February 7, 2025

Asset Control and Quality

Investment for the Future

Las Vegas’ Life is Beautiful music festival’s future uncertain | Kats | Entertainment

Las Vegas’ Life is Beautiful music festival’s future uncertain | Kats | Entertainment

Is the life out of the Life is Beautiful in Las Vegas?

The annual downtown event’s official website has been taken down (go to lifeisbeautiful.com for an absence of intel), the latest evidence of the event’s uncertain future. But the festival owners say the party, block or otherwise, will continue.

Reps for LiB owners Rolling Stone, a subsidiary of Penske Media Corporation, are saying they want to continue the remnants of the downtown event.

What is certain is the event is not being held this year, and there is no time horizon for its return. Its ownership group says it intends to buy property in Las Vegas to bring the festival back.

“Life is Beautiful is in the process of making a long-term investment in Las Vegas real estate for the festival’s new home downtown,” spokesperson for Penske said in a statement Saturday in response to inquiries to Rolling Stone CEO Gus Wenner. “We’re excited to continue our legacy for the next decade and look forward to announcing our new venue and date soon.”

This means the Plaza is out as host of the event. The latest version of LiB, A Beautiful Block Party, was staged for two days and nights this past September on a parcel at the downtown resort. This was a late-in-the-game option to keep the LiB brand, if not spirit, afloat.

Plaza CEO Jonathan Jossel said Sunday he is already reviewing a plan to bring a two-day event on the same parcel used for the Block Party. That event would be presented in the last two weekends of September.

On Saturday, Jossel said of Rolling Stone’s attempt at his property, “We tried, at the 11th hour, to help out and create a place where the show could continue to go on. We wanted to keep a downtown tradition going. We wish them well.”

Jamie xx, Justice, James Blake LP Giobbi, LCD Soundsystem, Jungle and Peggy Gou were among the headliners in the first and only Block Party at the Plaza. The event was presented on 10 acres on the resort’s property, bordered by the train tracks, Las Vegas City Hall to the south, and the Plaza tower and parking lot and Core Arena.

With a total capacity of 25,000, the Block Party drew a reportedly papered-up crowd of 7,000.

This is far distant from Life is Beautiful and its ambitious takeover of 18 blocks downtown. Established in 2013, LiB was originally a music, arts and culinary event with multiple stages and several genres activated over three days.

It might not have been a profitable venture, over time — reports are it ran in the black just twice in the 10 years before Penske Media took over. But it was a very Las Vegas event, founded by lead investor and downtown redevelopment visionary Tony Hsieh alongside Joey Vanas and Rehan Choudhry.

San Francisco promoter Another Planet was signed on as primary booker. Veteran Las Vegas entertainment pro Craig Asher Nyman led the festival’s music and programming strategy.

Those days are long gone. For 2026 and beyond, Rolling Stone has the opportunity to succeed, fail or turn the page.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.


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