Drink Las Vegas is aiming to turn the Strip into a four-day food and cocktail playground
Las Vegas is adding a new date to the food-and-drink calendar this fall. MGM Resorts International has unveiled the first round of programming for Drink Las Vegas, a debut festival set for September 24-27 that will spread across more than 30 venues on the Strip.
The new event is being billed as a wide-ranging celebration of cocktails, wine, cuisine and hospitality, with ticketed experiences ranging from intimate chef dinners to large-scale tasting parties and industry panels. For visitors, it means a packed weekend of dining and drinking events built around some of MGM’s biggest resort names, including ARIA, Bellagio, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and Park MGM.
Tickets and VIP passes are already on sale, and entry is limited to guests 21 and older. Travelers who want to stay on-site can also book hotel rooms through MGM Resorts.
What Drink Las Vegas is offering
According to MGM Resorts, the festival is designed to showcase the full range of modern hospitality, from premium tasting events to more educational, behind-the-scenes sessions. The company says more talent will be announced later, but the first wave already includes a long list of major names from food, beverage and wine.
That lineup includes chefs and restaurateurs such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Michael Mina, Roy Choi, Wolfgang Puck, Masaharu Morimoto, Tom Colicchio and Mary Sue Milliken. The roster also features Tiffany Derry, Maneet Chauhan, Eric Adjepong, Karen Akunowicz, Ayesha Nurdjaja, Michelle Bernstein, Paul Carmichael and several other culinary figures.
On the drinks side, the festival is bringing in bartenders and cocktail leaders including Christine Kim, Rio Azmee, Jason Asher, Meaghan Dorman, Lynnette Marrero, Jeremy Barrett and Frank Maldonado. Wine programming will include Master Sommeliers Michaël Engelmann, Jason Smith and Jesse Becker, along with beverage director Amy Racine.
Events spread across MGM’s resorts
The schedule will unfold across a mix of venues and event formats, giving attendees multiple ways to experience the festival. MGM says the lineup will include industry panels, brand activations, signature tastings, lunches and dinners.
Among the first announced events are an opening night party at ARIA Yucca Pool, a caviar-and-classics experience at The Pinky Ring by Bruno Mars at Bellagio, a music-and-mixology event at On The Record at Park MGM, and a James Beard Foundation evening at ARIA Yucca Pool.
Other scheduled experiences include themed lunches at Amaya, The Mayfair Supper Club, Spago and CARBONE Riviera, plus several dinner events such as The Zodiac Dinner at Blossom in ARIA, a spirit-aged steak and cocktail dinner at Westoria, a vintage wine and culinary dinner at Westoria, and an elevated dinner at Sadelle’s in Bellagio.
Initial Drink Las Vegas highlights
- Opening Night Party at ARIA Yucca Pool
- 24K: Caviar & The Classics at The Pinky Ring by Bruno Mars, Bellagio
- In the Mix: Music Meets Mixology at On The Record, Park MGM
- A Night of Excellence with the James Beard Foundation at ARIA Yucca Pool
- Timeless Taste: Celebrating the Legacy of Las Vegas at ARIA Yucca Pool
- Multiple daytime lunches and seated dinners across Bellagio, ARIA, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and Park MGM
Why it matters for visitors to Las Vegas
For travelers, Drink Las Vegas adds another reason to plan a fall trip to the city. Rather than focusing on a single venue, the event is built around an entire resort corridor, which means guests can move between restaurants, bars and poolside spaces without leaving the core Strip area.
That format may appeal to visitors who like food festivals but want something a little more curated than a standard walk-up tasting. It also gives guests access to some of the Strip’s most recognizable dining rooms and nightlife spaces in one concentrated weekend.
The inclusion of VIP passes suggests MGM is targeting both casual attendees and serious food and beverage fans looking for more exclusive access. At the same time, the mix of seminars, tastings and chef-led events points to an event that is as much about learning and industry conversation as it is about entertainment.
Tickets, dates and key details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | Drink Las Vegas |
| Dates | September 24-27, 2026 |
| Location | More than 30 MGM Resorts venues, including ARIA, Bellagio, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and Park MGM |
| Age requirement | 21+ |
| Status | Tickets and VIP passes on sale now |
| Beneficiary | Keep Memory Alive, supporting brain disorder research, treatment and care at Cleveland Clinic Nevada |
Support behind the event
Drink Las Vegas is being produced by a21 in partnership with MGM Resorts. In announcing the event, a21 founder and CEO Brett Friedman said the festival represents a new chapter for live culinary experiences in the United States, with a focus on pairing mixology and major restaurateurs on the Las Vegas Strip.
The event will also benefit Keep Memory Alive, which supports research, treatment and care for brain disorders through Cleveland Clinic Nevada.
What travelers should know before booking
- Check the age policy before buying tickets, since attendance is restricted to guests 21 and over.
- Review the full event calendar once additional programming is announced, as more talent is expected to be added.
- If you plan to stay multiple days, consider booking a room early through MGM Resorts, especially for a busy fall travel window.
- Expect events to be spread across several properties, so leave time for moving between venues on the Strip.
For now, the first Drink Las Vegas lineup suggests MGM Resorts is going all-in on a festival format that blends high-end dining, cocktails and nightlife. If the rest of the programming follows the same pattern, the Strip could have a new marquee event for food and drink fans this September.
Source: MGM Resorts International press release via newsroom.mgmresorts.com.