Jae C. Hong/AP
Tempest Storm
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 | 2:05 p.m.
With its pasties, g-strings and ostrich feathers, the annual Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend might sound like any ol’ romp in Vegas. But this is the real deal, the art of striptease—the novelty of fresh performance, pageantry and creative costuming, featuring burlesque’s contemporary, rising and legendary stars.
Calendar
- Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend
- June 3-6, various times, weekend passes are $175.
- Plaza Hotel
- burlesquehall.com
For four days, Downtown’s Plaza Hotel will be home to the most talented acts in burlesque, arriving from all over the world (and down the street). It’s funny, madcap, sexy, acrobatic, country, western, disco, classical, bebop, vaudevillian and circus-like, and serves as the fundraiser for the Burlesque Hall of Fame Museum, which opens its new space June 4 at Emergency Arts with the exhibit “Sequins in the Sand: Celebrating 20 Years of Miss Exotic World.”
The Lucky Daredevil Thrillshow, featuring Tyler Fyre and Thrill Kill Jill, kicks off the event June 3, followed by the June 4 Titans of Tease: 53rd annual Striptease Reunion Showcase, hosted by World Famous BOB and Kitten on the Keys, and then the World’s Best Burlesque on June 5, hosted by Miss Astrid and featuring troupes, duos and individual performers. Also on tap: a car show, poker tournament, workshops, art opportunities, a pinup pool party and a weekend-long bazaar.
The Plaza, renovated in 2011, has a lobby that features marble and inlaid mosaic tiles, chandeliers and a plush front desk that matches the classic Las Vegas feel with a contemporary look.
The hotel has 1,003 rooms and suites that showcase views of the Las Vegas Strip and downtown Las Vegas. Amenities include world-class entertainment, a casino floor that offers an array of classic gaming choice, which include 600 slot machines, a 400-seat bingo room, 18 table games and 57,120 square feet of casino space.
Among the dining options is Oscar's Beef * Booze * Broads, a steakhouse opened by former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, which is located in the glittery dome enclosure above the hotel's main entrance.
The Plaza sits at the west end of the Fremont Street Experience on the site of the first train depot and auction site in Las Vegas, dating back to the San Pedro-Los Angeles-Salt Lake Railroad in 1905. The railroad was sold to Union Pacific in 1921 and the depot was demolished in 1970 to make way for the Union Plaza Hotel, built in 1971.
The hotel has been featured or is visible in several movies, including the 1971 James Bond film, "Diamonds are Forever;" the 1989 film "Back to the Future Part II;" the 1995 move "Casino," and the 2000 movie "Pay it Forward."
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy