Vegas Shows In January 2026

Top Headliners and Residency Shows

The Sphere dominates January’s marquee entertainment, bookending the month with two very different acts.

1. The Backstreet Boys extend their holiday run with seven additional dates through January 15, their 360-degree immersive production transforming what a pop concert can feel like.
2. Then the Eagles launch their highly anticipated “Long Goodbye” residency January 23-31. This is potentially one of the last opportunities to see Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and the full lineup before they retire from touring.

Over at Caesars Palace, Blake Shelton brings Nashville swagger to the Colosseum starting January 15. The 4,300-seat room suits his between-songs storytelling, and eight shows through month’s end give country fans plenty of options. Zayn Malik’s Dolby Live debut (January 20-31) marks one of the month’s most anticipated new residencies, putting his moody, atmospheric solo work in an intimate 5,200 seat theater built for production value. And Santana opens at House of Blues January 21 for a run that delivers proximity to the guitar god, with 1,800 seats means you’re close enough to watch his fingers work.

Best Shows by Category

Beyond the residencies, here’s where Vegas variety shines. The city’s permanent show roster runs year round, but January’s lighter crowds mean better seat selection and shorter will call lines across every category.

Cirque du Soleil Shows

Cirque du Soleil invented the modern Vegas production show, and five resident productions currently run across the Strip. Each occupies its own emotional territory, there’s no single “best” Cirque, just the one that matches your mood.

• “O” at Bellagio leans romantic and dreamlike, built around a 1.5-million-gallon pool where swimmers, divers, and aerialists blur the line between water and air.
• KÀ at MGM Grand goes full epic, with a rotating vertical stage and martial arts choreography that defies gravity. Mystère at Treasure Island delivers the classic whimsical circus experience Cirque built its reputation on.
• Michael Jackson ONE at Mandalay Bay fuses the King of Pop’s catalog with Cirque choreography for something that feels more concert than circus.
• Mad Apple at New York-New York is the outlier an NYC themed variety show mixing acrobatics, live music, and stand-up comedy with downtown nightlife energy.

Comedy Shows

January’s comedy calendar spans arena level headliners and intimate club rotations, with the Encore Theatre at Wynn anchoring the big names.

• Sebastian Maniscalco (Jan 6-7, Encore) times perfectly with CES week and his observational takes on modern absurdity land well with the tech crowd.
• Chris Tucker (Jan 17-18, Encore) brings the physical comedy and rapid storytelling that made him a star.
• Jim Gaffigan (Jan 26-28, Encore) closes out the month with family friendly deadpan that never punches down.
• Ali Wong (Jan 27-28, Encore) overlaps with Gaffigan, offering a sharp alternative for those who prefer their comedy with teeth.
• Nikki Glaser & David Spade (Jan 16-17, Colosseum) pair up for a double header that balances roast humor with observational wit.

For nightly club comedy, Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club at MGM Grand features rotating headliners in an intimate room. Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club at LINQ pulls from the late-night circuit, and Comedy Cellar at Rio imports the legendary New York club’s vibe brick walls, tight sets, and occasional surprise drop ins.

Magic Shows

Vegas remains the world capital of magic, and January’s lineup covers everything from grand illusion to sleight of hand mastery.

• David Copperfield at MGM Grand is the prestige play an intimate theater under 1,500 seats where grand illusions mix with personal storytelling and genuine audience connection.
• Shin Lim: Limitless at the Palazzo Theatre showcases the two time America’s Got Talent winner’s impossible card work, with mentalist Colin Cloud opening the show.
• Penn & Teller at Rio (Saturday-Wednesday) have been explaining and not explaining magic for decades, balancing comedy, skepticism, and genuine wonder.
• Criss Angel MINDFREAK at Planet Hollywood delivers theatrical intensity and large scale illusions for those who like their magic dark.
• Mat Franco at LINQ offers approachable, audience participation magic that works especially well for families and first timers.

Adult & Burlesque Shows

Sultry cabaret meets sharp comedy in Vegas’s after dark variety scene. Absinthe at Caesars Palace remains the gold standard for racy acrobatics, a darkly funny show that’s run in the outdoor Spiegeltent for over a decade and still sells out nightly. The hosts roast the audience between death-defying acts, and nothing else in Vegas quite matches its energy.

Zombie Burlesque at V Theater adds horror comedy camp to the format, while Fantasy at Luxor delivers classic Vegas showgirl production with modern polish. Magic Mike Live at Sahara bridges the gap between male revue and theatrical experience, drawing couples as much as bachelorette parties.

Family Friendly Shows

Vegas delivers more family options than its reputation suggests, and January’s cooler weather makes it easier to navigate between them.

• Blue Man Group at Luxor offers sensory overload entertainment, percussion, paint, technology, and audience participationthat works for all ages. The 5pm matinees slot well for younger kids.
• Tournament of Kings at Excalibur serves dinner and jousting spectacle where kids pick a knight to cheer for while eating with their hands. The 6pm showtime means you’re out early for other plans.
• Jabbawockeez at MGM Grand brings hip-hop dance crew energy with masked performers and crowd thrilling choreography. The 7pm and 9:30pm shows work best for teens and up.
• KÀ and Mystère both welcome kids 5+, and KÀ’s weekend matinees at 4:30pm pair nicely with evening dinner reservations.

