Top 10 things to do in Las Vegas this week

Here are neon’s top picks of what to do the week of Friday, Dec. 5, through Thursday, Dec. 11:

Great Santa Run

Join thousands of other Clauses at the annual Opportunity Village fundraiser the Las Vegas Great Santa Run. Both the 5K run and 1-mile walk include live music, food and drinks. Pre-race festivities start at 8 a.m. Saturday, and the races begin at 10 a.m., at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. The race fee is $57.50, which includes a five-piece Santa suit, finisher’s medal and swag bag, while supplies last.

Chilly Toucan

From 3 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Guinness is presenting a tiny pub pop-up, The Chilly Toucan, at the Fremont Street Experience, where it crosses North Third Street. The free 21-and-older pop-up features tiny pints paired with tiny cookies from the Guinness collab with Last Crumb, the luxe cookie purveyor.

Krampus Fest

Naughty kids unite for Krampus Fest, where the seasonal goat demon gets his due with live music by Vegas rockers Algorerhythm, Tiger & Dove, Kings/Kings and others in addition to spooky wares from macabre local vendors like Cemetery Pulp and Blaspheme Boutique. The festivities begin at 8 p.m. Friday at the Grey Witch, 722 W. Sunset Road, Henderson. Tickets are $12.35 in advance, $18.50 day of show; dice.fm.

‘A Very Vegas Christmas’

It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas. George Daugherty will conduct the Las Vegas Philharmonic and host “A Very Vegas Christmas.” The festive concert will feature guest appearances by singers Clint Holmes, Michelle Johnson, Jonathan Karrant, Cecilia Violetta López, Naomi Mauro, Amy Smith and Ellie Smith. Performances are scheduled for 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center. Tickets start at $40.30; thesmithcenter.com.

Silverstein

It’s like “The Giving Tree” with guitars and screaming: Canadian post-punks Silverstein, who take their name from renowned children’s author Shel Silverstein, celebrate “25 years of noise” on their current tour with a discography-spanning performance culled from their 14 studio albums. See them at 6 p.m. Saturday at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Tickets start at $48.50; ticketmaster.com.

Cowboy Poetry Gathering on the Road

Kicking off Wednesday, the music and poetry of Elko’s decades-old national Cowboy Poetry Gathering has traveled south to Las Vegas for a four-day event at the Ahern Hotel, 300 W. Sahara Ave. The event will feature nine full shows of music and poetry (Gary Haleamau & Kāwili, R.W. Hampton, Darrell Holden, Annie Mackenzie, Jake Riley, Matt Robertson, Trinity Seely, R.P. Smith, Dave Stamey and Sam Platts with a six-piece band), open mics, rodeo watch parties, dancing and a gift show. General admission is $92.55; nvartscouncil.org/events.

PrideStyle Pro Wrestling

Vegas’ PrideStyle Inclusive Pro Wrestling celebrates four years of being the city’s go-to “safe space for violence” with “Dreams Don’t Die 4,” their biggest show of 2025. Expect a whole night of bangers beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday at Swan Dive, 1301 S. Main St. Tickets start at $26.50; pridestylepro.com.

Tamales

Leticia’s Cocina & Cantina is offering traditional Mexican holiday tamales at its Santa Fe Station and Boulder Station locations and its sibling, Letty’s, 807 S. Main St., through Jan. 1. Sweet and savory tamales ($24 a half-dozen, $38 a dozen), birria tamales with consommé ($32 a half-dozen, $42 a dozen), and six different side sauces ($8 for 8 ounces, $10 for 16 ounces, $12 for 32 ounces) may be purchased, up to three dozen, during regular business hours without pre-ordering. Larger orders require a 24-hour notice. Visit leticiascocina.com for details.

Universal Horror Unleashed

Experience the sinister side of the holidays with the Germanic punisher Krampus, the Icelandic troll Grýla and Kallikantzaroi Greek goblins. They’ll participate in lantern-lit processions and photo ops, and seasonal food and drinks will pay tribute to them at Universal Horror Unleashed. The seasonal scares will take place Thursdays through Mondays through Jan. 3. Admission starts at $59.

Shrunken heads

Through Dec. 20, every visit to the Golden Tiki, 3939 Spring Mountain Road, that includes a drink purchase earns an entry into a contest to immortalize the imbiber’s head in the bar’s Shrunken Head Hall of Infamy. Shrunken heads famously range from celebrities to Vegas worthies to other friends of the house. Each visit earns only one entry, but there is no limit on the number of visits.