What’s New in Las Vegas: Big Changes Coming in 2026

The short version of what’s new in Las Vegas for 2026: the North Strip is the story. The Fontainebleau has reset the skyline, the Vanderpump Hotel just took over the old Cromwell, and a wave of celebrity-chef restaurants and members-only clubs is reshaping where people eat and drink. Add a stacked Sphere residency calendar and new attractions off the Strip, and this is one of the busiest years of openings Vegas has seen. Here’s what actually matters for planning a trip.

We book these new rooms as they open, so here’s an on-the-ground read on the changes worth your time in 2026.

New hotels reshaping the Strip

Fontainebleau Las Vegas: the North Strip anchor, with 3,644 rooms across 67 stories (Nevada’s tallest building), dozens of restaurants, and LIV nightclub inside. See our Fontainebleau venue guide.
Vanderpump Hotel: Lisa Vanderpump’s 188-room “industrial romantic” hotel opened May 26, 2026 in the former Cromwell at Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo, a boutique, design-led alternative to the mega-resorts. Read our full Vanderpump Hotel guide.

For the full landscape, our Las Vegas hotels page tracks what’s open and where.

The restaurants everyone will be talking about

Vegas’s 2026 dining class leans celebrity chef and hard to book:

Maroon at Sahara: Chef Kwame Onwuachi brings his Afro-Caribbean cooking to the North Strip.
Cantina Contramar at Fontainebleau: Gabriela Cámara’s famous Mexico City seafood, known for its split-sauce grilled fish.
Gymkhana at Aria: the two-Michelin-star London Indian restaurant, long considered one of the hardest reservations in London, arrives in Vegas.

Browse more on our restaurants in Las Vegas page, and we can help secure the tables that are otherwise impossible to get.

New nightlife and members-only clubs

Nightlife is going more exclusive. Zero Bond, the New York private members’ club, is opening at Wynn and is expected to draw an A-list crowd, while LIV at Fontainebleau has become the North Strip’s marquee club. If you want in without the guesswork, our Vegas nightclubs guide and VIP services cover access, tables, and guest lists.

Hotels and resorts on the way

The next wave of Strip openings is already under construction:

Hard Rock Las Vegas: the old Mirage is being rebuilt around a 660-foot guitar-shaped tower, targeting a Q4 2027 opening. See our Hard Rock Las Vegas guide.
Strip renovations: Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Wynn, and Aria are all refreshing rooms and venues this year. Here’s our 2026 hotel renovations roundup.

New teams and stadiums

Vegas keeps adding pro sports, and that means new reasons to visit:

The A’s ballpark: a $2 billion, 33,000-seat domed MLB stadium is rising on the old Tropicana site for a 2028 opening, next to a new Bally’s resort. Read The A’s Are Coming to the Strip.
PWHL Las Vegas: a pro women’s hockey team debuts in 2026-27 at T-Mobile Arena. See our PWHL Las Vegas guide.
NBA expansion: the league could award Las Vegas a team by the end of 2026. Here’s where the NBA race stands.

Attractions and entertainment

Beyond hotels and dining, the Sphere keeps stacking residencies, with Metallica, the Eagles, Backstreet Boys, and more on the 2026 calendar. Off the Strip, the Museum of Ice Cream at AREA15 adds nearly 30,000 square feet of interactive fun. Together they give first-timers and repeat visitors new reasons to go beyond the casino floor.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the biggest new thing in Las Vegas for 2026?
The Fontainebleau’s continued rise on the North Strip and the new Vanderpump Hotel are the headline hotel stories, alongside a wave of celebrity-chef restaurants.

When did the Vanderpump Hotel open?
May 26, 2026, in the former Cromwell at Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road, with 188 rooms.

What new restaurants are opening in Las Vegas in 2026?
Notable arrivals include Maroon at Sahara, Cantina Contramar at Fontainebleau, and Gymkhana, among others.

Is the North Strip worth visiting now?
Yes. With Fontainebleau, Sahara’s comeback, and new dining and nightlife, the North Strip is one of the most active parts of the city in 2026.

See the new Vegas for yourself

2026 is a rare year to see a Las Vegas that is genuinely changing, with new hotels, new chefs, and new clubs all at once. If you want to experience the openings without fighting for reservations, reach out to our VIP team and we’ll build a trip around what’s new.

Sources: Visit Las Vegas, Forbes, Las Vegas Review-Journal.