January Show Dates With Most and Least Options

January doesn’t offer the same number of show choices every night, and that difference can matter depending on how you like to plan. Across the month, most days land somewhere between 42 and 52 shows, but the experience can feel very different at each end of that range.

On quieter nights, the calendar wraps up earlier, which often appeals to travelers who prefer fewer decisions or are hoping for better pricing. On the busiest nights, the advantage flips to more shows, more genres, and increased flexibility if plans come together late.

Slower days

These nights are often a good fit for visitors who like a calmer pace or are comfortable choosing from a smaller slate rather than scanning dozens of options. The lightest nights in January tend to cluster around Sundays and the very start of the month. On these dates, the daily show list ends earlier than usual, topping out at roughly 42–45 shows.

Notably quieter dates with fewer show options include:

• 📅 January 1 (Thursday)
• 📅 January 2 (Friday)
• 📅 January 3 (Saturday)
• 📅 January 4 (Sunday)
• 📅 January 11 (Sunday)
• 📅 January 13 (Tuesday)
• 📅 January 25 (Sunday)

Busiest days

If flexibility is the priority, especially for last-minute decisions, certain January dates stand out. These nights will push past the usual cutoff and regularly exceed 50 total show listings, creating the widest range of choices across venues and show types. A clear pattern emerges here: Tuesdays and Thursdays consistently carry the deepest schedules, making them the most forgiving nights if plans shift or decisions happen late in the day.

The days with the most show options fall on:

• 📅 January 6 (Tuesday)
• 📅 January 8 (Thursday)
• 📅 January 15 (Thursday)
• 📅 January 16 (Friday)
• 📅 January 17 (Saturday)
• 📅 January 20 (Tuesday)
• 📅 January 22 (Thursday)
• 📅 January 27 (Tuesday)
• 📅 January 29 (Thursday)

January Dark Weeks

January’s Vegas show calendar will remain busy, causing availability to tighten quickly when multiple major productions pause at the same time. That’s especially true when maintenance breaks overlap with heavy convention traffic, narrowing the number of headline options on certain dates.

These dark periods do not mean zero shows,  but they will matter if your trip is built around a specific production or venue. Understanding where those gaps fall makes it easier to adjust plans or choose a different night altogether.

Cirque du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil productions typically run two performances per show night, but several take scheduled breaks in January. Due to the overlap in breaks, mid January can feel more compressed than the rest of the month for travelers targeting Cirque productions.

Mystère (Treasure Island)

• Weekly dark days: Wednesday & Thursday
• Maintenance break: January 9–20

 O  (Bellagio)

• Weekly dark days: Monday & Tuesday
• Maintenance break: January 4–6

KÀ (MGM Grand)

• Weekly dark days: Thursday & Friday
• Maintenance break: January 4–13

MJ ONE (Mandalay Bay)

• Weekly dark days: Tuesday & Wednesday
• Maintenance break: January 6–21

Mad Apple (New York–New York)

• Weekly dark days: Sunday & Monday

• Maintenance break: January 4–6

Production & Variety Shows

Production shows in Vegas will follow different performance rhythms, with fewer overlapping pauses in January.

Awakening (Wynn)

• Weekly dark days: Wednesday & Thursday
• Maintenance break: January 5–15

Jabbawockeez (MGM Grand)

• Weekly dark days: Tuesday & Wednesday
• No January maintenance dates are currently listed

Tournament of Kings

• Weekly dark day: Tuesday

• No January maintenance dates are currently listed

Absinthe (Caesars Palace)

• Performs nightly year round with no scheduled dark dates

Blue Man Group

• Generally performs daily

• Single January dark date: January 28

Magic & Variety Specials

David Copperfield

• Typically dark January 14–21

Penn & Teller

• Weekly dark days: Tuesday & Wednesday

• No January break currently scheduled

V – The Ultimate Variety Show

• Performs seven days a week, with rotating acts rather than full dark days

Where To See Shows In January

In January, the crowded areas will come down to which zones are under the most pressure from overlapping conventions. Based on our event research, congestion doesn’t spread evenly it concentrates around key corridors during these peak weeks. This will matter if you’re trying to stack multiple shows into a trip or keep things simple logistically.

• During Week 1 (CES), the busiest pressure points center on the Convention Center and Central Strip, with broader spillover citywide.
  
• During Week 3 (SHOT Show + World of Concrete), demand is especially concentrated in the Venetian, Caesars, and LVCC corridors, which can make prime evening windows feel tighter even when the overall city still has a deep show slate.
  
• Week 4 shifts attention toward North Strip, driven by Las Vegas Market and the IBF lightweight title boxing match.
  

The easiest way to use this is as a planning lens: if your trip overlaps an extreme week, it’s smart to lock in must see performances earlier and keep one or two flexible options in your back pocket, especially if you’re aiming for the same corridor that’s experiencing the highest demand.