Party Picks by The Circuit™

Charity Events in December—

What better way to bring people together for the Holidays than a party? And what better way to give back to the community than by giving to your local charities? It can't have escaped your notice, Party Girl, while you're out there buying those fabulous gifts for friends and family—not to mention the odd bauble for yourself—that there are plenty of people who will not be as fortunate this year. Parents without gifts for children, children without basic necessities, and individuals who cannot afford the luxury of Holiday Spirit because they must focus on those basics. December is a time to look back on the year behind us, to look forward to the year ahead of us, and to remember that there are people around you who need your help.  

Krave Nightclub at the Aladdin will kick off the Holiday season with Krave Kares, a benefit for Child Haven on Friday, December 9^th at 11:00 p.m. Children who have been abused or neglected are provided by Child Haven with a safe and nurturing environment until they can return home or be placed in a foster care or adoptive family situation. Entertainers and DJs will fill the night with music while partiers fill up the stage with hundreds of new toys, clothes, and backpacks for these children. Also, a minimum of a $10 donation is requested at the door.

Two nightclubs have teamed up with Toys For Tots this year as their charity of choice. Light Nightclub at the Bellagio will host their second annual Toys For Tots toy drive on Thursday, December 8 at 10:30 p.m. With Light's Bounce Thursdays already so popular, it's not hard to imagine how many people will pack the house for this event. Light is offering free admission with a new toy! And on Wednesday, December 14 at 11:00 p.m., VegasExposure.com presents the second annual Clubs For A Cause toy drive at the MGM's Tabu Ultralounge. For this event, twenty-seven nightlife industry personalities will put nightclub competition aside and focus on bringing swarms of locals down to Tabu with new, unwrapped toys for children from birth to eighteen. If last year's success is any indication, then this year's party should rival Santa himself!

That same night at 9:00 p.m., the Empire Ballroom will get in on the giving with a benefit for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Brought to you by the Backyard Boogie Show, UltraNightlife.com and Cherrone from ANM Entertainment, the live entertainment will include local DJs, KC The Drummer, and a bachelor/bachelorette auction! It's all in good fun and all for a great cause. Guest speakers will temper the revelry with reality and let you know where your $10 minimum donation is going.

Let us not forget that the Chanukah season is upon us as well. I may have left my menorah in New York (accident!) but I can celebrate the Festival of Lights with fellow Jews from around the town, the country and the world at the Jewish Federation's third annual Vodka Latka on Thursday, December 8 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at Body English Nightclub at the Hard Rock. Serving gourmet cocktails and latkes, and featuring door prizes from Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Giorgio Armani, this is shaping up to be quite the night! Tickets will be sold at the door for $50. The Jewish Federation is an established non-profit humanitarian organization that has served the Las Vegas Jewish community for three decades and continues to feed starving populations, provide rescue and relief, and build Jewish community in Las Vegas, in Israel and around the world

With all the Holiday cheer and such, we should not forget our friends on the Gulf Coast. The waters have receded and the rebuild has begun but that doesn't mean the wound has healed. In anticipation of his new waterfront Bistro Zinc, slated to open in January 2006 at Lake Las Vegas' Monte Lago Village, Chef Joseph Keller is offering a sample of his Creole-inspired cuisine. From 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 13 join Chef Keller for a block party and try out signature creations which include café crepes, Po' Boys, and Crawfish Etouffee, not to mention cocktails provided by Domain Charbay Vodka prepared by thirteenth-generation distiller Marko Karakasevic. Your donation of $20 will benefit the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund.

Nightclub News-

So many new events this month it’s hard to know where to begin! How about at the bottom, or more accurately, the inside. Deep within Body English is a heavily guarded VIP room, the Parlor. Every Sunday beginning December 4, promoter Jack Lafleur will be stepping behind the decks for a new happening called Deeper. Lafleur will spin soulful house music from midnight to 4 a.m. on his Red Carpet Sundays. While the tiny room will be dominated by bottle service parties, a small number of guests will be allowed in for the very intimate set.

Two more new weekly parties are allowing guest DJs to showcase their skills. Open Decks Tuesdays at Tabu Ultralounge is getting off to a nice start this month with resident host DJ Jose 2 Hype and his rotating weekly guests. On Wednesdays, Ra Sushi similarly offers Open Tables for a more casual experience. Nokturnal DJ’s will be launching three new weekly events this month beginning with Zen, The After-hours on Mondays at V Bar and continuing with Nokturnal After-hours on Thursdays and Fridays at Vivid. The Empire Ballroom’s wildly successful Late Night Empire Saturday after-hours, brought to you by promoter Gino Lopinto, will soon be joined by Late Night Empire Fridays, beginning December 30.

Three new DJ’s and three new contracts with fresh ink! The Pure Management Group has signed DJ AM to a two year contract for Fridays at Pure, which begins in January. MTV’s DJ Skribble will have big Nikes to fill at Body English where he will replace AM as the resident Saturday DJ for the next two years, beginning this month. Hip-hop forefather DJ Kid Capri has also signed a one year contract to spin every other month at O-PM.

December is a great time for the nightclub industry to pick up their hammers and build something new. It’s also ideal for closing the doors and moving on. This fall we already saw La Bete, Mix and Studio 54 prepare for renovation. We saw the end of Seven, and now it is time to say good bye to the three-year-old Bikinis Beach Club at The Rio. Pure Management Group is closing Bikinis on December 4th to make way for Las Vegas’ first high-end bowling lounge. The new venue--not yet named--will feature a 12-lane bowling alley, a high-end martini lounge, and a café. Currently scheduled to open in the fall of 2006, the venue will feature live DJs on the weekend.

In the mid-month issue of Vegas Community Online, look for a special Party Picks By The Circuit column outlining all the wonderful and decadent options for ringing in 2006 in true Vegas style! Now, please excuse me while I go dig up my bowling ball!

If you would like to attend Krave Kares, Clubs For a Cause, Light's Toy Drive, or the Empire's Make-A-Wish event, please email Xania@thecircuitlv.com with your full name and the number in your party.