On April 18-21, the Rockabilly Festival "Viva Las Vegas" took place for the twenty-second time. Kirstine & Ditte were once again taken to Vegas and they had a great trip!
About Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas (VLV) is the world's largest Rockabilly festival, which pays homage to the rockabilly style, time and spirit, with all it has to offer of Rockabilly concerts, dance, clothes etc.!
The festival was started back in 1997 by Tom Ingram and is usually held at Easter at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Over time, VLV has been able to present shows and concerts with names like Dita von Tease, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, and it's not unusual to see up to 20.000 attendees over the weekend!
The music
The music is of course the focal point and 75 concerts will be played from 7 different stages at The Orleans from Thursday - Sunday. What all the bands playing for Viva Las Vegas have in common is that they are all inspired by the rockabilly music from the 1950s.
Bands from all over the world play, and this year there was a super good line-up of i.a. Reverended Horton Heat, The Delta Bombers, Si Cranstoun, Virginia Brown as well as our favorites Peter & The Wolves and Spunyboys.

Jiving
On Saturday afternoon, Jive, Stroll and Bob competitions are held, which are always good entertainment.
Classes are also offered where you can learn to dance Jive, Stroll and Bob several times during the festival (picture).
In addition, there is of course a lot of dancing during the festival - both during the concerts, but also for DJs who play until 7 in the morning.
In addition to the music, there is a lot of other entertainment, including you can experience Burlesque Bingo, Pinup competition, fashion shows, bowling etc. Our favorite this year was "Charles Phoenix Slideshow" which dealt with old Las Vegas with all the amazing light signs, hotels etc. Besides it was super interesting to learn more about Las Vegas, Charles Phoenix is also just a great entertainer, so it was a really good show!


The vast majority of women who are interested in the Rockabilly & Vintage scene love to dress nicely, and Viva is a good opportunity to air her favorite outfits. Here there is nothing that is "too much".
There are also stands where both Vintage and Repro clothes and accessories are sold, and there is also a fashion show (picture) where Repro brands showcase their latest collections.
Car show
One of the big events is the big vintage car show on Saturday afternoon, where classic American cars in all shapes, top-tuned as well as original patina are exhibited! A total of 800 cars - all from the years before 1964.
During the car show this year, 4 bands played the fantastic "Hilbilly Moon Explosion" as well as "Delta Bombers".
Photo: Kirstine & Ditte for the car show on Saturday.


Pinup Contest:
During the car show, this year's Pinup Competition will be held, where 12 girls will take the stage with the hope of becoming this year's VLV Pinup.
This year, Denmark was represented by "Miss Confetti" who received an award for "Best Hair" styled by "Miss Rockabilly Ruby".
Photo: From left Brittany Calavera (1st runner up), Miss Confetti (Best Hair), Miss Florrie Von Cloudberry (Best Dressed), Miss Lady Lace (2nd runner up), Dafna Bar-El (Best Make-up) and finally the winner of VLV22 Pinup wins Miss Shell Bell.
Tiki Pool Party:
Every day there is a pool party at The Orleans, but Sunday is clearly the biggest how far most people attend. There are drinks, live music and a good party atmosphere.
Every day there are "Swimsuit Contests" - on Friday it is the girls, on Saturday it is the couples and on Sunday it is the men (who are usually the most entertaining on stage) who compete in their Vintage Swimwear.
Video: The Volcanics play for the pool party on Sunday.
There is no doubt that the trip to Vegas is worth all the money if you are interested in Rockabilly music and lots of partying and experiences.
Want to know more about Viva Las Vegas, visit their own page
HERE!
If you want to listen to the music, you can listen to Tom Ingram (founder of VLV) radio
HERE!
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