March Is Madness, St. Paddy’s Day Lucks Out, and Pool Season Begins

 ^{LIV Beach at Fontainebleau is one if several upscale day clubs ready to kick off pool season in Las Vegas. (Image: courtesy of Fontainebleau)}

 In Las Vegas, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a bigger lion! ROAR!
There’s so much happening in March that it’s difficult to pinpoint the best time to visit. In addition to the usual residencies and limited engagements, several special events and numerous sporting events are taking place throughout the month.

Cold nights are coming an end as warm days become more regular and find their way into the 80s F in March. It’s also Spring Break, which makes it the perfect time to kick off pool season.

Sports are at a peak, with college basketball conference tournaments taking place around Las Vegas, leading into the first weekend of March Madness. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is one of the biggest sports betting weekends for locals and tourists. 

Another major sporting event in March is NASCAR weekend when the city is packed with stock car racing fans for the big race.

And don’t forget the traditional holidays in March. Even though Las Vegas may always feel like St. Patrick’s Day and Mardi Gras, visitors can celebrate the holidays as they happen.

March truly marks the beginning of the outdoor activities in Las Vegas. More visitors will migrate towards alfresco dining and outdoor bars. Before moving here, March was always one of my favorite months to visit.

The data don't lie: You may need a sweater with your bikini in Vegas in March.

March Las Vegas Residencies and Limited Engagements

March features a wide variety of residencies and limited engagements. Anyma, Garth Brooks, and Heart are sonically very different and they’re all wrapping up their Las Vegas residencies in March. Several performers are making their return, while a classic heavy metal band will play in Las Vegas for the first time in years.

• Heart at Fontainebleau: March 1
• Anyma at Sphere: March 1, 2
• Garth Brooks ar Caesars Palace: March 1, 2, 7, 8, 9
• Chicago at The Venetian: March 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15
• Maroon 5 at Park MGM: March 7, 8, 12, 14, 15, 19, 21, 22
• The Eagles at Sphere: March 7, 8, 14, 15
• Dead & Company at Sphere: March 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29
• Pitbull at Fontainebleau: March 7, 8, 12, 14, 15
• Rod Stewart at Caesars Palace: March 12, 14, 15, 19, 21, 22
• Motley Crue at Park MGM: March 26, 28, 29
• Carrie Underwood at Resorts World: March 26, 28, 29
• Barry Manilow at Westgate: March 27, 28, 29

Lookahead: Carrie Underwood wraps up her residency at Resorts World with six shows in April.

Random concert of the month: An Evening With Will Smith at House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay on March 20. This will be a concert retrospective spanning his 20-year history in music.

Pool Season Opens as Dayclubs Welcome Spring Breakers

Casino pools that closed for the winter will start opening throughout the month as temperatures rise. On top of this, some of the most popular dayclubs and pool parties will also open for the season in March, when spring breakers will descend on Las Vegas.

All dayclubs have a cover charge that can vary by day and gender, with prices starting at $20 for women and going as high as $100 for men, depending on the level of DJ entertainment. Here’s a look at opening days for Las Vegas dayclubs in March:

March 1: Encore Beach Club (Wynn), Marquee Dayclub (Cosmopolitan)
March 8: LIV Beach Club (Fontainebleau)
March 14: Tao Beach (The Venetian), Ayu Dayclub (Resorts World)
March 19: Liquid Pool (Aria)

The all-new Go Pool at Flamingo is scheduled to open sometime in March. More dayclubs and pool parties will continue to open throughout the next couple of months.

Dayclub season kicks into high gear during Memorial Day weekend when all will be open with big-name performers taking the stage.

St. Patrick's Day Parties

Las Vegas might be like St. Patrick’s Day most of the year, but a few places take the holiday celebration to another level. While the holiday is on Monday, March 17, the parties in Las Vegas will start on Saturday, March 15.

Celtic Feis is one of the most popular St. Patrick’s Day parties in Las Vegas. The event with food, drink, and entertainment takes place inside and around New York-New York on the Vegas Strip. You can find more information and tickets here.

The St. Paddy’s Day Bash takes place all weekend long at the Fremont Street Experience. There will be free entertainment outside in the mall of casinos throughout the weekend. Visitors will also find drink specials and plenty of green beer. Downtown is always a party and this is one of the most debaucherous weekends of the year.

Many bars will celebrate St. Partick’s Day but the authentic Las Vegas Irish bars and pubs do it best. The good news is that the best are spread out all over town.

