Debbie Gibson Winterlicious: 5 Dazzling Vegas Shows
The Debbie Gibson Winterlicious holiday show hits Las Vegas this December, marking her first solo holiday residency in the city she now calls home. The ’80s pop icon takes over The STRAT Theater for five performances, mixing Christmas classics with the hits that made her a household name.
Debbie Gibson Winterlicious: Show Dates & Times
Five shows, one weekend-heavy run:
- Thursday, Dec. 17 — 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 18 — 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 19 — 2:30 p.m. matinee and 7:30 p.m. evening show
- Sunday, Dec. 20 — 3 p.m.
The STRAT Theater seats up to 1,000 guests, small enough that Gibson’s stage banter actually reaches the back row. Past acts in the room include Sammy Hagar, Cheap Trick, Rick Springfield and Micky Dolenz, so the venue knows how to host a legacy artist.
What’s On the Setlist
Gibson built the show around a mix of seasonal standards, originals and her own catalog. Expect:
- Holiday classics: “Sleigh Ride,” “White Christmas,” “Let It Snow”
- Original holiday tracks: “Jingle Those Bells,” “Illuminate,” “Cheers”
- The hits: “Out of the Blue,” “Only in My Dreams,” “Lost in Your Eyes,” “Shake Your Love”
New Music Drops the Same Season
The run lines up with Gibson’s “Winterlicious D’Luxe” album, an expanded version of her 2022 holiday record with six new tracks. The digital release lands Thursday, Oct. 22, followed by double vinyl on Friday, Nov. 6. New songs include “El Regalo,” her first Spanish-language release, and “Out of the Blue Christmas,” a mashup of her 1988 hit with the Elvis classic.
Tickets and Pricing
Rear seating starts at $91.56, with preferred seating, VIP tables and premium booths priced higher. Two upgrade experiences are also available, but each requires its own separately purchased ticket:
- VIP on-stage seating
- VIP meet-and-greet
On-sale schedule:
- Artist and VIP presale: 10 a.m. PDT, Wednesday, Aug. 26
- True Rewards Players Club presale: 10 a.m. PDT, Thursday, Aug. 27
- Public on-sale: 10 a.m., Friday, Aug. 28, online or at the box office
Who Is Debbie Gibson
Gibson isn’t a nostalgia act filling a holiday calendar slot. She hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Foolish Beat” at 16, a song she wrote, produced and performed herself, still the youngest female artist to pull that off. Sixteen million albums sold followed, along with a stage career spanning 17 musicals, including Les Misérables, Beauty and the Beast, Grease on the West End, and Cabaret.
Her 2021 album “The Body Remembers” hit No. 2 on the Apple Pop Sales Charts and crossed one million streams in its first month, on her own label, Stargirl Records. Since then she’s turned up on Good Morning America, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show, plus a spotlight at the Grammy Museum. Her memoir, “Eternally Electric,” came out through Gallery Books last year.
Behind the Booking
“As a long-time Las Vegas local I’m so thrilled to be partnering with SPI Entertainment and The STRAT for my first ever solo holiday Vegas run,” Gibson said. “My show will be full of holiday favorites, both original and classics along with my pop hits. It’s festive, it’s campy and I can’t wait to connect with the audience in this classic intimate showroom setting.”
Skylar Dice, senior vice president and general manager of The STRAT, called it a shot at building “the next great Vegas holiday tradition.” The show is produced by SPI Entertainment, the company behind Sammy Hagar’s and Cheap Trick’s STRAT Theater runs, plus long-running Vegas fixtures like Thunder from Down Under at Excalibur.
Where to Stay for the Show
The STRAT sits on the north Strip at the gateway to the Arts District, a different pace than the Strip’s center. The tower alone is worth the trip: Top of the World’s rotating 106th-floor dining room, the Observation Deck on 108, the Big Shot ride at the top, and SkyJump for anyone who wants to skip the ride and just jump. Downstairs, Swim & Social turns the pool deck into a resort-style hangout with yard games and a poolside café, open to the public for a fee.
Booking a room on-site means no rideshare after a 10 p.m. Saturday matinee wrap, and the property’s 2,427 rooms include the newly remodeled Elevate series if you want the upgraded view.
The Bottom Line
Debbie Gibson Winterlicious gives Vegas a holiday show with real pop pedigree behind it, not a tribute act. Presale opens Wednesday. Public tickets go live Friday. For a five-show run in a 1,000-seat room, the good seats won’t sit unsold for long.
Photography Credit: Nick Spanos
