times but this will be her first New Year's Eve here. The trip is a Christmas present from her boyfriend. She, her boyfriend and three other couples plan to spend the evening on the Strip, having drinks in the bars at The Mirage, eating dinner and checking out the scene from the inside of a limo. They may stop at Body English in the Hard Rock Hotel, too.

The group decided to come, Andrews says, because of Las Vegas' reputation as The Place to Be on Dec. 31.

"When you think of New Year's Eve, what do you think of? Bars, fireworks, fun, excitement. I think Vegas encapsulates that image," Andrews says. "Vegas has that reputation for the glitz and the glam. If you want to go all out for New Year's Eve, Vegas is the place."

That's just what the convention authority wants to hear.

The city's reputation as New Year's Eve party central has been building for about 10 years, thanks to ongoing media coverage, word of mouth and authority advertising campaigns promoting the city.

The Fox network offered Las Vegas nationwide exposure Dec. 31, 1996, when it broadcast the implosion of the Hacienda.

On New Year's Eve 1997, the sides of the Luxor were illuminated for the first time by a complex lighting system. The event was a major attraction on the Strip, according to media reports of that night.

Events such as these began to set a standard. While individual hotels usually had fireworks, the turning point for Las Vegas' popularity came when the resorts began coordinating with each other and the convention authority got involved in 2001, Jicinsky says.

"Then we created the street festival environment by shutting down the Strip," he adds.

While pedestrians had long forced the closure of the Strip by overwhelming the street as midnight approached, officials took pre-emptive measures in 1996 by closing part of the Strip at 6 p.m. on Dec. 31. It was for safety reasons, Jicinsky says, but the closure has only helped to create a spectacular outdoor event that is unmatched elsewhere.

Arizona resident Jeff Parker has celebrated the past four New Year's Eves in Las Vegas because of the growing buzz. When he first came here, Parker expected a big party and found one. He and a few friends grabbed some beers and wandered the Strip, taking in the sights. The crowd was shoulder to shoulder, he recalls, but that just added to the celebratory atmosphere.

"It was the festivities that attracted me. New Year's Eve is supposedly the world's biggest party," Parker says. "It's comparable only to the Times Square celebration."

The crowd gathered to watch the ball drop in Times Square is the quintessential New Year's Eve experience, says Ann Hoff, vice president of hotel operations for New York-New York.

But after the countdown and the ball drops, what's left to do? In Las Vegas, a lot. A major factor contributing to the New Year's Eve appeal is the range of entertainment available along the Strip, in the resorts and in clubs, says Hoff and Kelley Jones, president of Light Group.

"There are so many experiences people can have, from intimate gatherings to a big party," Jones says. Light Group plans to open a new club, The Bank at Bellagio, Monday. "You can certainly drink your way through several venues."

Recent years have given way to the creation of parties within the party. This year's Bridge Bash on New York-New York's Brooklyn bridge is the third one and offers revelers the opportunity to be on the Strip without actually being on the Strip, Hoff says.

For $200, guests get to stand on the bridge, watch bands perform for them and drink from a premium open bar for four hours. Hoff expects about 1,200 people to buy tickets.

Fun as it may be, a New Year's Eve in Las Vegas doesn't come cheap, says Michael Tomes, president of VegasVip.com, a party planning Web site. Room rates increase, drink prices go up and admission prices to clubs and official parties are often astronomical.

"It's easily double if not triple the cost," Tomes says. "It's a supply-demand thing."

Still, the value is good compared to other popular New Year's Eve destination cities such as New York and Sydney, Australia, Hoff insists.

But even if it is expensive, visitors show that cost is unimportant just by their presence.

"I don't take money too much into consideration," says Parker, who guesses he will spend a few hundred dollars on New Year's Eve. "I look more into the fun factor and what that's worth to me."

The convention authority estimates that visitors will spend about $211.5 million in nongaming revenue, including hotel rooms, shopping, dining, attractions and entertainment during the New Year's Eve weekend.

While the number of visitors has stayed the same in recent years, it is expected to increase as more rooms come available, Jicinsky says.

Currently, there are 40,000 hotel rooms under construction, which will bring the total number of rooms to 170,000 by end of decade, he says, meaning "the party will only get bigger and bigger."

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or (702) 380-4564.