Halloween and Las Vegas – were ever a holiday and a travel destination better made for each other? The Vegas Strip is like Halloween all year ’round, with crazy costumes (and crazy behavior) on display all night long. While almost every US vacation destination is more child-friendly than Las Vegas, adults who want to act like little kids will find themselves right at home here (at one point there was a push for family-friendly Las Vegas travel; I fall firmly on the side that considers the hot spot more appropriately a playground for adults). Here are the top three Las Vegas hotel casinos that really celebrate Halloween, Las Vegas style.
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
I love the MGM Grand for its sheer over the top commitment to a theme; the roaring lion has long been MGM’s icon, and the 
live lion habitat at the MGM Hotel and Casino is open for everyone to see. The 13th annual week-long Halloween celebration here is at MGM Grand’s Studio 54. It changes year to year, but the Nightmare on 54th Street in 2010 features costume parties, “spider girls” on aerial webs and bungees, and live music. On Halloween night itself, Studio 54 throws the 44th annual Beaux Arts Ball. This can’t be missed for anyone in Las Vegas for Halloween: entertainers from many different Vegas shows (hello, Vegas showgirls!) perform together in a spectacular evening of Halloween glitz and glamour. Best of all, proceeds benefit Golden Rainbow, which provides assistance to people living with HIV/IDS in Nevada.
Circus Circus Hotel & Casino
I’ll admit it; when Vegas was pushing the whole family-friendly credo, I checked out Circus Circus as being a supposedly child-appropriate Vegas casino. I wasn’t sold on it then, and Circus Circus took a bit of a 
beating during that campaign (since drunken debauchery isn’t really a hallmark of child-friendly travel destinations). But this Las Vegas hotel and casino is getting back in the “…stays in Vegas” swing of things, and its Halloween-themed Fright Dome is considered one of the top five most frightening haunted attractions in the US. Not for kids or the faint of heart, the Fright Dome has jump-out-of-your-skin scare zones, haunted houses, old-timey freak shows, and more. It’s in the Adventuredome all October at Circus Circus, and over five acres as well. The freaky sound effects, roaming actors with creepy makeup, and flashing strobes make this a serious scare destination for Halloween.
Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino
I’ve stayed at Mandalay Bay a handful of times now, and except for one pickpocketing incident, I’ve never been disappointed. While I’ve never been at Mandalay Bay for Halloween, the hotel and casino puts on a couple of events that are very tempting. First, the Shark Reef Aquarium is done up in Halloween decor and called the “Haunted Reef.” For this exhibit, children under age 12 who come in costumes get complimentary access, and candy. People over age 17 who donate blood at the United Blood Services booth also get into the Shark Reef Aquarium for free. This is only on Halloween, from 9:00AM to 6:00PM. All the darkened tunnels seem spookier on Halloween, with swinging jack-o-lanterns and sound effects accentuating the visions of marine predators. The second Halloween event at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino involves weddings (come on, you knew there had to be at least one Vegas wedding on the list). Couple who get married at Mandalay Bay can opt for the “Till Death Do Us Part” wedding package. The themed haunted chapel and spooky ceremony makes a Halloween wedding…well, memorable, that’s for sure! The package includes passes to the Fright Dome at Circus Circus.
It’s too bad that the Liberace Museum is closing in Las Vegas; the man exuded all that’s not frightening, but fun and glittery, about Halloween. Nevertheless, there is hardly a shortage of fun Halloween events in Las Vegas hotel casinos — surely the holiday can be spent happily in this gambling mecca. For adults traveling to Vegas without kids in late October, consider partaking in any of these spooky activities — it’ll make your Las Vegas Halloween even more exciting.
Interesting list of Halloween Hotels in Vegas. I think Circus Circus has seen better days.
Circus Circus is a fright dome year round. We were “jump-out-of-our-skin” frightened last time we popped in there and it was just normal weekday afternoon! The are few things scarier than a casino with low popcorn ceilings, a rotating gaming floor and an attached midway. Yikes!
Circus Circus Hotel & Casino is the best among the Halloween hotels in Las Vegas. There sound effect is really terrible that’s why this is the best one.
Excellent information. This sounds exactly like what I’ve been looking for.
Great article! Loads of interesting info and really got me in the mood for Halloween now, thanks!