Boosted by two years of increasing success, Life is Beautiful Music and Art Festival will once again fill the streets of downtown Las Vegas this September 25th – 27th. Founded by Rehan Choudhry in 2013, the three-day festival was never meant to take on that other Las Vegas juggernaut, Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC). Instead, Rehan envisioned a “collusion of experiences” that would challenge people’s conception of Sin City. The best of music, food, art, and learning will fuse together to create something more than the giant nightclub that is “the strip.”
No modern-day festival succeeds on the strip (or anywhere these days) without a killer music lineup, and you better believe that the Life Is Beautiful lineup does not disappoint. Hometown hero and The Killers front-man, Brandon Flowers, will go on-stage again after headlining with his band in 2013. Imagine Dragons, another Vegas-born music legend, is also scheduled to rock the streets of his native land.
From there, the Life Is Beautiful 2015 lineup only picks up steam; artists involved include Stevie Wonder, Kendrick Lamar, Chance The Rapper, Major Lazer, DeathCab For Cutie, Kygo, Duran Duran, Hozier, Snoop Dogg, Weezer, Knife Party, zPorter Robinson and more, totaling over 70 musicians.
The food aspect has always been presented in the form of the Culinary Village, a collection of food stalls, trucks, and chefs. This year, the experience will be mixed throughout the 15 city blocks of the festival. Three culinary displays will offer daily cooking demos and mixology demonstrations from celebrity chefs such as Hubert Keller and Carla Pellegrino. Supplementing those displays are over 30 food vendors and a dozen food trucks.
Another unique pillar of the festival is its learning series. Over 30 presenters will lecture on themes that mesh with the Life is Beautiful vision: using one’s passions and talents to overcome obstacles and create a better world for yourself and those around you. Some of the featured educators are Bill Nye, Zappos founder, Tony Hsieh, and pro skateboarder, Chris Cole,
The art aspect is partially represented by murals scattered throughout the downtown space. Guest muralist The Fat Jew is listed amidst an international street artist roster that includes Pixel Pancho from Italy, and Bordalo II from Portugal. There’s also the Art Hotel, a vacant motel that’s had each of its 15 10X10 rooms transformed into one-of-a-kind installations. The Art Hotel and its courtyard will be open throughout Life Is Beautiful weekend.
To experience the fruits of Life Is Beautiful for yourself in Vegas, you must buy a ticket. Life Is Beautiful tickets start at just $235 for GA weekend passes and $545 for VIP. Lodging has begun to fill up, do not delay and book your accommodations right away. Shuttles will run back-and-forth routes to 8 different locations around Vegas, including three stops on the Strip. Shuttle passes are $45 for the 3-day weekend. For the same price, a park-and-ride pass from the World Market Center is also available.
Careful curating of the best parts of life – food, music, art, and learning – has allowed Life is Beautiful to ride a wave of success until now. Based on the selections for this year, it’s a ride that might continue for a good long while.