Co-founders of Dinah Vegas, Robin Gans and Sandy Sachs of L.A.’s girlbar, have been promoting lesbian parties since the ‘90s. After building an incredible reputation as promoters of Girl Bar Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs for two decades, they brought the heat to Vegas.
Now in its third year, girlbar has again partnered with Truck Stop Girlz to produce Dinah Vegas, presented by Caesar’s Entertainment. The celebrated event attracts more and more lesbians every year—not just from the U.S. but around the world, like the several Australians and South Africans in attendance. According to Sachs, “Our guests are upscale, including professionals such as doctors and lawyers.”
The weekend started on Thursday with the cocktail party at Planet Hollywood’s The London Club, a fitting mixer to meet friends and like-minded women. On Friday, the festivities started at 8pm with lots of laughter, courtesy of the lesbian-centric comedy of Dana Goldberg and Poppy Champlin. They joked about things like the differences between butch and femme women, older and younger lesbian couples, and U-Hauling. The event created some ice-breaker moments for the audience, while giving them a chance to look around the room to check out the other guests.
Shortly after the comedy show concluded, the “Bling 3” party began at the Chateau Garden, a beautiful outdoor space overlooking the Strip and Bellagio Fountains. The dancers were on fire, creating stunning visuals against the backdrop of Paris’ Eiffel Tower and the Strip scenery. The open-air patio afforded us a sensual and magical evening with multicolored glowing lights and music spun by DJs Mike Bryant and Beau.
On Saturday, the Flamingo Hotel’s main pool got taken over by the Dinah Vegas party goers, who sipped exotic cocktails or luxuriated under white cabanas with bottle service. There was much gambling at the craps tables and, of course, a gigantic pool for a refreshing dip in the water. As the exuberant dancers flanked either side of the pool, everyone gathered around to watch the headline performance of the hot girl group, GRL.
Dinah Vegas attendees must’ve caught up on their rest after the pool party, because the White Party at the Paris Rooftop Nightclub was a smash hit. Women stepped out in their finest show-stopping white outfits, and there was much bottle-popping and flirting. As one guest remarked, “All I remember is the cab ride home, and, oh yeah, falling in love with a dancer.” For VIP pass holders, a private champagne reception was held at the start of the party.
It was only right to let the girls go casual and break out the khaki shorts, flip flops, and plaid shirts on the last day of Dinah Vegas. Diablos on the Strip (diabloslasvegas.com), a Mexican cantina, played host to the closing party from noon to 9pm. Loaded nachos, beer and tequila were the names of the game, and revelers spent a relaxed evening hanging out at the bar and surrounding tables. DJ Ivy of Truck Stop rocked the house with old school and pop music, while the dancers mimicked Coyote Ugly on the bar.
What’s there to do in between the Dinah Vegas festivities? Have some good eats and take a ride on the new High Roller that opened a couple months ago in the outdoor shopping plaza, The Linq. One hundred feet taller than the London Eye, the High Roller takes you on a 30 minute rotation for outstanding, panoramic views of the Las Vegas Strip. You can peer down into the Flamingo Hotel and check out the girls partying at the Dinah Vegas pool before heading over.
Also located in The Linq is Brooklyn Bowl, a $40 million project, which includes a concert hall (Lauryn Hill and Tedeschi are among the artists performing there), bowling alley, and restaurant space specializing in southern favorites like catfish po’boys and fried chicken.
To get your fill before a night out, visit Kumi (kumilasvegas.com), a restaurant featuring upscale Japanese cuisine that opened last year at Mandalay Bay. Choose from tasty options like yellowtail serrano, hot mess (crab and sashimi poke) and Japanese red snapper. Get a buzz going with one of their strong cocktails, like the Sake-tumi or Peachy Keen. For an authentic Las Vegas show experience, visit the new Jubilee performance at Bally’s, which features topless showgirls in a show designed by Beyonce’s choreographer for “Single Ladies”. Topless girls and hit music make killer foretastes to the Dinah Vegas White Party.
