Forget the multiplex. On Saturday, November 14, the best screen in Las Vegas is a canyon wall, and the movie plays outside.
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area hosts its first-ever film festival at the Visitor Center, outdoors, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Southern Nevada Conservancy and the Bureau of Land Management run the night.
A Film Festival Where the Canyon Is the Theater
The Public Lands Alliance Film Festival celebrates public lands, the people who care for them, and the places those lands protect. The films come through the Public Lands Alliance, with a special focus on desert landscapes.
That focus is not an accident. You will watch stories about the desert while sitting in the desert, 17 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip.
The conservation area covers about 198,000 acres, and its 13-mile Scenic Drive starts at the Visitor Center. The address is 1000 Scenic Loop Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89161.
7 Films, a Live Q&A, and a Sweepstakes
Seven films make the lineup. No filler, no trailers eating your night.
- The Great Depletion
- Save Flat Top
- Canyon Chorus
- What the River Knows
- Standing Above the Clouds
- Wood Hood
- Patchwork Wild: Stitching the Last Strands
One featured film gets a live Q&A with its creators after the screening. That is the part you cannot stream later.
The hosts are also running a sweepstakes during the event. Show up, watch, and you are in the room for it.
The Catch: Free Program, Separate Park Entry
Here is the detail that will trip people up. The festival itself needs no advance registration, because interpretive programs at Red Rock Canyon are a free public service.
Getting into the park is a separate step. You still need a Scenic Drive Timed Entry reservation and the regular entry fee, and the America the Beautiful Pass is accepted instead of the fee.
Book the 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. entry slot. That is the slot the hosts recommend, and timed entry reservations are required from October 1 through May 31 for entry between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- Reserve the 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. slot at recreation.gov, or call 1-877-444-6777.
- Dress warm. The festival is outdoors, and the hosts flat out tell you to snuggle up in cozy clothes now that winter is coming.
- Bring water, and wear sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, and solid footwear for the walk in.
- Questions before you drive out? Call 702-515-5367.
Do the reservation today, not Saturday afternoon. A free festival you cannot get into is just a scenic drive home.
