On April 18-21, the Rockabilly festival "Viva Las Vegas" took place for the twenty-second time. Kirstine & Ditte went to Vegas once again and had a fantastic time!
About Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas (VLV) is the world's largest Rockabilly festival that celebrates the Rockabilly style, era and spirit with all it has to offer in terms of Rockabilly concerts, dancing, clothes and more!
The festival was started back in 1997 by Tom Ingram and is usually held at Easter at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Over the years, VLV has presented shows and concerts with names like Dita von Tease, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, and it's not uncommon to see upwards of 20,000 attendees over the weekend!
The music
Music is of course the focal point and there are 75 concerts from 7 different stages at The Orleans from Thursday - Sunday. What all the bands playing at Viva Las Vegas have in common is that they
are all inspired by the Rockabilly music of the 1950s.
Bands from all over the world play, and this year there was a great line-up including Reverended Horton Heat, The Delta Bombers, Si Cranstoun, Virginia Brown and our favorites Peter & The Wolves and Spunyboys.
Spunyboys (France)
Jiving
Saturday afternoon Jive, Stroll and Bob competitions are held, which are always great entertainment.
There are also classes where you can learn to Jive, Stroll and Bob several times during the festival (pictured).
In addition, there is of course a lot of dancing during the festival - both during the concerts, but also to the DJs who play until 7 in the morning.
In addition to the music, there is a lot of other entertainment, including Burlesque Bingo, pinup contests, fashion shows, bowling, etc. Our favorite this year was the "Charles Phoenix Slideshow" which was all about old Las Vegas with all the amazing light signs, hotels etc. Besides being super interesting to learn more about Las Vegas, Charles Phoenix is also just a great entertainer, so it was a really good show!
Most women interested in the Rockabilly & Vintage scene love to dress up, and Viva is a great opportunity to show off your favorite outfits. Here, nothing is "too
too much.
There are also stands selling both Vintage and Repro clothing and accessories, as well as fashion shows (pictured) where Repro brands showcase their latest collections.
Carshow
One of the big events is the vintage car show on Saturday afternoon, where classic American cars of all shapes and sizes are on display, top-tuned as well as original patina! A total of 800 cars - all from the years before
1964.
During the car show this year, 4 bands played, including the fantastic "Hilbilly Moon Explosion" and "Delta Bombers".
Image: Kirstine & Ditte at the car show on Saturday.
Pinup Contest:
During the car show, this year's Pinup Contest is held, where 12 girls come on stage with the hope of becoming VLV Pinup of the year.
This year Denmark was represented by "Miss Confetti" who received a prize for "Best Hair" styled by "Miss Rockabilly Ruby".
Picture: From left Brittany Calavera (1st runner up), Miss Confetti (Best Hair), Miss Florrie Von Cloudberry (Best Dressed), Miss Lady Lace (2nd runner up), Dafna Bar-El (Best Make-up) and finally the winner of VLV22 Pinup winner Miss Shell Bell.
Tiki Pool Party:
Every day is a pool party at The Orleans, but Sunday is by far the biggest with the most people attending. There are drinks, live music and a great party atmosphere.
Every day there are "Swimsuit Contests" - Friday it's the girls, Saturday it's the couples and Sunday it's the men (who are usually the most entertaining on stage) competing in their Vintage Swimsuits.
Video: The Volcanics play at the pool party on Sunday.
There's no doubt that the trip to Vegas is well worth the money if you're interested in Rockabilly music and lots of partying.
If you want to know more about Viva Las Vegas, you can visit their website
HERE!
If you want to listen to the music, you can listen to Tom Ingram (founder of VLV) radio
HERE!
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