Luxor pool party caters to LGBT community, but all are welcome

For that segment of society that might fret about feeling out of place at Temptation Sundays, the weekly pool event at Luxor -- well, don't worry.

"It's open to anyone," assures Tim Evans, director of marketing for Luxor and Excalibur, although "our primary audience this summer is the LGBT group."

That, of course, means lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender, and that target demographic is only one thing that distinguishes Temptation Sundays from other pool events around town.

"Luxor historically has had a large presence in the LGBT community," Evans says. So, last year, the hotel worked with a local promoter to create a LGBT-focused pool party.

"Frankly, it was a great experience for us," Evans says.

So, this season, "we took a slightly different approach and decided we would kind of manage the party ourself," Evans says.

Luxor's South Pool -- which always has been a popular venue for semiprivate corporate gatherings -- is "a perfect location for this," he says.

The pool itself ranges from 1 to 3 feet deep, "perfect for people to lounge and hang out," Evans says, while the pool deck -- which can accommodate, he estimates, 500 or so -- is, by Las Vegas standards, appealingly intimate.

Amenities include a hot tub and nine cabanas which, according to Evans, can be had for about $150 -- again, affordable by Las Vegas pool party standards.

Hosting the weekly parties is J.Son, while resident DJ Axis provides music. Evans describes the vibe as "certainly not mellow, but, also, it's not crazy out there."

Evans says the word that comes to mind while watching the crowd party is "community, because everyone seems to know each other. It's a very social atmosphere. There are some people dancing, people lounging in cabanas. It seems to be a little bit of something for everyone.

"It's just never so crazy out there where there's just so many people that you can't have a good time. It's always such a good mix of people and the right number of people, and I always feel everybody has a good time."

Put the emphasis, by the way, on "everybody."

A few weeks ago, Evans recalls, "a gentleman and a young lady walked up and asked me, 'What's going on here? It really looks like fun.'

"I explained to them what it is, and they said, 'That's great. Do you allow straight people in?' I said, 'Of course. You're welcome, too,' and I saw them come through a little later."

Temptation Sundays runs from 1 to 7 p.m. Sundays through Sept. 26. Admission is $10 for locals, hotel guests and military personnel and $20 for everyone else.

For information, call 262-4444 or visit www.luxor.com/lgbt.

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.