The Complete Guide to Las Vegas Shows
Las Vegas is the live-entertainment capital of the world — and it shows!
On any given night you can see a Cirque du Soleil spectacle, world-class magic, a raunchy (in a good way) adults-only circus, a dead-on Elvis tribute, or a comedy-hypnosis show where the audience is the act.
There are roughly 100 shows running across 13 categories. Below, we break down what each category is, the standout shows to know, and where to go deeper. Start with how to choose, then jump to whatever sounds like your night.
Table of Contents
How to choose a Las Vegas show
With this many options, the fastest way to narrow things down is to answer three questions:
- Who’s with you? Traveling with kids points you to Family, Magic, or Cirque; a bachelorette or date night points to Adult, Drag, or a comedy club. Check the age rating on every show.
- What’s the vibe? Big-budget spectacle (Cirque, Variety), intimate and funny (comedy, magic, hypnosis), or music you already love (Musical, Tribute, Impersonator).
- On or off the Strip — and what’s the budget? Marquee Strip productions run higher; off-Strip tributes, brunches, and afternoon shows are often the best value.
Not sure? The free Vegas Show Finder matches a show to your dates, group, and budget in under a minute.
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Family shows
Vegas is far more kid-friendly than its reputation suggests. The biggest category in town runs from messy interactive spectacle to dinner-theater jousting and clever afternoon magic — most of it all-ages and easy on the wallet.
Blue Man Group
Luxor · 3+
The iconic trio’s wild mix of music, comedy, and messy audience fun — a Vegas all-ages staple at the Luxor.
Tournament of Kings
Excalibur · All Ages
A medieval jousting dinner show where you eat with your hands and cheer for your knight. Pure family fun at Excalibur.
Mac King Comedy Magic Show
Excalibur · 5+
A clever, genuinely funny afternoon comedy-magic show — one of the best-value family picks on the Strip.
→ Read the full guide: Best Family Shows in Las Vegas
Adult shows
After dark, Vegas earns its reputation. The adults-only category spans jaw-dropping circus-comedy, male revues built for girls’ night, topless burlesque, and filthy stand-up — pick by the occasion.
Absinthe
Caesars Palace · 18+
The raunchy, jaw-dropping circus-comedy that’s become the definitive adults-only Vegas show.
Atomic Saloon Show
The Venetian · 18+
Spiegelworld’s rowdy Wild West send-up — acrobatics and innuendo in a small, chaotic room.
Magic Mike Live
SAHARA · 18+
Channing Tatum’s high-energy male revue — the polished pick for a girls’ night out.
→ Read the full guide: Best Adult Shows in Las Vegas
Comedy shows
Comedy in Vegas is no joke — the category covers prop-comedy headliners, comedy-magic, and rotating clubs. (For pure stand-up rooms, see the standup section below.)
Carrot Top
Luxor · 16+
The prop-comedy headliner and Vegas institution — loud, silly, and a reliable crowd-pleaser.
Piff the Magic Dragon
Flamingo · 8+
Deadpan comedy magic with a dragon costume and a chihuahua sidekick — funnier than it has any right to be.
Comedy Cellar
Rio · 18+
The Vegas outpost of NYC’s legendary club — five comics a night, the closest thing to a true big-city lineup.
→ Read the full guide: Best Comedy Shows in Las Vegas
Musical shows
Vegas runs on live music. The musical category covers everything from Cirque’s music spectacles to dead-on band tributes and jukebox comedy musicals.
Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil
Mandalay Bay · 5+
Cirque’s MJ production built on his original recordings — the best Michael Jackson show in town.
Australian Bee Gees
Excalibur · 5+
A spot-on Bee Gees tribute that’s been a Strip mainstay for years — falsettos and all.
Menopause The Musical
Harrah’s · 12+
A jukebox comedy musical of parody hits that’s a perennial girls’-night favorite.
→ Read the full guide: Best Musical Shows in Las Vegas
Tribute shows
Long before the real stars had residencies, Vegas made its name on dead-on recreations of the legends — Elvis, the Rat Pack, Motown, and every pop icon since.
Spirit of the King: The Ultimate ELVIS Show
Notoriety at Neonopolis · 3+
An intimate, dead-on Elvis tribute for fans who want the King up close.
The Rat Pack is Back!
Tuscany Suites · 12+
Sinatra, Dean, and Sammy recreated with a live big band — classic old-Vegas cool.
All Shook Up
Alexis Park · All Ages
An all-ages Elvis celebration off the Strip — feel-good and affordable.
→ Read the full guide: Best Tribute Shows in Las Vegas
Magic shows
Las Vegas has more world-class magic than anywhere on earth, from impossibly clean close-up sleight of hand to grand illusion and mentalism.
Shin Lim
The Venetian · 4+
The two-time AGT champion’s impossibly clean close-up card magic, on the big screen.
Penn & Teller
Rio · 5+
The legendary duo who explain a trick and fool you anyway — a 25-year Vegas institution.
Mat Franco
The LINQ · 5+
The AGT-winning magician’s warm, funny sleight-of-hand show — a great all-ages pick.
→ Read the full guide: Best Magic Shows in Las Vegas
Impersonator shows
The single-artist tribute is its own Vegas art form — full-band concerts that recreate one icon’s look, sound, and show.
MJ Live
Harrah’s · 5+
A full-band Michael Jackson tribute concert with the moves, the hits, and the spectacle.
Purple Reign, THE Prince Tribute Show
Planet Hollywood · 16+
A high-energy Prince tribute that recreates the icon’s look and sound in concert.
Sin City Stones
Horseshoe · All Ages
A Rolling Stones tribute that brings Mick-and-Keith swagger to the Strip.
