Las Vegas: Winter in Venice returns to the Strip for the holidays

Holiday revelers can celebrate the season as “Winter in Venice” returns to the Las Vegas Strip, complete with strolling entertainers, outdoor skating and food festivals.

The Venetian hosts the annual event, which continues through Jan. 5. Music troupe Celtic Woman will perform “Home for Christmas – The Symphony Tour” at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets cost $75.50-$99.50 and are available online or by calling (702) 414-9000.

A variety of special dinners will take place, many hosted by celebrity chefs. The La Cucina Italiana Food & Wine Festival Dec. 5-8 will feature Chefs Mario Batali, Wolfgang Puck, Buddy Valastro and sommelier Anthony Giglio. At its centerpiece is the Dec. 6 Grand Banquet, a meal served Tuscan-style as 200 guests gather around a giant table in the resort’s Grand Colonnade.

Festival prices vary by event. Banquet tickets sell for $500 a person.

Skating is being offered on a synthetic ice rink outdoors along Las Vegas Boulevard. The rink is open daily from 3-11 p.m. The cost -- $14.95 -- includes skate rental.

Each evening, a holiday spectacular featuring costumed characters and a light show provides free entertainment in front of the hotel. The show is staged at 6:05, 8:05 and 10:05 p.m.

A complete list of activities is available online.