Concerts & Events in Las Vegas

Like a magnet inside a paper-clip factory, the Las Vegas Film Festival attracts celluloid images capturing the visions of storytellers from around the globe. Taking over Vegas's renowned Hilton Hotel from July 19-22, the fest unveils the best of these silver-screen treats in showings and award ceremonies. The schedule is also peppered with industry panels in which professional filmmakers and actors discuss the nitty-gritty of breaking into the film business. As the sun sets, the structured events of the day give way to red-carpet arrivals, evening soirees, and late-night Citizen Kane 2 writing sessions.

Las Vegas doesn't necessarily have a reputation for high culture, but the founders of the Las Vegas Philharmonic showed they were serious from their very first concert. In 1999, the orchestra debuted with Mahler's Resurrection Symphony, a demanding work with unusual instrumentation that can stretch up to 90 minutes in length. "As far as we know, this is the largest staging of a classical music piece in the city's history," cofounder Harold Weller told the Review-Journal of the 260-musician production. In the decade-plus since then, the Philharmonic has continued its record of accessible ambition with a pops series, live accompaniment to silent films, and collaborations with superstars such as Sarah Brightman, Placido Domingo, and Andrea Bocelli.

In 2012, the orchestra moved into The Smith Center, a brand new cultural center built from 2,458 tons of Indiana limestone and crowned by an art-deco-style carillon tower that holds 47 bells. Inside the theater, streamlined chandeliers evoke 1920s elegance, and a wide, palm-tree-flanked lawn frames the massive building with enough space for outdoor spectacles and double dates with other orchestras.

Hosted by the Nevada Restaurant Association, the annual Las Vegas Epicurean Affair brings together world-renowned chefs from Las Vegas’s finest restaurants, nightclubs, and bars to prepare their signature creations. In the past, the event has drawn liaisons from such restaurants as Wolfgang Puck and McCormick & Schmick’s, finally uniting the city’s chefs for an occasion other than dueling at dawn with handheld mixers.

The finale of Campus MovieFest features screenings of more than 250 student films; industry workshops; guest appearances by directors, actors, and screenwriters such as Mark Boal and John Ortiz; and the national grand finale of the College Battle of the Bands. All student movies were made in just one week and span the entire country, drawing around 75,000 participants. Bus explosions and spontaneous implosions are left for hubris-heaped Hollywood as these low-to-no-budget films explore the full spectrum of film, from comedy to drama to llama. The $29 ticket avails you of the final 16 films, beginning at 8 p.m. on Saturday, featuring door prizes, guest presenters, and awards for the winners.

In 2008, a former Lady Rebel All-American returned to her alma mater in a new role: as head coach of the UNLV women's basketball team. Prior to that, coach Kathy Olivier spent 15 years at the helm of the UCLA team. The wisdom she’s accumulated from her years spent guiding young ladies toward their goals on the hardwood are transferred to the next generation of female athletes in youth summer programs. Led by coach Olivier, her staff, and current UNLV players, sessions fill the 18,500-seat Thomas & Mack Center with the sound of whistles, bouncing balls, squeaking shoes, and the cheers of an imaginary crowd of fans and cool dragons. During each energetic workout, staff share their love of the game as they teach passing, dribbling, shooting, and rebounding with group and individual instruction, daily games, and contests.

At Sutra in Costa Mesa, you’ll usually find the floor filled with pulsing lights and dancing bodies. On June 8, however, the club is home base for craft beer vendors participating in Rock 'n Brew Orange County. Representatives from 15 local and national breweries will be pouring unlimited samples and tearfully giving away their favorite cups to a soundtrack provided by live rock bands and DJs from all over Southern California. Proceeds benefit Beer 4 Boobs—dedicated to raising awareness and funds for breast cancer research—and National College Resources, an outreach program that helps underserved youth pursue higher education.