Question of the Day - 31 January 2014

We've written at length over the past few days with regard to the commemorative "lucky" limited-edition chips that traditionally have been issued by many Las Vegas casino cages, but which evidently are virtually a thing of the past now (see QoD 1/27/2013 and a subsequent follow-up on Tuesday in "Today's News.") While this comes as disappointing news to the many who were fond of collecting these colorful annual tributes to the Years of the Dog, Pig, Rat, Tiger, Snake, et al.

Still, while any kind of commemorative chips are going to be like gold dust when it comes to the Year of the Horse (unless you have high rolling Asian amigos who patronize the right casinos), there are a whole host of other festivities and events marking the onset of the Year of the Wood Horse, which commences with the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year today, January 31, and may or may not augur good things for the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Here are main events we've heard about:

Displays and Events:

• With their major ties to sister properties in Macau and the Asian gambling public, Venetian and Palazzo are once again going all-out in their celebrations, starting early with decorations that have been up since January 10 and which will be on display through the end of February. The Palazzo Lobby and Waterfall Atrium are festooned with eight unique, hand-painted sculpted horses, plus one lamb (secret friend to the equine), with a centerpiece 16-foot statue that stands in its own fountain, together with lashings of lanterns, Chinese bamboo towers, and numerous horticultural displays symbolizing good luck and prosperity. In addition to the decorations, the properties will again host a traditional dragon dance, which takes place today at 3 p.m., starting at the Venetian's porte-cochère and wending its way theatrically, complete with firecrackers, eye-painting, dancers, and drummers, through the casino to the Palazzo's Waterfall Atrium.
• Not to be outdone, Bellagio's Conservatory &Botanical Gardens have also been decked out in all their Chinese New Year glory for some time now, and will continue to celebrate the Year of the Horse with a "festive sanctuary" that will be in place through March 1, when the changeover to a Spring theme takes place. Guided, naturally, by the principals of Feng Shui, this floral extravaganza honors the stallion, symbol of happiness and luck, with multiple gardens each featuring water for positive energy flow. There are clusters of red silk lanterns and red firecrackers hanging from the ceiling to ward off evil and a centerpiece featuring seven life-size horses on a lush three-tier mountain, topped by a gold stallion, bringing the total number to the lucky number eight. There's also a pond filled with more than 150 Koi fish and an 18-foot-tall custom-made Chinese money tree. As if all this isn't enough, there's also free traditional Chinese folk and pop music performed live daily from 5-6 p.m., while the property also will take part in a series of group-wide dragon-dance performances that begin at Crystals in CityCenter at 1 p.m. today, with a second display at 6 p.m. this evening inside the main lobby of MGM Grand. Bellagio's dragon dance takes place on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 4 p.m. at the main entrance, with ARIA following suit on Monday, Feb. 3 at 6:30 p.m. in front of the main entrance.
• Rounding out January's scheduled events, for the 18th consecutive year (now, that has to be auspicious, right?) the Forum Shops at Caesars will host a traditional dragon parade at 10 a.m. this morning, featuring 60 students from Las Vegas' Meadows School.
• Casinos opting to postpone their celebrations until February include Cosmopolitan, which will feature a traditional "dotting of the eyes" ceremony and street parade Saturday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.m., commencing at the east side entrance off the Strip before heading into the casino, while Gold Coast will host not one but two dragon dances on the casino floor on Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. and then again at 10 p.m., during which "lucky" lettuce will be thrown at spectators.
• Not to be left out of the mix, downtown gets in on the action Feb. 7-9 when the Fremont Street Experience hosts the third annual Chinese New Year in the Desert festival, with opening ceremonies scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at the 3rd Street Stage, featuring a performance by The Desert Winds wind ensemble and a dragon dance courtesy of Las Vegas Lohan School of Shaolin. Ongoing festivities are planned through the weekend, including another "dotting of the eyes" ceremony, performances by Asian acts on the 3rd Street Stage, and an International Vendor Village offering Asian delicacies.

Other Stuff:

• Obviously, the substantial Asian-restaurant community here will be celebrating with some culinary events, including the annual massive Asian food festival on Sunday, Feb. 9, featuring the best of Chinatown Plaza (4255 Spring Mountain Road, just west of the Strip) with cuisines from all regions of China, plus Vietnam, Japan, Hawaii, and more. This is complemented with live entertainment from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., including a lion and dragon dance, drumming, martial arts, acrobatics, and more, plus more than 100 vendors. Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children ages 6-12. More information is available at the lvchinatown.com website.
• FÚ (which means "luck") restaurant at the Hard Rock is serving Chinese New Year Specials available now through Feb. 13, featuring symbolically named dishes including: "Luck Comes Easily" (pork shank stewed with preserved bean curd)); "Laughter & Happiness" (pan-seared prawns served with sweet tomato sauce); and "Prosperity & Gold Coins" (wok-fried sea scallops with a side of asparagus).
• PANDA!, the ongoing production that debuted earlier this month at Palazzo, is a quirky and visually stunning story directed by one of the members of the team responsible for the much-acclaimed opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, and starring a cast of world-class Chinese talent from the disciplines of dance, martial arts, and acrobatics -- not to mention yo-yos and sword-fighting, we understand. Check it out!
• Gold Coast's celebrations go way beyond the dragon dances we reference above, with a "Lucky Money Hot Seat" promo that will run 24/7, from Feb. 7–9, offering more than 88 winners per day to select a traditional red envelope containing anything from $25–$1,000 approximately every fifteen minutes, in $8,800 of giveaways each day. And if all the excitement finds you working up an appetite, the off-Strip casino is home to not one, but two acclaimed Asian eateries, with Ping Pang Pong (dim sum, plus a full menu of traditional Chinese dishes) and the Noodle Exchange, which specializes in mini hot pots.

We're sure there's more, but hopefully that's given you some food for thought -- visually as well as gastronomically. As a long-popular destination for Asian gamblers, Las Vegas has a well-established tradition of celebrating the Lunar New Year city-wide and this year seems to be even bigger and better than ever.