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 Preparing for the two-week Chinese New Year celebration is a yearlong event for many of the Strip's resorts. "We might take a week off when it's all over," said Vice President of International Marketing for Bellagio, Greg Shulman. "But then we'll start prepping for next year all over again."
With its position next to the growing Chinatown district in Las Vegas the Bellagio like many in the area cater to the burgeoning Asian community most of the year but the Chinese New Year is an event of its own. Resorts are bringing out the big guns for the Year of the Tiger which starts this Sunday according to the lunar calendar.
Decorations colored in bright reds and golds are already making their appearance across the city. Silk lanterns and tangerine trees have been prominently displayed inside the Gold Coast casino for a short while now. They are also bringing in professional dancers to put on performances of the traditional lion dance and have even brought in a bit of foreign celebrity with "the Asian Elvis," Kao Ling Feng making a live performance on the property Feb. 28th. Much of Bellagio's focus however is on its elaborate decorations which are to be display in its conservatory and botanical gardens. Aria hotel-casino is set to host an exclusive 3,000-person VIP celebration for its MGM Mirage's casinos customers.
In Las Vegas, the Chinese New Year celebrations tends to center on the Strip as you can imagine (though as Chinatown grows more events are starting to be featured there), it is here that lavish parties, special restaurant menus and high-end baccarat tournaments are featured in order to take full advantage of big-spending international customers. Over the years the holiday has become a central focus for many in the casino industry. This is especially true for MGM Mirage, Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Wynn Resorts Ltd., who have invested heavily in casino operations in Macau. These companies use the Chinese gaming enclave as a marketing tool to entice big-spenders to make the trip out to Las Vegas.
The Chinese New Year is certainly an important event for Chinese and Chinese-Americans alike who use the tradition to get together with others and really celebrate. Gambling is part of the celebration as well believe it or not, since part of that celebration is a belief in the additional luck surrounding the event.
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