What Blue Man Group is about
Blue Man Group is three performers in blue greasepaint who never speak, backed by a live band that plays mostly percussion, doing things with paint, pipes, food and the audience that are hard to categorise and easy to enjoy. It began in New York in the early 1990s, arrived in Las Vegas in 2000 and moved into its current home at Luxor in 2015. The premise, insofar as there is one, is that the three are curious outsiders trying to understand human behaviour and modern life, and the comedy comes from their literal-minded attempts to join in.
Over 90 minutes that stretches to drumming on PVC tubes, splattering paint onto drums under coloured light, a series of sketches about screens and attention spans, and a finale that involves a great deal of toilet paper. Nobody is required to understand it; small children and grandparents laugh at the same things. It is the rare Strip show that is genuinely all-ages without being a children's show, which is why it sits near the top of our best shows for families list.
The Luxor theatre
The Blue Man Theater is on the atrium level of Luxor, the black pyramid at the south end of the Strip. It is a mid-sized house — larger than a showroom, smaller than the big Cirque theatres — with a raked orchestra and a rear section, and it was fitted out for this show specifically, so the technical business of dropping paint, lights and paper on a crowd works smoothly. Sightlines are good throughout; the action is broad and reads well from the back.
Reaching it is straightforward. From the Luxor main entrance, take the escalators up from the casino to the atrium level and follow the signs; from Mandalay Bay or Excalibur, the free tram and the covered walkways bring you to the same level, which is useful in July. Luxor is a budget-friendly place to stay, and the south Strip cluster of Luxor, Excalibur and Mandalay Bay is covered in our south Strip resorts guide. The same building also hosts Carrot Top and Fantasy, so a Luxor evening can be a double bill.
Length, schedule and age guidance
The show runs about 90 minutes with no intermission. Blue Man Group typically plays one or two performances a night, most often at 7 pm with a second show around 9:30 pm on busier nights, seven days a week for much of the year with occasional dark dates. It is running as of 2026; confirm the schedule on Luxor's or Blue Man Group's official site before booking.
All ages are admitted. The producers suggest three and up, and that feels right: the show is loud and the lights are bright, and a toddler may be overwhelmed, but a four-year-old on a parent's lap generally has the night of their life. There is no language, no innuendo and nothing frightening; the nearest thing to a scare is the volume of the drums and a couple of sudden blackouts. Older children and teenagers, who are the target of the gentle sketches about phones and screens, tend to enjoy it as much as the little ones.
What to expect: noise, paint and toilet paper
Expect a loud show. The band plays drums and percussion at rock-concert volume, and the Blue Men themselves drum for long stretches; ear protection for young children is a sensible precaution and small foam plugs are sometimes handed out at the door. Expect bright and occasionally strobing lights, and expect to be looked at: the Blue Men wander into the seats, stare at people and bring a few audience members on stage for gentle, wordless bits. Nobody is humiliated, and the volunteers are usually the heroes of the sketch.
Then there is the mess. Paint flies from drums in the early sequences and lands mostly on the first few rows, which are sold as the poncho section and supplied with plastic ponchos. Later, a mountain of paper is unspooled over the audience, and everyone joins in. It is harmless, it washes out and it is a large part of why the show works with children. Content warnings, such as they are: loud music, strobe lighting, mild mess, and a little food thrown about in one sketch.
Where to sit, and whether to sit in the poncho section
The first few rows are the poncho section. They are the most expensive seats, you will be given a plastic poncho and you will need it; paint reaches the front rows regularly and the Blue Men interact with these seats most. Children from about seven up usually think this is the greatest thing that has ever happened. Very small children may find the proximity and volume too much.
- Poncho section, front rows: maximum involvement, maximum paint, highest price. Perfect for excited kids and adults who want the full experience.
- Orchestra centre behind the ponchos: our pick. You see everything, the paint mostly misses you and the paper finale still reaches you.
- Rear section: the cheapest seats and a good overall view; the show is broad enough to work from here, and the volume is a little easier on young ears.
Because much of the comedy is played to the whole room, the sides are not a problem, but avoid the very last rows on the extreme edges if you can.
Tickets and prices
As of 2026, tickets run roughly $60 to $150 before fees, with the rear section at the bottom and the poncho rows at the top. Buy through the Luxor box office or Blue Man Group's official site. Because there are so many performances, this is a show where you can usually buy a day or two ahead, and midweek early shows are much cheaper than Saturday nights.
Blue Man Group is one of the most reliable finds at the same-day discount booths, often at 30 to 50 percent off for orchestra and rear seats; it is also frequently bundled with Luxor and other MGM resort stays and appears in MGM Rewards offers. For a family of four, the booth route can save well over $100. Our discount show tickets guide explains where the booths are and when to go. Children need their own ticket regardless of age.
Who should go, who should not, and what else to consider
Book Blue Man Group if you are travelling with children between about four and fourteen, if you have a group that spans generations, or if you want something loud, silly and easy for everyone after a day of walking the Strip. It works in any language, which makes it a favourite with international visitors.
Skip it if loud percussion or strobe lighting is a problem, if you want a narrative or a star, or if you have already seen the show in another city — the Las Vegas production is bigger but the core material is the same. Alternatives: Mystère at Treasure Island is the best family-friendly Cirque show and just as playful; Jabbawockeez at MGM Grand is another wordless, masked, all-ages show built on movement and comedy; and Tournament of Kings next door at Excalibur is the pick for younger children who want to shout and eat with their hands.
Our verdict
Blue Man Group is not the most sophisticated show on the Strip and it does not want to be. It is 90 minutes of joyful noise that an eight-year-old and a grandparent will both talk about at breakfast, and it is easy to get cheaply. Buy orchestra seats just behind the poncho section from a discount booth, take the 7 pm show, pack earplugs for the small ones and be prepared to pick paper out of your hair on the tram back to Mandalay Bay.
