What to Do Between the Pool and the Club
The pool winds down in the early evening and the clubs open at 10:30pm. How to fill the gap: rest, sunset drinks or a show, dinner, and the club door on time.
The short answerPlan the gap between a Las Vegas dayclub and a nightclub in four steps: leave the pool around 6pm and rest, then catch sunset drinks or a 90-minute show at about 7pm, eat a booked dinner, and reach the club by about 11pm, while guest lists are still open. Nightclubs open around 10:30pm, so there is no reason to rush, but the groups that drift between 9pm and 11pm are the ones that lose each other.
| Time | What to do |
|---|---|
| 6pm | Leave the pool, drink water and eat something |
| 6:30pm | Shower, rest and change into club clothes |
| 7pm | A 90-minute show, or sunset drinks with a view |
| 8:45pm | Dinner, booked for the whole group |
| 11pm | At the club door. Nightclubs open around 10:30pm, and guest lists close between about 11pm and 1am |
Why the gap goes wrong
Four or five hours sounds like plenty. In practice it is when groups splinter: someone naps too long, someone else starts drinking early, and by 11pm half the group is in a different casino. The fix is a plan with a booked dinner in the middle, so everyone has a time and a place to be.
Rest first
A day in the desert sun is tiring and dehydrating, even when it does not feel that way. Drink water, eat something and give yourself time to change: nightclubs have a stricter dress code than dayclubs. What to wear to a Vegas club or pool party covers what gets through the door.
Sunset drinks and happy hours
Sunset in Las Vegas comes as late as 8:03pm at the end of June and as early as 4:27pm in early December, so check the time for your trip. Most Strip happy hours finish around 6pm or 7pm.
- Chandelier Bar, The Cosmopolitan: Monday to Friday, 3pm to 6pm, with cocktails at $10 to $14.
- Jaleo, The Cosmopolitan: Sunday to Thursday 5pm to 7pm, Friday and Saturday 4:30pm to 7pm.
- Level 107 Lounge, The STRAT: Monday to Friday, 3pm to 6pm, with $7 beers and $11 cocktails, high above the Strip.
- Rí Rá Irish Pub, Mandalay Bay: daily, 3pm to 6pm.
- High Roller, The LINQ: a 30-minute ride on the observation wheel, listed from $28 in the daytime and $40 anytime. The Happy Half Hour, with an open bar for guests 21 and over, is listed from $67.
Happy hour deals change often, so check with the bar before you go.
Or see a show
A 90-minute show at 6:30pm or 7pm finishes in time for dinner. Michael Jackson ONE at Mandalay Bay plays at 6:30pm and Mystère at Treasure Island at 7pm. Which Cirque du Soleil show to see compares them, and Is the Sphere worth it? covers the other big evening option.
For something free, the Bellagio fountains run every 15 minutes from 8pm and the Lake of Dreams at Wynn every 30 minutes from 8pm. Free things to do on the Strip has more.
Dinner, then the door
Book dinner for a time that finishes before the club, in the same resort or close to it, and book three to four weeks ahead for a group of ten or more. How to choose a Las Vegas steakhouse helps pick the room.
Nightclubs open around 10:30pm, and guest lists close between about 11pm and 1am, earlier for men. How Las Vegas guest lists actually work explains the cutoffs, and Group bookings can plan the whole evening, from dinner to the club door.
Questions people ask
What time do Las Vegas nightclubs open?
Most major Strip nightclubs open around 10:30pm.
What should we do before going to a club in Vegas?
Rest and change after the pool, then catch sunset drinks or a 90-minute show at about 7pm, eat a booked dinner, and arrive at the club by about 11pm.
When is sunset in Las Vegas?
It varies through the year, from as late as 8:03pm at the end of June to as early as 4:27pm in early December.
Is the High Roller Happy Half Hour worth it?
For a group that wants a view and a drink before dinner, it can be. The 30-minute ride with an open bar for guests 21 and over is listed from $67.
What time should we get to a Vegas club?
By about 11pm. Nightclubs open around 10:30pm and guest lists close between about 11pm and 1am.
Sources
- timeanddate: sunrise and sunset times in Las Vegas
- Find Happy Hours Vegas: best happy hours on the Strip (February 2026)
- High Roller tickets and Happy Half Hour prices (2026)
- Vegas.com: Cirque du Soleil show times
- Visit Las Vegas: free things to do (June 2026)
Checked 13 September 2026. Prices, hours and policies change, so confirm with the venue before you book.
