What a dayclub is
A dayclub is a nightclub moved outdoors and into daylight: a pool or several, a DJ on a stage, rows of daybeds and cabanas rented by the day, a bar, and a crowd in swimwear that has been drinking since brunch. The big ones are run by the same groups as the nightclubs, book the same DJs and follow the same door rules. They run in the warm months only — broadly March through October, with the peak from Memorial Day to Labor Day — and are open roughly 11 am to 6 pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with some adding weekday sessions in high summer.
It is worth being clear about what it is not: it is not your hotel's pool, which is free for guests and family-friendly. A dayclub is 21+, ticketed and loud. Many visitors who dislike the nightclub scene prefer the dayclub version — you can see and talk, the heat and the water take the edge off, and it ends at sunset with the whole evening still ahead.
The main dayclubs
- Encore Beach Club (Encore) — the flagship: three pools, lily-pad cabanas in the water, the strongest DJ roster and the highest prices. Also runs Nightswim evening sessions in summer.
- Wet Republic (MGM Grand) — the south-Strip giant, a huge saltwater pool and a big-name EDM programme. The rowdiest of the majors.
- Marquee Dayclub (Cosmopolitan) — a rooftop pool deck with Strip views, more compact and centre-Strip convenient.
- Ayu Dayclub (Resorts World) — the newest, Southeast Asian-styled and slightly more relaxed, next to Zouk.
- Daylight Beach Club (Mandalay Bay) — the south-end alternative with a hip-hop-leaning policy.
- Tao Beach (Venetian) — mid-Strip, rebuilt in 2022 with a retractable roof, smaller and easier to get into.
- Drai's Beachclub (Cromwell) — the rooftop, with the same hip-hop identity as the nightclub.
- Stadium Swim (Circa) — downtown, a six-pool amphitheatre facing a giant screen; more sports bar than dayclub, all ages until evening, and a good option for people who want the pool without the door.
Cover, daybeds and cabanas
The pricing tiers mirror the nightclubs. General admission gets you through the door and access to the pool and the bar, with nowhere to sit that is not concrete; as of 2026, roughly $20–$60 for women and $40–$100 for men on regular days, more for headline DJs and holiday weekends. Guest lists exist and work the same way as at night, with women often free before a cut-off around 1 pm. Daybeds — a padded bed for two to four people at the pool edge — carry minimum spends from roughly $500 to $1,500. Cabanas — a shaded structure with a couch, a fridge, a TV and a server, for six to twelve — run from roughly $1,500 on quiet days to $5,000 and well beyond on big weekends, plus tax and a service charge of 20 percent or more. Bottles are priced as at night.
A daybed split four ways is usually the sweet spot for a group that wants shade and a base. Book through the venue's own reservations team, confirm the minimum and the fees in writing, and ask exactly where the bed is — the ones at the back get no view and no shade.
What to wear and bring
Swimwear plus a cover-up to walk through the casino to the entrance; the pool areas are generally reached through the resort. Sandals or slides — no sneakers needed. Hats and sunglasses are fine and sensible. The door rules: 21+, government photo ID, no outside food or drink, no glass, no professional cameras, and bags will be searched. Sunscreen (bring your own, the pool shops charge a fortune), a phone in a waterproof pouch, a card, cash for tips and a towel are usually provided. Leave valuables in the room safe; lockers are limited.
The heat is the thing first-timers underestimate. In July the deck can exceed 105°F, the water is warm rather than refreshing and alcohol dehydrates fast. Drink water between every alcoholic drink, use the shade, and know that the venue's medical staff see heat cases every weekend.
Timing and getting in
Doors open around 11 am and the queue for general admission builds from then; by 1 pm on a summer Saturday the line at Encore Beach Club or Wet Republic can be an hour. Arrive at opening for the guest list, or accept the wait, or book a bed. The DJ headliner usually plays mid-afternoon, around 2–4 pm. By 5 pm the crowd is thinning and the last hour is the most relaxed time to be there. Nightswim sessions at Encore Beach Club run into the evening in summer and are a different, more nightclub-like event with its own ticket.
Shoulder-season weekends in March, April, September and October are the best value: prices are lower, temperatures are bearable and the line is shorter. See best time to visit for the calendar, including the big fight and festival weekends when dayclubs are at their most expensive.
Pool alternatives without the party
If you want a great pool rather than a club, every major resort has one and most are excellent; the Mandalay Bay beach with its wave pool and lazy river, the Bellagio courtyard pools, the Wynn and Encore pools and the Cosmopolitan's Boulevard Pool are the standouts, and they are included in your stay (with the resort fee, which is the subject of its own discussion in our hotels guide). Several resorts also sell day passes to non-guests. Stadium Swim at Circa downtown is a pool deck with a sports screen and a bar that is more welcoming to mixed-age groups. And a topless-optional pool exists at several resorts for adults who want the sun without the DJ; our Las Vegas for adults page has the list.
Fitting a dayclub into the trip
A dayclub session is a full day: it starts at brunch and ends at sunset, and you will not want to do anything demanding afterwards. Plan an early dinner and a relaxed evening — a lounge, the fountains, an early night — rather than a show or a nightclub. It pairs badly with a Grand Canyon tour the following morning. One dayclub day per trip is plenty for most people, and the ideal slot is the middle day, when you have recovered from arrival and have not yet started packing. For the night version of the same operators, see nightclubs; for the wider evening scene, the shows and nightlife hub.