Party Picks by The Circuit Tm:

Don’t cry, Party Girl! Just because the Las Vegas summer club season is over doesn’t mean the party has to end. October is about way more than just Halloween weekend! This month, the fall season kicks off with enough weekly parties, special events, and concerts to keep even the most determined scenester booked up.

The hot new weekly party this month will be Worship Thursdays at Tao inside the Venetian. Tao opened in September with all the pomp and circumstance befitting a club that is poised to shift the Vegas nightlife paradigm. The Tao Entertainment Complex, four times the size of its famous sister in NYC, offers a restaurant, ultralounge, nightclub and banquet facility rolled up in a forty thousand square foot package as pretty as their sushi. The restaurant is open 5pm to 12am, seven days per week; the nightclub is open Thursday through Saturday, 10pm to 5am. Expect Worship Thursdays- brought to you by the man, the brand, promoter Jack Lafleur- to quickly become very important in the weekly social schedule.

Empire Ballroom opened rather quietly on the Strip in late August. The newly renovated space that once was Eutopia looks like a cross between the House of Blues and Body English- not bad genes! For the musically-obsessed, the beautiful room has a killer sound and lighting system, not to mention all the cushy VIP accoutrements to satisfy even the most pampered party pet. On Saturday, October 22, the club will celebrate its official grand opening and will kick off a new schedule of weekly events including a performance by Metal Skool on Tuesday nights, Saturday Late Night, and a preview of promoter Tiffany Masters' Enchantment Fridays on October 28th.

October is a huge month on the concert circuit starting out with a slam- Andre Agassi's Grand Slam For Children with performances by Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion, Duran Duran, Earth Wind & Fire, and George Lopez, held at The MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, October 1. Also in the Arena this month are the Eagles and Jimmy Buffett. Green Day performs October 6 at Thomas & Mack. Rocking the Joint at the Hard Rock this month are the Killers, Motley Crue, the Black Crowes, Alice Cooper, and Ween, and the House of Blues welcomes The Bangles, Fat Joe, and the Roots.

Still crying into your bikinis as you sock them away for the winter? Don’t- you can always go to a Halloween party as a hula girl. Count on just about every club to celebrate at some point that weekend whether they go whole hog on ‘All Hallows Eve’ or just sit back, satisfied that there won’t be any body paint or feathers on their furniture. Just don’t expect the clubs to stray too far from their normal schedules. An exception to this rule is Studio 54 who spends a great deal of energy insuring that their week-long "Nightmare on 54th Street" extravaganza remains as legendary as the club.

If you haven’t attended a Rock n’ Roll Wine event yet, you’ve been watching way too much TiVo, my friend. What better way to unwind than by tasting high quality wines (which you can actually afford) and meeting new friends while enjoying live music in fun settings? If you can answer that, we should be hanging out. This month, Halloween weekend starts early--or not, if you hate costumes-- with a wine tasting cruise on Friday, October 28. The party starts at 6pm in a private casita at the MonteLago Village Resort on Lake Las Vegas where you’ll sample champagne. Then at 7pm it’s all aboard the 80-foot luxury yacht La Contessa on which you’ll sail off into the horizon. Ok, it’s a manmade lake so you’ll really just go around and around a dozen times but you won’t realize because you’ll be eating dinner, tasting wines from around the world, and dancing to live music under the stars. For the heartiest partiers, the event continues at Sunset & Vines wine bar after you disembark. Sound tasty? Go to www.RocknRollWine.com for more info and tell them The Circuit sent you.

With the exception of head-colds, the changing of the seasons is nothing to fear. And as the countdown to the holiday season begins, a calendar thick with outrageous and unique party opportunities will be your salvation, Party Girl!

Xania Woodman has never met a martini she didn’t like.

Email her at xania@thecircuitlv.com