May weather: the heat arrives
May is when Las Vegas tips from warm to hot. Typical highs average about 88–90°F (31–32°C), from the low 80s in the first week to the high 90s by Memorial Day, and the first 100°F afternoon of the year usually arrives in the second half of the month. Overnight lows sit near 65–68°F (18–20°C), which means the evenings are properly warm for the first time and a 10pm walk down the Strip is done in a T-shirt. Rain is almost nonexistent, one day or fewer in a typical May, and sunshine tops twelve hours a day.
The heat is dry, which makes it more comfortable than the numbers suggest in the shade and more dangerous than they suggest in the sun. Early May is still glorious; late May afternoons are hot enough that you plan your outdoor time before noon and after 6pm. Wind eases compared with March and April, though an occasional gusty front still passes through. Mornings are the best part of the day and are perfect for a Red Rock hike or a fountain stroll before the pool.
EDC weekend: the festival that fills the city
Electric Daisy Carnival typically takes place on a weekend in the middle or second half of May at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, north of the city, running three nights from dusk to dawn. It brings well over a hundred thousand people a night and is the biggest single-weekend leisure event on the Las Vegas calendar. The effect on the Strip is dramatic: rooms at the party-oriented and mid-range resorts sell out weeks ahead, rates jump to Super Bowl-weekend levels for Friday through Sunday, and the pools, clubs and restaurants are full of festival-goers in the daytime.
Nightclubs run their biggest lineups of the year around EDC Week, with headline DJs playing the Strip clubs on the nights before and after the festival. Rideshare pricing to the speedway is extreme, which is why the official shuttle passes exist and sell out early. If you are not going, avoid the weekend or embrace the atmosphere; either way, do not expect a quiet pool. Our EDC guide covers tickets, shuttles and hotel strategy for attendees.
Memorial Day weekend: the unofficial start of summer
Memorial Day weekend, at the end of May, is one of the three or four busiest leisure weekends of the year. Southern California drives in, every pool and dayclub runs at capacity, the big DJs are booked and the Strip is packed from Friday afternoon through Monday morning. Rates for Friday and Saturday sit near the annual high and three-night minimums are common at the popular resorts. The I-15 heading into the city on Friday and back toward Los Angeles on Monday afternoon is notoriously slow.
The flip side is that the weekend is fun in a way that is hard to replicate: the pools are the whole point, the weather is hot but not yet brutal, and the city is at full energy. If you want the atmosphere on a budget, arrive Sunday and stay through Wednesday; Sunday and Monday nights are often steeply discounted compared with Friday and Saturday. See the holidays guide for how each long weekend behaves and pool season for the chair game.
Crowds and hotel prices through the month
May is a high-demand month with a clear shape. The first two weeks are good value, especially midweek, as spring conventions wind down and the summer families have not yet arrived; early-May Sunday-to-Thursday rates are often well below April's. Then EDC weekend spikes, the week after it recovers, and Memorial Day spikes again. Weekend-versus-weekday swings are large all month, commonly double or more at the party resorts.
Crowd character changes in May too. The convention crowd thins, the pool-and-nightlife crowd grows, and by Memorial Day the city has a distinctly younger, louder, warmer-weather feel. Weekend pool decks are full by mid-morning, dayclub guest lists close early and the better restaurants need reservations for Friday and Saturday. Graduation trips and bachelor and bachelorette weekends peak in May as well, which is worth knowing if you are choosing a hotel; the quiet hotels guide lists the resorts that stay calmer.
Pool status in May: peak season begins
May is the first month of true pool season. Every pool complex is fully open with extended hours, the dayclubs run Friday through Sunday and often add weekday dates by late May, and cabanas, daybeds and pool-party tables are selling at full summer pricing. Water temperature is comfortable without heating by mid-month, and the air is hot enough that the pool is where you want to be from noon to 5pm.
Shade becomes the currency. Chairs under umbrellas go first, and by Memorial Day a cabana at a popular pool is the difference between a great afternoon and a sunburned one. Prices vary by resort and day, from a couple of hundred dollars for a daybed midweek to four figures for a large cabana on a holiday Saturday; check the resort's official site, as they change every year. If you want a pool without the party, the adult pools at Wynn, Aria, Cosmopolitan and Resorts World are calmer. See the best pools and dayclubs and pool parties.
What to pack for May
May packing is summer packing with one light layer.
- Two or three swimsuits; they rarely dry between pool sessions in a busy day
- High-SPF sunscreen, after-sun lotion and a wide-brimmed hat
- Lightweight, breathable clothes; linen and cotton work, dark polyester does not
- One light layer for over-air-conditioned casinos, theaters and restaurants
- Comfortable sandals and broken-in walking shoes; new shoes and hot pavement do not mix
- Refillable insulated water bottle; the dry heat dehydrates you before you feel thirsty
- Dress-code outfits for nightclubs and dayclubs, which are strict about footwear
The complete checklist is at our packing list.
Best things to do and who May suits
Early May is the last comfortable window for the long desert day trips; by the end of the month, Valley of Fire and Hoover Dam are best done first thing in the morning and Red Rock hikes should be finished by 10am. The month's real strength is the Strip itself: pool days, dayclubs, rooftop bars at sunset and the biggest nightclub lineups of the year around EDC. Golden Knights playoff games, if the team is still alive, add to the energy at T-Mobile Arena.
Groups, bachelor and bachelorette parties: May is the peak month and the city is built for it; see the bachelor and bachelorette itinerary. Couples: very good early in the month, hot and crowded by the end. Families: good if the pool is the plan and you avoid EDC and Memorial Day weekends; the evenings are warm enough for kids to enjoy the Strip after dinner. Budget travelers: the first half of May, midweek, is a real opportunity. Festival-goers: EDC is the reason May exists.
