By Chloe Rickert
Expecting to attract tens of thousands of people to Downtown Las Vegas on Saturday, October 26 and Sunday, October 27, 2013, Life is Beautiful (L.I.B.) Festival will feature over 50 musical acts, 60 chefs and restaurants, performances by the likes Cirque du Soleil, world renowned artists, and over 25 noted speakers.
The first ever L.I.B. is the project of Aurelian Marketing Group in partnership with Another Planet Entertainment, MAKTUB Marketing and Downtown Project.
“Inspired by our community and a collective desire to positively impact our city, Life is Beautiful Festival is designed to showcase the very best in music, food, art and learning,” said Rehan Choudhry, CEO of Aurelian Marketing Group. “It is an honor to able to bring this unprecedented talent lineup into 15 city blocks of historic Downtown Las Vegas, creating a truly one-of-a-kind festival experience.”
The festival’s music lineup includes exciting bands ranging from up-and-coming to recognized worldwide. The artists performing on four stages and multiple indoor venues include: The Killers, Kings of Leon, Beck, Imagine Dragons, and many more.
Directed by an advisory board of 12 top chefs, the culinary portion of L.I.B. involves demonstrations, events, intimate meals, a beer, wine, and spirits garden, and a huge Moroccan-style bazaar with more than 60 chefs, mixologists, and wine-makers running their own stations. Festival goers will be able to interact with them and observe how these extraordinary culinary artists work. The food and wine program features Bruce and Eric Bromberg, Scott Conant, Jonathan Waxman, Hubert Keller, Cat Cora, Michael Mina, and variety of other top names.
Attendees will also be able to engage with artists at the urban-inspired Art is Beautiful segment of the festival. Street art, installations, murals, and performance art will feature a combination of international artists and locals of Downtown Las Vegas’ art scene. Programming also includes a variety of theatrical performances. The major event this year is Cirque du Soleil’s show on the main stage, a new and exciting presentation from their musical creation ‘Michael Jackson ONE’. Other resident Cirque du Soleil productions will perform a total of six exceptional acts.
In addition to food and art, the festival also showcases a varied group of more than 25 expert speakers who will give keynote and quick-format speeches, panel discussions, and workshops. Known for their motivational stories about what you can achieve if you “do what you love,” these celebrated speakers make up the Learning is Beautiful series.
The night before the festival, Friday, October 25, Elizabeth Blau and Hubert Keller will host the Take a Stand charity dinner, benefiting Three Square Food Bank and Communities in Schools. The dinner entails eight unique courses by eight award-winning chefs along with select wines and cocktails. A $5,000 ticket (only 40 available) includes a two-day VIP ticket to L.I.B. and a ticket to Grills and Guitars, a kickoff party after the dinner with live music and 16 celebrity chefs.
Separately, two-day VIP tickets to the festival are $349.50 and include access to an exclusive VIP lounge, viewing areas at the main stages, VIP restrooms, special food, beer, wine and spirits, a commemorative poster, and more.
www.lifeisbeautifulfestival.com