Las Vegas Crowds

When is the best time to visit Las Vegas? Sin City is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States, with over 30 million visitors each year.

That makes Vegas one of the most crowded places as well. Unlike theme parks like Disneyland, where there is typically a break from the big crowds between the Spring Break, summer, and holiday seasons, Las Vegas tends to be busy year-round.

Some months are busier than others though. Here’s some holidays and weekends you may want to try to avoid.

January

New Year’s Eve/Day – One of the busiest times of the year, Vegas is typically packed for New Year’s. Vegas.com says that room rates are sometimes doubled for the holiday, so book early.

CES – The popular Consumer Electronics Shows draws over 100,000 attendees every year, usually in the first or second week of January.

February

Super Bowl Weekend – The busiest weekend of the year for Vegas sports books.

Presidents Day Weekend – The three-day weekend draws getaway travelers to the Strip.

March

NASCAR Weekend – Race fans descend on the city for the annual NASCAR weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in early March.

Spring Break/Easter – The Spring Break season typically starts in mid-March and through Easter weekend.

May

Memorial Day Weekend – One of the busiest weekends of the year, marking the start of the summer season.

July

4th of July Weekend – Vegas is typically crowded for the Fourth, especially if the holiday falls on a weekend.

September

Labor Day Weekend – The three-day weekend draws big crowds.

October

Columbus Day Weekend – Big crowds are expected again for another three-day weekend.

November

Veterans Day Weekend – Vegas gets very busy for the three-day weekend.

Thanksgiving Weekend – The four-day weekend typically draws a slew of visitors.

December

NFR – The rodeo is in town! The National Finals Rodeo is a wildly popular event in early December.

Holiday Season – Las Vegas starts to get packed for the holiday season after Thanksgiving, especially on the weeks before and after Christmas. Book early and be prepared for big crowds.

When do you think Vegas is least crowded? Have you gone on any of these weekends or holidays? What was your experience like?

Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

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  • PlanVisitHappy

    I attend CES each year and if you go, you should expect hugely inflated hotel rates, overbooked restaurants in the main hotels, and a jammed monorail from 8:30-10:00 am and 3:30-5:30 pm (45 min wait not uncommon).   If you’re going to the show at LVCC, you should consider staying in one of the hotels on the monorail despite the wait times.  Getting a taxi can be an ordeal.  Plan in advance to minimize your movement (we like the Aria/Mall/Cosmo area so we can walk where we need to go). 

  • Tknr69

    Super Bowl is not the busiest weekend for sports books.  First week of March Madness is!        (I was a sports book administrator for over a decade)

  • Rick altman

    Christmas week. Way too crowded . Has anyone been there after rodeo before christmas.