The holiday season is upon us and Las Vegas is brimming with parties and events. Some of the special events are as follows:

Holiday lights return to the Fremont Street Experience this year in the form of a glittering disco ball.  The “Happiest Mayor in the Universe,” Mayor Oscar Goodman kicked off the holiday season with the lighting of the 50-foot tall tree and the debut of Holiday Fever, a free stage show Tuesday through Saturday on the 3^rd Street stage at 7:30, 8:30 and 9:30pm. performing throughout the Holiday Festival. 

The Las Vegas Great Santa Run and Kris Kringle Jingle at the Freemont Street Experience served as the official warm-up event for the New Las Vegas Marathon and as a fundraising effort to benefit Opportunity Village. The Las Vegas Great Santa Run and Kris Kringle Jingle attempted to break the world record for the Largest Santa Gathering.

WYNN employees & After-School All-Stars Co-Chairs Elaine Wynn and John Pucci arranged for a Holiday Party for the students at Wynn Elementary School. The party included food, drink, gifts and a visit from Santa Claus to ensure that every student has a Happy Holiday.  Meadow Gold provided ice cream treats for the students and WYNN’s employees donated over 2000 toys and gifts for the students at Wynn Elementary School & Rex Bell Elementary School.  
          

For the past 10 years prior to the holiday season, Lance Burton, master magician at the Monte Carlo and fellow entertainers entertain at the Variety School for Special Education, the John F. Miller School and the Variety Day Early Learning Center. Once again this year Lance Burton, along with Bob Massey, (Lance Burton Magic Shop magician); Fielding West, magician; Ron Lucas, ventriloquist; and Santa Claus with the "World's Tallest Elf" Tommie Laming, (cast member from "Lance Burton show) went from school to school with officials from the Variety Club of Southern Nevada who organized the event. The annual event has been a tradition for over 30 years.

Toys “R” Us named ToyQuest’s Blue Man Group Percussion Tubes one of its “Fabulous 15” best new toys of 2006 and Nick Jr. Family Magazine announced it was one of the “Best Toys and Gifts for 2006.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of tourists and locals alike gather in Las Vegas for the world-renowned New Year’s Eve celebration known as ‘America’s Party.’ Last year, more than 300,000 out-of-town visitors made the trip to Las Vegas for ‘America’s Party.’  And this year, Las Vegas is the new place for New Year’s Eve as DirecTV’s exclusive live music performance show; CD USA takes over Fremont Street for its live, nationally televised celebration featuring today’s hottest music artists and special celebrity guests.  The lineup includes live performances from chart toppers Five for Fighting, All-American Rejects, Rockstar:SuperNova, Smash Mouth,  OK Go  and Chicago. Tickets are $80.00 per person and available at www.VegasExperience.com.  Gates open on Fremont Street at 5:30 p.m. and all ticket holders must be at least 18 years old.  Fremont Street Experience guests receive admission to all concerts, a specially created New Year’s Eve Viva Vision light and sound show and access to all the action on the four-city blocks. 

This four-hour plus celebration will air exclusively on DIRECTV’s channel 101 starting at 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT) and will include the spectacular pyrotechnic display launched from nine rooftops on the Las Vegas Strip.  During the four-and-a-half-hour broadcast, the show will jump to live shots of various cities in each time zone across the United States just before the official countdown to the New Year and through the stroke of midnight in New York City, Austin, Denver and Las Vegas. 

Xtreme Magic Starring Dirk Arthur, at the TROPICANA adds an additional 7 p.m. show to its regularly scheduled 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. shows. Through December 25, the holiday edition of Extreme Magic Starring Dirk Arthur and his cast of exotic animals and talented dancers welcome the holiday season with new illusions and costumes and a magical appearance by Santa Claus.  A new illusion involving a Christmas stocking will take place and seasonal music will play with dancing girls dressed in red holiday attire.  Santa Claus won’t be the only special guest during the show as Dirk introduces the latest members of his animal family, two three-month-old white striped Bengal tiger cubs and his six-month-old black panther, Zorro. Extreme Magic Starring Dirk Arthur is currently the only show on the Las Vegas Strip where visitors can get an up-close look at exotic animals and be entertained by magic. Audience members can see orange Bengal tigers, white striped tigers, a pure white snow tiger and black African leopards.  The show is fast-paced and features comedy, audience participation, stunning dance routines and breath-taking magic sequences. TX: $24.95

Jinx, Frankie, Smudge and Sparky are again sent back to Earth to bring "Plaid Tidings" to THE GOLD COAST through Dec. 31. With a heavenly phone call from Rosemary Clooney, the group discovers that they must perform the ultimate holiday show or be doomed for all eternity. ‘Plaid Tidings’ – A Special Holiday Edition of "Forever Plaid" is a most enjoyable show for the whole family, combining favorite tunes from the '50s and '60s, with traditional holiday songs and carols, such as "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "The Deride Song," "Home for the Holidays," "Let It Snow," and "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer."

