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Vegas is on a hot streak and the boys are feeling it. Chris and Darren open Episode 37 by closing out their on-location recap from Shenanigans at McMullan's Irish Pub — the perfect post-St. Patrick's Day, pre-St. Baldrick's Day hang. Then it's all Vegas, all the time.

The NBA Board of Governors officially voted this week to explore expansion — and Las Vegas is one of two cities in the running, with the league targeting the 2028–29 season for a new franchise. Meanwhile, NFL owners are set to formally award Super Bowl 63 to Allegiant Stadium in 2029, a move insiders are already calling a done deal. And if that's not enough, Luke Combs just shattered the all-time attendance record at Allegiant — 70,921 fans on opening night, the largest indoor crowd in Nevada history.

The guys round out the sports conversation with March Madness bracket talk, then shift into something a little more philosophical: the analog comeback. Vinyl is outselling digital downloads. Gen Alpha is reaching for real books and card games. Is this cultural unplugging a genuine movement — or just a stick in the butt? Pour one up and weigh in.

Vegas Day Drinkers — celebrating bar culture as community, broadcasting from the Las Vegas Arts District. Sip. Socialize. Shine. 🥂

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In Episode 36 of Vegas Day Drinkers, hosts Chris and Darren settle in at Shenanigans for a conversation steeped in Las Vegas history, Irish pub culture, hospitality, sport, community, and heart.

This week, the boys sit down with Brian McMullan, bar publican and the driving force behind McMullan’s Irish Pub, one of the most beloved Irish pubs in Las Vegas. Brian shares the story behind the formation of the pub in 2002, the vision behind its early design, and the journey that helped shape one of the valley’s true hospitality institutions.

The conversation winds through Brian’s time with the Irish Pub Company, his experience with J.C. Woolighan’s in Summerlin, and his relationships with Nine Fine Irishmen at New York-New York, before eventually striking out on his own path. Chris and Darren also dig into the origin of one of McMullan’s most talked-about menu items, the legendary Irish Nachos, along with the pub’s unique interpretation of the Irish Coffee.

But this episode goes beyond food and drink. Brian talks about his long-standing passion for bringing a more global sports culture to Las Vegas pub life, with consistent support for European soccer, rugby, Aussie rules football, and other nontraditional sporting events rarely given center stage in American bar culture. The guys also discuss McMullan’s role in supporting local Vegas teams through the years and how the pub has become a true gathering place for fans from every walk of life.

The episode closes on what may be Brian’s most meaningful passion project: St. Baldrick’s. Chris, Darren, and Brian reflect on McMullan’s Irish Pub’s deep involvement in raising money and awareness for children’s cancer research, and how the pub has become a genuine cornerstone of the Las Vegas community through that mission.

This is more than a pub story. It is a story about legacy, risk, culture, hospitality, and giving back.

Pull up a pint and join us for one of the most informative and heartfelt episodes yet.

Our Motto: Sip Socialize Shine!

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Episode 35 of Vegas Day Drinkers dives into a Las Vegas that still knows how to put on a show, but also feels like it’s in one of those rare moments where the city is being forced to look in the mirror. Chris and Darren break down what’s happening around town right now, from softer tourism numbers and the city’s renewed push for value, to locals suddenly being courted again with real discounts, food and drink specials, and the kind of perks that remind you Vegas may finally be trying to win back some goodwill. LVCVA says Las Vegas welcomed 38.5 million visitors in 2025, down 7.5% from 2024, and that drop is part of the backdrop for a bigger conversation about whether the city has gotten too expensive for its own good.

This episode gets into that tension in a very Vegas Day Drinkers way: is Vegas correcting itself, or just dressing up a bigger problem with coupons and promos? Chris and Darren talk about Caesars leaning into 25% off food and drinks for locals, the way town suddenly seems interested in Nevada residents again, and what that says about the current mood on the Strip. It is the kind of conversation locals have all the time at the bar: when the tourists are flowing, locals feel ignored, but when visitation softens, everybody remembers we live here.

They also hit the fun stuff that makes Vegas still feel like Vegas. There is talk about the latest buzz around food and drink, including newer spots getting attention like Hearthstone’s return at Red Rock, plus Viking Mike’s Alpine Yurt Bar and White Whale adding to the sense that off-Strip Vegas and downtown continue to carve out some of the most interesting energy in the city. That opens the door for the classic Vegas Day Drinkers debate: where would you rather spend your time and money right now, the polished spectacle of the Strip or the more personal charm of neighborhood and downtown spots?

With March rolling through town, Episode 35 also taps into the sports-and-bar crossover that Vegas does so well. The Mountain West Basketball Championships are in Las Vegas at Thomas & Mack from March 7 to March 14, which means the city is full of fans, alumni, bettors, and roving day drinkers all looking for somewhere to watch a game, grab a bite, and argue about brackets over a beer. It is one of those weeks where Vegas quietly becomes a giant sports bar with hotel towers.

And because this is Vegas in mid-March, the guys also lean into the pub culture side of the calendar, the seasonal madness in the air, and the little things that locals notice before anyone else does. The result is a conversation that mixes real city insight with humor, bar-top perspective, and the kind of lived-in Vegas commentary you only get from people who actually spend time in the places tourists usually miss.

If you love Las Vegas, bars, pub culture, local commentary, and honest talk about what this city is getting right and what it may need to fix, Episode 35 is for you.

Our Motto: Sip Socialize Shine!