→ Read the full guide: Best Impersonator Shows in Las Vegas
Variety shows
Can’t pick a lane? A variety show packs acrobatics, comedy, magic, and dance into one fast-paced night — the modern heir to Vegas vaudeville.
Jabbawockeez
MGM Grand · All Ages
The masked dance crew’s high-energy, all-ages show — one of the most universally crowd-pleasing in town.
V – The Ultimate Variety Show
Planet Hollywood · All Ages
The classic ‘something for everyone’ showcase of rotating acrobats, jugglers, and comedians.
WOW! The Vegas Spectacular
Rio · 4+
A slick 90-minute aerial-and-illusion spectacle — a polished family-friendly pick off the Strip.
→ Read the full guide: Best Variety Shows in Las Vegas
Standup comedy
For pure stand-up, Vegas splits into marquee headliners with their own residencies and rotating comedy clubs where the lineup changes nightly.
Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club
MGM Grand · 21+
A polished comedy room with strong rotating touring headliners — the dependable date-night club.
Eddie Griffin: Live and Unleashed!
Planet Hollywood · 18+
A phone-free, no-holds-barred residency from one of Vegas’s best-known comics.
Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club
LINQ Promenade · 18+
A 300-seat club curated by Kimmel with rotating headliners in a prime Strip-adjacent spot.
→ Read the full guide: Best Standup Comedy Shows in Las Vegas
Cirque du Soleil
No company defines the modern Vegas spectacle like Cirque du Soleil — five productions in custom-built theaters, more different from each other than you’d think.
O by Cirque du Soleil
Bellagio · 5+
The water-based masterpiece widely called the most spectacular show in Las Vegas.
KÀ by Cirque du Soleil
MGM Grand · 3+
A martial-arts epic on a giant tilting stage — the most story-driven and kid-friendly Cirque.
Mystère by Cirque du Soleil
Treasure Island · 5+
The longest-running Cirque in town and the easiest first-timer pick — pure acrobatic wonder.
→ Read the full guide: Best Cirque du Soleil Shows in Las Vegas
Drag shows
Drag has gone fully mainstream in Vegas — from a big-stage Drag Race production to up-close, bottomless-mimosa brunches.
RuPaul’s Drag Race LIVE! Las Vegas
Flamingo · All Ages
The big-stage Drag Race production — rotating franchise queens doing full production numbers.
Faaabulous! The Ultimate Drag Brunch Show
Rio · 12+
The only all-live-singing drag brunch in town — real vocals, comedy, and bottomless mimosas.
Drag Brunch Las Vegas
Hard Rock Cafe · 21+
Sin City’s original drag brunch — live queens, buffet, and mimosas for a celebrating crowd.
→ Read the full guide: Best Drag Shows in Las Vegas
Brunch shows
Only in Vegas does brunch come with a full show — a meal and bottomless mimosas paired with live music or performance.
Motown Brunch
Alexis Park · All Ages
Sunday Motown classics with a meal — the Supremes, Temptations, and Marvin Gaye over two hours.
Punk Rock Brunch!
The Composers Room · All Ages
All-you-can-eat brunch with a live set of ’90s and 2000s punk and emo anthems.
Haunted Brunch
The Magicians Room (LINQ) · All Ages
A quirky daytime brunch-and-a-show with a spooky, party-room twist.
→ Read the full guide: Best Brunch Shows in Las Vegas
Hypnosis shows
Comedy hypnosis is a Vegas tradition for one reason: the willing volunteers are the real stars, so you never see the same show twice.
MARC SAVARD Comedy Hypnosis
Nathan Burton Theater · All Ages
The all-ages comedy-hypnosis staple where willing volunteers become the unscripted stars.
Steve Falcon’s Comedy Hypnosis Hour
MGM Grand · 16+
A 90-minute, audience-driven hypnosis show in MGM’s Underground Theater.
Hypnosis Unleashed Starring Kevin Lepine
Four Queens · 18+
The grown-up, after-dark hypnosis option built around volunteer moments and audience play.
→ Read the full guide: Best Hypnosis Shows in Las Vegas
Every Las Vegas show category at a glance
All 13 categories in one place — scan by size and vibe, then dive into any full guide.
| Category | Shows | Best for | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family | 49 | Kids & mixed-age groups | Family guide |
| Adult | 39 | Date night & after dark | Adult guide |
| Comedy | 36 | Laughs of every kind | Comedy guide |
| Musical | 33 | Live music & tributes | Musical guide |
| Tribute | 29 | Legends recreated | Tribute guide |
| Magic | 24 | Sleight of hand & illusion | Magic guide |
| Impersonator | 23 | Single-artist tributes | Impersonator guide |
| Variety | 12 | A bit of everything | Variety guide |
| Standup | 12 | Pure stand-up & clubs | Standup guide |
| Cirque du Soleil | 5 | Marquee spectacle | Cirque guide |
| Drag | 5 | Queens & brunches | Drag guide |
| Brunch | 4 | A meal & a show | Brunch guide |
| Hypnosis | 3 | Audience-driven comedy | Hypnosis guide |
Frequently asked questions about Las Vegas shows
Start planning your trip
However you like your entertainment, Vegas has a show for it — and every show above has its own page with venue, age rating, runtime, and honest detail to help you decide.
→ Try the free Vegas Show Finder to match a show to your group, or browse any category guide above.
The house lights are going down — pick your night and see it live.
Michelle
Founder, Vegas Onstage
Michelle is the founder of Vegas Onstage and a lifelong fan of Las Vegas live entertainment — from Sphere headliners to off-Strip comedy and magic. In her previous life she worked in production and front of house for theaters of many sizes, but her current role is her favorite…audience member.