Drai’s Celebrates 10 Years Of Nightlife With Wiz Khalifa And Gucci Mane
During the daytime, Drai’s Beachclub exists as a sunny oasis where partygoers can catch their Hip-Hop favorites poolside under the clear, Las Vegas sky. Ticketholders dance and share tequila shots in their best beachwear, frolicking in the water through the late afternoon. At night, the bikinis and swim trunks transform into stilettos and fresh Jordans for Drai’s nightclub.
Bringing the party indoors, confetti cannons, luxury sections, and bustling dancefloors keep the affair lively past the 2:00 am hour. At all times, Drai’s Beach Club and Nightclub brings thousands of bachelor parties, birthday vacations, and more groups every weekend for the ultimate party experience, and with 10 years down, the brand has plans to extend its nightlife evolution.
The saying goes “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” but turning up at Drai’s is likely to create a memory hard to keep secret. Last weekend, the popular party destination celebrated its 10th anniversary, recognized in May 2024. Kicking off with back-to-back events, the rooftop club reminded travelers how it became a sin city hotspot for crowds seeking a Hip-Hop and R&B-centered night out. With two performances from Wiz Khalifa and one from Gucci Mane, tourists and locals alike were in for a good time.
“When we first opened the club 10 years ago, we were trying to have the identity of the club be the club itself. We didn’t want to pay DJs, we didn’t want to pay performers. We really wanted people to just come enjoy the club because it was a beautiful club and people wanted to experience each other’s company. That was really what we set out to back in 2014,” detailed Dustin Drai, president of Drai’s Management Group to VIBE in a roped-off section of the spacious venue.
“Very quickly we learned that that wasn’t the case and that Vegas had transitioned into really an entertainment hub where people were coming for entertainment, whether it was DJs or performers. At that moment we realized, ‘Okay, how can we stand out amongst all the competition?’ And what we realized is we wanted to put on full live performances. We wanted to book entertainers that would come here and not just do two or three songs, but that would actually give us a full concert. And that’s really what we set out to establish, and that’s what we’ve done over the past nine years.”
He continued to explain, “All the artists that we go after and all the artists that have residencies here, [and] that we have perform, we encourage them [by saying] ‘Hey, we want you to do a 45-minute show.’ And over the years it’s come from us asking them for a 45-minute show to now them saying, ‘I want to play at Drai’s, I want to play an hour. I want to give a full concert. What more can I do? How can I add to the show?’ Our reputation of staying so firm with the 45 minutes has transitioned into the artists really respecting that and loving what they could do here at Drai’s.”
Drai’s was able to achieve this feat by providing a unique experience, not duplicated by the competition. With premium bottle service, live dancers, and concert-like performances, Drai’s delivers a different atmosphere than an artist’s ordinary club walk-through. Throughout the years, the Drai family has fostered relationships that keep their roster full, and also allow surprise appearances as artists tag in their peers for on-stage link-ups. Performers that have graced the stage or had residencies include The Weeknd, Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Chris Brown, Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B, Future, French Montana, and more.
For 2024, resident artists include Rick Ross, Big Sean, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Lil Baby, Meek Mill, French Montana, Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz, Gucci Mane, Fabolous, E-40, Yo Gotti, Jeezy, Moneybagg Yo and DaBaby with new additions to the Drai’s family including Ja-Rule and Quavo. As the brand continues to grow beyond its West Coast origins, it plans to dig back into its roots as a family restaurant. Initially, Drai’s was founded as an eatery in Los Angeles.
“I think for Vegas, we’re going to continue to push the envelope of what we do with the live entertainment and just continue to find ways to enhance the experience, and really find ways where fans can come here and enjoy these live performances,” shared Drai.
“And then for the future of Drai’s, we’re going to slowly expand to other markets. We’re going to scale down in size, we’re going to go back to the roots of a French restaurant to kind of tie that back into our portfolio of what we have to offer. Because we have this mega club in Vegas, but now we need to find something a little bit smaller so we can go to other markets. And that’s kind of the vision that’s going to be for the next 10 years of how can we slowly take the beautiful Drai’s here in Vegas, make it a little bit smaller, go to some other markets, but always and still have Drai’s Vegas be the goldmine, [continuing] to be the beauty of what we are, and have people always be like, ‘I can’t wait to go to Drai’s in Vegas.'”
For now, revelers interested in partying at Drai’s can visit their Las Vegas club location. Take a look below at the Drai’s 10th Anniversary weekend.
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