Over the last 25 years and more than 10 million units sold, the Chippendales calendar has become one of the most eagerly awaited items for women around the world. The 2007 Chippendales Calendar features some of the hottest, sexiest men from the Chippendales’ production at the RIO as well as the five international touring companies. Husbands and boyfriends beware – the show was designed, choreographed and created with one singular goal - the pleasure of women and, the calendars are the perfect way for women to bring their favorite Chippendale home with them. The 2007 Chippendales Calendar will be available exclusively at Chippendales.com and in the Chippendales Boutique at the Rio for a limited time prior to its worldwide retail release.  Suggested list price is $19.99. 

The crowning of the Ms. Senior America 2006 Queen culminated three days of preliminary rounds and final judging for the 26th annual competition, held at the IMPERIAL PALACE.  Although she wasn’t the winner of the title of Ms. Senior America 2006, first runner-up Mary Richard was local crowd favorite with her salsa dancing.  Mary is a 61-year-old fitness center assistant from HENDERSON, NEVADA. The winner of the title of Ms. Senior America 2006 was Ms. Suzanne Shelley from Hattiesburg, Miss. a 60-year-old retired psychometrist, who impressed the judges in four categories: evening gown, philosophy of life, playing classical piano for her talent and the final interview. She beat out 32 other talented, poised and charming women from across the United States. Ms. Senior California, 69-year-old Patricia Starr, was second runner-up with her boogie-woogie piano medley. Third runner-up was 66-year-old Jeannie Rossi, Ms. Senior Florida; and Ms. Senior Maryland, 64-year-old Mary Fawcett Watko, was fourth runner-up.

The city of LAS VEGAS DEPARTMENT of LEISURE SERVICES invites everyone to enjoy the annual Holiday Synchronized Swimming Show on Saturday, December 16, at Municipal Pool.  Approximately 10 Southern Nevada synchronized swimming teams are expected to perform from 6 to 8 p.m. Admission to this family event is free.

The World Poker Tour (WPT) returns to Las Vegas for the fifth annual Five Diamond World Poker Classic at BELLAGIO December 1-19.  The tournament, all no limit hold ‘em events, concludes with the WPT’s Doyle Brunson North American Poker Classic Dec. 14 – Dec. 19. The entry fees for the no limit hold ‘em tournaments, range from $1,500-$5,000 and the Doyle Brunson North American Poker Classic begins Thursday, Dec. 14 at noon with an entry fee of $15,000. The champion receives first place prize money and an entry into the April 2007 WPT World Championship at BELLAGIO. 

For over a decade LARK WILLIAMS has been a popular radio and television personality showcasing information on Las Vegas home ownership. As the landscape in Las Vegas changes to vertical high-rise living, LARK is moving up with her new show “Going Vertical” with Lark Williams.  “Going Vertical” will be a combination of entertainment television featuring celebrity guests and showcasing Las Vegas high-rise living at its finest.

Continuously raising the bar on Las Vegas nightlife, The PALMS unveiled plans for a multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art Concert Theater during a hardhat tour. Aptly named The Pearl, the one-of-a-kind venue currently under construction is expected to be the most fantastic concert venue of its size in the country, if not the world. The intimate venue is designed to be a true modern marvel of technology and innovation beginning with the seating design. The Pearl’s capacity can easily adjust to accommodate from 1,100 to 2,400 guests. In addition, the floor will allow for seated concert viewing or general admission standing room audiences. With no seating obstructions, the farthest seat from the stage will be just 120 feet away, allowing performers to personally connect with the entire audience. Two 14-foot by 16-foot video screens will be located on each side of the stage for close up looks at the on-stage action with additional plasma screens located throughout. The Pearl has three levels of seating with beverage stations and restroom facilities located on each level. The state-of-the-art venue features 18 private and semi-private skyboxes with exclusive bars and restrooms and many including personal lounges, ensuring the ultimate in luxury concert viewing. The new concert facility will be hard wired to The Studio at The Palms, allowing artists to create a cost-effective live album.  The Killers, Elton John, Celine Dion and Timbaland are among some of the esteemed artists already recording in The Studio at The Palms.