Weekend happenings: Food festivals, classic cars and Oktoberfest

Lady Gaga at MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 25, 2011.

Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011 | 3:59 p.m.

It is a good time to be in Las Vegas. This weekend brings cars, stars and bars full of brew, just in time for Oktoberfest. Celebrations for the Bavarian beer festival are being held throughout the next few weeks. You can read a full breakdown here.

And if beer isn’t your thing, the valley has plenty of family-friendly events, as well as an epic music festival you can watch from the comfort of your home.

Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event

Barrett-Jackson returned to Las Vegas this week and will continue holding auctions, seminars and displays through Saturday. This is the fourth year the car auctioneers have held events in Las Vegas, but it will be the first time that magician Criss Angel will auction off his collection of cars, which includes a 2006 custom Dodge Viper featured on “Mindfreak.”

For individual times, visit barrett-jackson.com, or click here for more information.

Photo by Tiffany Gibson
Henderson Super Run

Las Vegas may have a reputation of reinventing itself every few years, but that doesn’t mean we cannot appreciate the classics. This weekend’s Henderson Super Run is proof of that. The car event will bring together more than 1,000 muscle cars, hot rods and vintage vehicles. More than 260 trophies and awards will be given out, as well as $15,000 in cash prizes. Competitions will be held for roaring engines, slow drags and burnouts, among others.

The Henderson Super Run will take place Friday through Sunday on Water Street in downtown Henderson. Times vary by day, but admission to the all-ages event is always free. For more information, click here, or visit superrun.com.
/Courtesy
JIMICTO Fashion, Art & Music Festival

Two weeks ago, Jimi Urquiaga earned the title of best new fashion designer at the Las Vegas outpost of New York City’s famed Fashion’s Night Out. Now, the 20-year-old Las Vegas native will debut his JIMICTO fall fashion collection Friday at the Platinum Hotel. Also scheduled to debut clothing are California-based Invizible Box and Las Vegas-based Make Shift Apparel, among others. Live music is scheduled, as well as photography exhibits.

Doors open at 8 p.m. Friday, with the show beginning at 8:30. For more information, click here.

Oktoberfest at Hofbräuhaus

Contrary to its name, Oktoberfest kicked off on Sept. 17, which means it is in full swing this weekend. Several venues are hosting special events and offering festive brews. You can read about those here, but we suggest Hofbräuhaus on Paradise Road, where every day is Oktoberfest. The bar-restaurant is an exact replica of the brewing company’s Munich location, which means you can find Bavarian-style music and food all year round. But, if you go this weekend, the girls of Luxor’s revue, “Fantasy,” will serve as celebrity hosts on Friday for a keg-tapping celebration.

For more information on Hofbräuhaus, click here.

iHeartRadio

Clear Channel is celebrating the relaunch of its online radio service, iHeartRadio, in a major way. It is bringing some of music’s biggest acts — Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Coldplay, Kenny Chesney — to perform over two nights in what is being called the largest live concert event in radio history.

Tickets have long been sold out, but interested listeners can tune into KPLV 93.1-FM to hear live audio or log on to iheartradio.com to stream live video of the epic event, which takes place Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m. to midnight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

For more information, click here.

Photo by Richard Brian
Greek Food Festival

Times are tough and a weeklong vacation to Greece may not be feasible, but locals and tourists alike can still experience a taste of the foreign country at the 39th annual Las Vegas Greek Food Festival at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church this Friday through Sunday.

In addition to a wide range of authentic Greek dishes, the event will include raffle prizes, folk dance demonstrations and a tour of the church. Prices to the all-ages festival range from free to $6. For more information, click here or visit lasvegasgreekfestival.com.
Photo by Erik Kabik/Retna/ErikKabik.com
Broadway Weekend

Raising funds for public radio doesn’t always happen via stuffy phone drives. Sometimes, giving support is as easy as seeing a beloved stage show. This weekend, three Strip productions are offering tickets at discounted prices, with proceeds benefiting Nevada Public Radio.

The 7 p.m. performance of “Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular” on Friday, the 9:30 p.m. performance of “Jersey Boys” on Saturday and the 4 p.m. performance of “The Lion King” on Sunday are offering priority-seating tickets at a discounted rate of $100, or you can opt to see all three shows for $250.

For tickets and more information, visit knpr.org or call (702) 258-9895.
/Courtesy
Bottles of Hope

Six times a year, the Nevada Cancer Institute hosts Bottles of Hope, an event where volunteers transform chemotherapy bottles into pieces of art. The idea is to take something associated with pain and fill it with hope and compassion. Members of the Las Vegas Polymer Clay Guild will give a workshop on how to use polymer clay to help transform the bottles, and finished pieces will be given as gifts to cancer patients.

No previous art experience is required, and the event is free to the public. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at the institute’s Summerlin campus. For more information, click here