In a town that loves food festivals and culinary celebrations, MGM Resorts International is raising the bar by highlighting bars, bartenders, sommeliers and the best of the beverage world.
From Sept. 24-27, the company will launch the inaugural Drink Las Vegas Festival, a four-day event spread across ARIA, Bellagio, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and Park MGM. The festival will feature approximately 50 events ranging from cocktail seminars and tasting experiences to chef-driven lunches, dinners and large-scale tasting parties.
While culinary stars are a major part of the lineup, organizers say the focus is actually on libations – thus, the name.
“The focus really is on beverage,” said Dan Burnbach, MGM Resorts’ Senior Vice President of Entertainment Events and Development. “We’re going to celebrate everything that Vegas has come to be known for in the beverage category, from master mixologists to sommeliers.”
The twist is that many of those beverage professionals will be paired with acclaimed chefs, creating experiences designed to highlight both sides of the hospitality industry. According to Burnbach, guests will find everything from intimate dinners and educational seminars to grand tasting events and after-parties.
Right now, MGM has about 50 events planned, with additional programming still expected to be announced. The schedule spans more than 30 venues and includes appearances from some of the biggest names in food and beverage.
Participating chefs include Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Michael Mina, Roy Choi, Wolfgang Puck, Masaharu Morimoto, Tom Colicchio and Mary Sue Milliken, along with a roster of visiting culinary talent from around the country. The beverage lineup features noted mixologists, sommeliers and spirits experts representing bars, restaurants and beverage brands from across the United States.
With so many events, MGM decided not to package them together, but rather to offer them à la carte.
“We wanted to make sure customers could basically pick their own adventure,” Burnbach said.
That means guests can build their own weekend around a single seminar, several tasting events or a schedule packed with chef dinners and cocktail experiences.
Prices vary widely. Educational seminars and tastings start under $100, while some of the more exclusive dining experiences range into the several-hundred-dollar territory.
Burnbach said the festival is part of a broader effort to expand Las Vegas’ reputation as a culinary destination.
“We wanted to make a food and beverage weekend where our top foodies, people who love food and beverage, can come and make a weekend all focused on that area of entertainment,” he said.
Tickets are on sale now. A portion of the event’s proceeds will benefit Keep Memory Alive, which supports research, treatment and care for brain disorders through Cleveland Clinic Nevada. Food and Loathing has added Drink Las Vegas events to its culinary event calendar. Readers can browse individual event listings, pricing and ticket information through the links below.
Hear the complete interview with Dan Burnbach on the June 5 episode of the Food and Loathing podcast.
DRINK LAS VEGAS CALENDAR
