When the game-changing Las Vegas nightclub Hakkasan celebrates its third anniversary with a massive weekend blowout next week, it’ll be more than just another big party.
“We’ve operated for three years very successfully predominantly booking electronic music since opening,” says James Algate, vice president of entertainment. “We now want to open our doors to some pioneering performers we haven’t had in the past. There’s a significant number of other nightclubs programming similarly, and we want to try something different in the year to come.”
The word Algate prefers is “diversifying.” Expect to see a new mix of celebrity hosts—like Kim Kardashian West, anchoring the anniversary party on April 8 with DJ Ruckus—along with some live performances sprinkled throughout Hakkasan’s rotating cast of all-star DJs.
“We have done live performance, but it’s been more impromptu,” Algate says. “One night Swizz Beatz was in the club enjoying himself with friends and ended up jumping on top of the DJ booth and performing for 45 minutes. The same night, Kate Upton was in the club and basically became a dancer for the night.”
Hakkasan isn’t completely shifting its strategy, just adding new elements to the mix, with an eye on the different audiences that visit Vegas for conventions or events. “It’s about creating entertainment. There’s never a better show than when you’re singing along to the music, whether it’s a set from Calvin Harris or a performance by someone like Jason Derulo. We want to entertain.” Hakkasan’s 3rd Anniversary Weekend at MGM Grand, April 7-10.
