Lion Dance Winds Through The Venetian Casino and Hotel for Lunar New Year

^{Venetian executives stand with Lohan School dancers before they perform an hour-long dance throughout the casino. (Photo: courtesy of The Venetian)}

LAS VEGAS – At 11:01 am, a lion dance took The Venetian and Palazzo by storm with loud drums and fabulous lion costumes on Wednesday. The sound was heard across the casino floor at the hotel front desk and into nearly every corner of the property for the start of the Lunar New Year.

For nearly an hour, the performance wound its way through the property, gathering massive crowds to see what the noise was all about.

Impossible to Miss the Drums and Costumes

The celebration began outside, near the gondolas, before flowing through the valet entrance into the lobby. The parade paused briefly at the front desk, shaking up guests checking in for their stay with the drums.

^{A traditional lion dance winds through the casino floor at The Venetian during Lunar New Year celebrations in Las Vegas on Wednesday. (Photos: Vanessa Alves-Johnson / Casinos.com)}

From there, the lions made their way onto the casino floor, weaved through slot machines and tables, and reached the Palazzo’s atrium where crowds couldn’t help but gather shoulder-to-shoulder to watch.

The performance was led by the local Lohan School, which frequently appears at venues across the city during the Lunar New Year. They also hit major casino-resorts on and off the Strip, like Red Rock Casino, The Strat, and Green Valley Ranch.

Some watchers reached out to touch the lion’s head for good luck, while others handed over red envelopes in hopes of bringing prosperity into the new year. But almost everyone paused to record what they were seeing since it was impossible to ignore.

Time Stops for Year of the Horse

It’s amazing to see how events like this basically stop time on the casino floor. Blackjack players and dealers turned away from their tables to be locked into the action, while some others covered their ears and scurried away from the noise. 

But for once, you couldn’t even hear the jackpot noises and cheers from the blackjack tables over the drums and cymbals.

It’s becoming more and more common for casinos in Las Vegas to celebrate the start of the Lunar New Year with elaborate floral displays and installations. Aria just added a new display to the lobby for Year of the Horse, and we visited the Bellagio Conservatory last month to see how they got festive for the occasion as well. But a moving lion dance through an active casino floor brings the celebration directly into the heart of the action.

Strip casino-resorts welcome guests from all around the world, and Asian guests are a huge part of that. By placing Lunar New Year into the forefront, Venetian and other properties effectively reaffirm that very goal.