On a Friday night at Circa Las Vegas in mid-March 2024, the rooftop Legacy Club was reminiscent of an MTV award show after-party from 1994.
The posh indoor-outdoor lounge on the hotel’s 60th floor was packed with beautiful people, decked out in their finest party attire — which on this particular night included flannel shirts, nylon tracksuits, basketball jerseys, grunge rock t-shirts, snapback caps, bulky sneakers and heavy gold chains. Some carried boom boxes or comically large cellular phones. The unique dress code and over-the-top outfits (fueled by a costume contest) were complemented by 90’s era snacks, décor and music.
This stylish and refined lounge’s metamorphosis into a lively throwback party was a one-night-only affair. But it’s part of a monthly event series designed to introduce Legacy Club to a new audience. Other recent events have included a Derby Day celebration of hats and horses, Saturday afternoon High Tea, and the Jingle Bell Ball “Holiday Soiree.” Last year’s schedule included a Masquerade Halloween Party, a Bourbon and Blues event, Star-Spangled Glamour, and a Jay Gatsby-themed Speakeasy In The Sky. The days and times varied. But they had at least one unifying theme.
What Are You Wearing?
“You have to dress up,” the series’ mastermind, Whitney Genevieve, told the Food and Loathing podcast. “You have to actually think about it. You can’t just show up. You have to plan for it.”
In modern Las Vegas, where even top-tier venues offer increasingly “relaxed” dress codes, Genevieve is excited to create experiences where people are excited about dressing up.
“I love to dress up,” she proudly proclaims.
“I don’t like to leave my house without looking a certain way. Because Vegas is a theme in and of itself. And everyone’s a character. I want everybody to be able to experience that lifestyle and be able to dress up and be wild with it, be outrageous with it, and have fun with it.”
However, dress code suggestions are only part of what makes Genevieve’s events at Legacy Club so special. Food and drink also reflect each theme. A wine tasting may offer charcuterie and cheese, while the ‘90s event offered guests Fun Dip, Pop Rocks and a gourmet spin on Uncrustables. Entertainment might be provided by a DJ, a harpist or a lounge singer, selected to enhance each party’s vibe.
“Everyone has added such a different layer to these events, which is so fun,” Genevieve says of the assorted entertainers spotlighted at the events. “Everyone encompasses the entire energy of that room, and we make sure, from the catering to the bartenders to the drinks to the food, that it all encompasses that entire event.”
Different Way To Show Off Vegas
As the casino’s Director of Player Development and Special Events and the daughter of Circa owner Derek Stevens, Genevieve created these events to provide entertainment for Circa’s guests’ traveling companions, who might not be interested in the things that drew their family and friends to the resort.
“My father and this amazing team have started so many great things. But a lot of them have to do with sports and, obviously, gaming. But you always have to take care of [everyone] who comes through these doors. So looking for a different avenue of entertaining people and a different way to show people Las Vegas and Downtown, we needed to do something different and switch it up a little bit.”
Ticket Sales Surge
Her first event at Legacy Club was last year’s High Tea event, and the turnout has grown ever since. The series’ popularity among Las Vegas locals has proven to be a mixed blessing, as the room now regularly reaches capacity well before the party. And the unpredictability of the weather means the team is never certain whether they’ll have access to Legacy Club’s large outdoor deck and fire pits.
“Our events now are selling out, so we have to kind of hold back a little bit [selling tickets] to make sure we have enough room for our gaming customers to be able to get a spot. Because we want to make sure that the food flows, the liquor flows – all of that.”
They now cap events at 215 people, which is small enough to ensure that everyone is well taken care of.
Next Up: A White Party
Genevieve’s next Legacy Club event will be the return of an all-white party called Legacy en Blanc from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the longest day of the year, June 21.
She says last year’s version “was probably one of our game-changer events.”
“It was white parasols. It was all-white, everything. Everyone loves it: the food, the energy, all of that. And we’re just so excited. It’s almost our Summer Opener party … without calling it a Summer Opener party.”
Tickets for that event are on sale now for $150, at CircaLasVegas.com/legacy-en-blanc. Use the code NeonFeast15 to get $15 off.