Nine Fine Irishmen (New York-New York): This is the epicenter of Celtic Feis and is my favorite Irish bar on the Vegas Strip with authentic food and live entertainment.

McMullen’s (Off-Strip): This is my favorite Irish Bar in all of Las Vegas. It’s also a one-minute walk to the Orleans casino for anyone looking to hit the tables and slots after the party.

Hennessey's (Downtown): Visit for the drink specials and green beer but don’t forget to enjoy one of the best burgers in downtown Las Vegas. 

RiRa (Mandalay Place): This is a surprisingly large Irish pub in the shopping area between Mandalay Bay and Luxor. The vibe is right during St. Patrick’s Day since the vibe won’t be muted by suits in town for conventions at Mandalay Bay.

O'Sheas (The Linq): The Linq casino was built using the bones of O’Sheas, which closed in 2012. This small portion of The Linq keeps the old Irish aura alive all year round. O’Sheas is typically the jumpoff spot for St. Patrick’s Day partiers in the center of the Vegas Strip. Expect to see a packed bar and full tables in this part of the casino.

Busy March for Sports Fans In Las Vegas

The busy sports month in Las Vegas begins with a full day of Rugby League Las Vegas (NRL Telstra Premiership) action at Allegiant Stadium on March 1. There will be four games during the day that start at 1:30 pm.

There’s so much more happening between auto racing, college hoops, and s slew of hockey games throughout the month.

Conference Tournament Mayhem

Las Vegas is a popular host for a few different college basketball conference tournaments. The winners of these tournaments will go on to play in March Madness. These games all take place in either Las Vegas proper or Henderson.

March 6-11: WCC Men’s and Women’s Championships at Orleans Arena
March 9-12: Mountain West Basketball Women’s Tournament at Thomas & Mack Center
March 12-15: Mountain West Basketball Men’s Tournament at Thomas & Mack Center
March 12-15: Big West Championship at Lee's Family Forum (Henderson)
March 12-15: WAC Men’s and Women’s Championships at Orleans Arena

Many serious college basketball fans and bettors find conference tournament week to be a better value than March Madness. There are hundreds of games played during the week and there are many betting opportunities. Some of those games are played in Las Vegas and hoops junkies can take in the action live.

Additionally, this week is less busy than the first weekend of March Madness and prices are lower and the sportsbooks are less busy.

Let The Madness Begin!

The first weekend of March Madness is one of the two most popular times for sports fans to visit Las Vegas. Anecdotally, there’s as much money wagered on the games as the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, the Nevada Gaming Control lumps college and pro under basketball wagering in its monthly reports so there’s no official data to support the claim.

The first two days of games (March 20 and 21) are wall-to-wall action with 32 games each day. The action “slows” to just 16 games on March 22 and 23. Together 48 of the 67 games for the Men’s College Basketball tournament are played in four days.

Much like Super Bowl weekend sportsbook seats are limited on the Vegas Strip for the first weekend of March Madness. There are also watch parties for the first three days. Parties and seat reservations start around $100 for the day and go into multiple hundreds of dollars.

As usual, there are sportsbooks and parties off the Vegas Strip that offer general admission seating for as little as free. The March Madness in Las Vegas facebook group is a great resource for what’s happening this year and how guests felt about previous experiences.

Tip: Check the fine print for sportsbook reservations. Some of the seat reservations are only per session - not the entire day.

Start Your Engines

NASCAR comes to Las Vegas twice this year. Unlike the Las Vegas Grand Prix, this race happens about 20 minutes away from the Vegas Strip at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The weekend’s festivities start on March 13, with the NASCAR Hauler Parade on the Vegas Strip. The actual races take place at LVMS

March 14: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race
March 15: The LiUNA NASCAR Xfinity
March 16:  Pennzoil 400 NASCAR Cup

Casinos will announce special promotions such as meet and greets and signings with drivers closer to race weekend.

Busy Month for Vegas Golden Knights

There will be plenty of hockey fans from the Eastern time zone making their annual trip to Las Vegas to watch their favorite team play the Golden Knights:

March 2 vs. New Jersey Devils 
March 5 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs 
March 7 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins 
March 9 vs. Los Angeles Kings 
March 20 vs. Boston Bruins 
March 22 vs. Detroit Red Wings 
March 23 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Nexflix Bites Now Open at MGM Grand

Las Vegas restaurants open every month but Netflix Bites might be something special for visitors who love Instagramable dining moments.

The restaurant features themed dishes from favorite Netflix shows like Stranger Things and Squid Games. Let us know what you think!