The 10 Best Shows in Las Vegas That You Won’t Want to Miss in 2024

“I don’t give concerts. I put on a show.” Liberace’s famous quote epitomizes what Las Vegas nightlife is all about.

It’s camp. It’s conspicuous. It’s razzle dazzle, with a side order of razzamatazz, a splash of sparkle, and a generous dollop of decadence.

The good news is: Sin City is as wicked as ever. In 2024, it’s bigger. It’s brasher. It’s bolder. If you want SHOW, this is the place to go.

We’ve scoured the Strip to bring you our exclusive guide to the best shows in Vegas that truly put the ‘stop’ in showstopper.

From magicians and jugglers, to burlesque action that would make your aunty blush, here are the Las Vegas Shows you can bet on: the best of Sin City.

In no particular order…

1. Anything at the Sphere

Here’s the bad news: you’ve already missed U2 performing at the Sphere.

The good news is: you’ve saved at least $400 a ticket and you’ve dodged a Bono.

Cynicism aside, the show’s reviews, both professional and amateur, were off the scale: ‘mind-blowing’, ‘sensational’, ‘phenomenal’.

Take note: it’s the venue that’s the star. The Sphere is bonkers.

It’s pure Las Vegas: a $2.3 billion hemisphere (true shape –  just sayin’), 112 meters high, by 157 meters wide. It seats 18,600 people.

The building is clad in 580,000 square feet of high-definition LED displays, inside and out. It’s a phenomenon.

The Sphere opened as recently as September 2023, with U2 taking up the first residency.

Coming up, is a live show from Dead Forever (the remnants of the Grateful Dead) and a visual spectacular, courtesy of surrealist director Darren Aronofsky.

Whatever – in the Sphere – it’s going to be awesome. If you see one thing in Las Vegas, make it the Sphere.

2. David Copperfield

If you want some seriously old school entertainment, served up by a seriously old school entertainer, it has to be David Copperfield.

Not only does the 67-year-old magician have perfect teeth, and Claudia Schiffer as his plus one, he’s been wowing packed houses at the MGM Grand Hotel since 1996.

The residency has earned him more than $4 billion. He also owns 11 islands in the Bahamas. That… ladies and gentlemen… is magic.

The show is everything you would expect it to be: jaw-dropping illusions and camp theatrics.

Tickets cost from about $80 to $230. The top price tickets include a ‘meet and greet’.

For that, you get ‘an intimate evening of grand illusion’, in the hands of – arguably – the greatest magician of all time.

Come on: this guy made the Statue of Liberty disappear!

3. Cirque du Soleil

Why have one Las Vegas show, when you can have six?

The Cirque du Soleil is a world-renowned live entertainment franchise; it’s the McDonalds of ‘breath-taking experiences.’

In Sin City, you can catch a Cirque du Soleil show at New York – New York (Mad Apple), the MGM Grand (KÀ), the Mandalay (Michael Jackson ONE), Treasure Island (Mystère), The Mirage (The Beatles LOVE), and the Bellagio (O).

The Cirque du Soleil first juggled into life on the streets of Montreal, in 1984, founded by street performers Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix.

Since then, it has become a global sensation, with simultaneous shows all over the world.

According to critics, the best Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil shows are ‘O’ and ‘The Beatles LOVE’.

The former is set above, on, and below water; combining ‘dazzling acrobatics’ with brain-melting technical trickery.

The Beatles show is one for fans of the Fab Four, serving up a crowd-pleasing blend of incredible choreography and unique story-telling.

More than 100 million people have seen one of the many shows.

Whatever Cirque du Soleil performance you choose to run away with, you can rest-assured your mind will be blown, juggled, and set on fire.

4. Blue Man Group

Sticking with blown minds, the Blue Man Group is another entertainment franchise that has gone from sidewalk to stock exchange.

Formed in 1987, the act comprises three bald men, painted bright blue, who say nothing, and bang a lot of drums.

On paper: one to avoid.

In reality: an extraordinary night out for all the family, packed with stunning theatrics, live music, a thought-provoking narrative, and infectious energy.

It’s also a pretty good deal for a Las Vegas show, with ticket prices starting at less than $50.

5. Chippendales

If you’re expecting to see a pair of perky chipmunks, talking squeaky gibberish, you’re in for a big surprise.

The Chippendales is a troupe of chiselled chaps, who clearly opted for Platinum Membership at the local gym.

