Vegas Recruits Superstars for New Year's

You can spend up to $5,600 on a Vegas New Year's bash, but that doesn't guarantee the stars will perform.
By Michael Martin ,

While it's debatable if Las Vegas hospitality has seen the worst of the recession, New Year's Eve is shaping up to be the biggest in years, with concerts and star-studded parties hoping to fill not only the nightclubs but the hotels hosting them. This year's lineup of celebrity-rich parties comes with the perk of surprisingly affordable and still-available holiday room rates at hotels such as Aria,

Wynn

(WYNN) - Get Report

and the Hard Rock that make it one of the best times in years to spend the New Year in Vegas.

Haze at

Aria

is one of the newest nightclubs on the strip. The Light Group, which manages exclusive VIP clubs throughout Las Vegas, operates this top nightclub draw at

MGM's

(MGM) - Get Report

City Center, where an indoor club experience of LCD screens and terraced VIP lounges will play host to Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist Nelly for New Year's Eve. Doors open at 10 p.m. for those willing to fork over $165 for tickets or upward of $3,000 to book a VIP table -- oddly, the cheaper alternative for larger parties when calculating the premium alcohol selection of vodka and champagne on a per-drink, per-person basis.

Pure Nightclub, at Caesar's, is the hottest ticket in town for a Las Vegas New Year's. But the club's midnight countdown with the singer Rihanna is unlikely to include a performance, and most visitors are unlikely to get anywhere near her.

The Light Group also operates two other branded-nightclubs: Jet, at the

Mirage

, will offer B.o.B performing and hosting a midnight countdown for $125, including a free hosted bar from 9 to 11 p.m. and VIP tables from $2,000; the Bellagio's

Bank Nightclub

, with its bling-ridden decor and reputation for such star acts as Usher, will host a pricier affair with pop artist Jay Sean. Tickets start at $150, or you can secure a table from $2,500 for up to four guests, including bottles of Belvedere and Dom Perignon that likely won't last till the club's 4 a.m. closing.

Perhaps the highest-profile event in Vegas for the year: Jay-Z and Coldplay are to perform a concert at the new

Cosmopolitan Las Vegas

, which is sold out unless you're willing to pay $5,600 for a New Year's package including three nights in a city room or terrace suite, a New Year's Day brunch and two tickets to the much-touted concert. A more affordable way to party inside the Cosmopolitan would be to try the new

Marquee Las Vegas

for its New Year's Eve Grand Opening party, which is set to feature international DJ Erick Morillo -- a bit more electronic than the usual hip-hop-minded Vegas New Year's, but with tickets from just $150 per person.

There's more electronic music at

The Palms

as DJ Paul Oakenfold continues in the spot occupied by the late DJ AM. Its Rain nightclub will host the internationally renowned DJ in an indoor-outdoor dance venue celebrating its 10-year anniversary. The event is well priced at just $75 for general admission, but still requires a wait in the club's legendary line, which usually spirals well into the casino even on a nonholiday night. An alternative: Guests can buy a Palms All-Access Pass granting VIP express admission into Rain and all other Palm nightclubs, including the Playboy Club and Moon, with hosts LMFAO and Ghostbar. Moon boasts the perfect rooftop vantage point for enjoying the midnight Vegas fireworks show.

Never one to be left out of the celebrity party circuit, Kim Kardashian will be hosting at

Tao

with a fancier New Years' Eve affair that includes passed hors d'oeuvres till 11 p.m. and a complimentary champagne toast at midnight. It also has a pricier, $200-per-person cover charge. Next door at

Lavo

, also operated by Tao, is a more intimate and grown-up VIP experience, including access to an outdoor patio that allows one of the best views of the Vegas strip. Club visitors get VIP wristbands -- a bit harder and pricier to come by here than at other Vegas nightclubs -- giving in-and-out privileges to each as well as front-of-the-line access.

Farther down the strip at the Luxor,

LAX Nightclub

plans to host Diddy for a hip-hop party that surely won't be short on flashiness. But for the hottest ticket in town you'll have to hit Caesar's, where

Pure Nightclub

is hosting a midnight countdown with Rihanna. Visitors should keep in mind that Pure is definitely a caste society, meaning VIP revelers enjoy the best of everything, including access to the strip-facing patio, while those with simple general admittance ($150 and up) queue up in an infamous line and, when they finally get in, spend the night in a dance-floor-style main area -- apart from the onstage celebrities, who often don't perform, even on New Year's Eve.

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Michael Martin is the managing editor of JetSetReport.com, a luxury travel and lifestyle guide based in Los Angeles and London. His work has appeared in InStyle, Blackbook, Elle, U.K.'s Red magazine and on ITV and the BBC.

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