These guys are what your personal trainer’s personal trainer looks like: (very) fit.

This Las Vegas show is pure hen party heaven. Buff boys bounce energetically around the stage, losing their clothes one delighted shriek at a time.

Eventually, all they are wearing is a bow tie and a smile; cue fainting women, more prosecco, and a restraining order on the chief bridesmaid.

If you’re looking for some sin in Sin City, the Chippendales is R-rated fun for all the family.

The show is on at the Rio. Tickets start at $62.

If you really want to get up close and personal, tickets for the Producer’s Table are $149.95. Schwing!

6. Absinthe

Absinthe is an adults-only spectacular, proclaimed as ‘the #1 greatest show in Las Vegas history’ by Las Vegas Weekly.

It’s an eye-popping spectacle, strictly for adults only.

If you want a little risqué with your raunch, it’s 90 minutes of filthy fun, hosted in the intimate Spiegeltent, at Caesars Palace.

Your compère and guide for the evening is the outrageous ‘Gaz’ the Gazillionaire.

The narrative is: he’s trawled the globe, in search of the most decadent performers – and brought them all back to Las Vegas.

There are acrobats, jugglers, burlesque beauties, and lots of audience participation.

The humor is crude and gloriously vulgar. Don’t bother buying a ticket, if you’re easily offended.

Absinthe gets a lot of love, with many reviewers nominating it as ‘the top night out on the Strip’. It really does make the heart grow fonder.

Tickets average out at about $150.

7. Awakening

If you’ve been crazy enough to take the children with you to Las Vegas (why?), there are a few performances suitable for all the family.

One example is Awakening, currently showing at the Wynn Las Vegas.

Awakening is a character-driven show about… (wait for it):

“A heroine known as IO must face a challenge like no other: to brave the forces of Light and Darkness, in her quest to reunite them and save the world. Yet this powerful storyline is also punctuated by moments of comedy, courtesy of Boo and Bandit, a duo who lend their support to IO.”

Don’t let that put you off.

As incredibly naff as the narrative is, it’s a show with bags of spectacle and some incredible costume design.

As you doze off, in the second act, you can look at your children and wonder what possessed you to take them to Las Vegas.

All kidding aside: it’s a good-looking Las Vegas show and Anthony Hopkins narrates it.

8. Vegas! The Show

Never mind all this pretentious, new age, circus guff.

What we want are dancing showgirls, wearing feathers, Elvis impersonators, a Rat Pack knockoff, some swinging singing, a big band, a budget Tom Jones, and a reasonably competent juggler.

The Saxe Theatre has got you covered, with Vegas! The Show.

The 75-minute spectacle tells the story of how it all began, with music from the icons that made Las Vegas the entertainment capital of the world.

Turn the nostalgia up to 11 and remember the good old days; when the Mafia booked the bands and Sinatra did My Way his way; really, the only way to do My Way.

Tickets start at just $49.

9. Penn and Teller (and Others)

Penn and Teller opened at the Rio in 2001. More than a quarter of a century later, the dead pan, vertically conflicted, duo is still packing the house out, with a ‘must-see’ magical show; a record-breaking run at the Rio.

Magic and magicians are big business and make for some of the best shows in Las Vegas.

Close up magic wiz Shin Lim, at the Mirage, is the one to see. His Las Vegas residency follows his win on America’s Got Talent.

Top tip: if you see Shin Lim at the poker table – run away. If you see Shin Lim at the blackjack table, try to bet behind.

Also conjuring up a crowd; Criss Angel continues to freak minds, with his Mindfreak show.

The Mentalist (aka Gerry McCambridge) will read your mind and have you dialling 911 for an exorcist.

Both are freaking out audiences at Planet Hollywood.

10. One of the Many Divas and Divos

If it’s big stars you gravitate towards, Las Vegas is a collapsing supernova of talent; this is where the heavy hitters hold fort, strut their highly valued stuff, and bank some serious buck.

For us mere mortals, it’s a chance to share oxygen with the likes of Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey, Adele, Tiesto, Garth Brooks, and Lionel Richie.

One of the hot tips for 2024 is Kylie Minogue, who is resident at Voltaire, The Venetian, for 20 dates through May.

The show has been flagged as ‘truly awesome’. Want a ticket? You should be so lucky, lucky, lucky. They sold out months ago. Padam, padam.

Damn…