How Temptation Sundays Became Las Vegas's Biggest LGBTQ Pool Party

There's nothing like a Las Vegas pool party in the desert city's blazing, sun-drenched summertime, and Luxor's Temptation Sundays offers queer travelers a safe, fun locale to get wet and cool off with a 152,000-square-foot pool area. The brainchild of Tim Evans, Luxor's Director of Marketing, Temptation Sundays celebrates its tenth anniversary this season and is currently the only gay pool party on the strip.

Hosted by Nakedboynews.com's J.Son, with music by resident DJ Mattmon and special guests DJ Pacifico, DJ Morningstar, DJ Panda Funk, and DJ Chyld, plus a side order of go-go boys and giveaways, Temptation Sundays kicks off May 12. To get the scoop on what's planned for 2019 and some past highlights, plus helpful do's and don'ts, we spoke with Evans.

So what can we expect during the tenth anniversary season? Any special elements, events, or surprises you can tease?

We have a variety of different sponsors, including Malibu rum, Sky Vodka, Anheuser-Busch, and Red Bull. They've been great supporters over the years, and we're working with some drink specials and photos ops and other activations.

July 28 historically has been when we celebrate our anniversary, so we have a few things planned for that day. A giveaway for the first 100-200 guests, whether it be a cooling towel, beach towel or water bottle, maybe additional entertainment as we also celebrate J.Son's birthday that day.

We'll have a swimwear fashion show on August 11, and we select one model to be our "tempter" for next season, and they'll be featured on a promotional fan. We also work very closely with the Las Vegas Pride organization, and they'll have a presence about once a month and run contests to encourage people to come back for Pride in October.

It's changed quite a bit. We have what's called the North Pool, where Temptation is now, and the South Pool. In 2010 we just had a small portion of the southernmost part of the South Pool and a really good day was 100 guests. In 2011, we moved to what we call the North Pool, which is larger, and now 100 would be disappointing. An average Sunday in 2018 was 650 to 700 people.

The reputation of the event, quality, and vibe have just led to one successful year after another. I anticipate reaching 1,200 this year on Electric Daisy Carnival weekend. (May 18-19). That's a big draw for us, and a lot of that crowd comes.

Are there any special themed editions, like bears or leather or carnival?
We're talking to Pride about possibly doing a women-focused event in August. At first, 99.9 percent of the crowd was gay men, but over the years we've noticed a lot of lesbians attend, transgender, straight couples come to the event, and we've really built a reputation. Honestly, the party is such that everyone feels welcome, so we haven't overly themed over the years.

What sorts of do's and don'ts can you offer for Temptation first timers?

I would encourage attendees to register on the website's guest list so you can get in for free before 2 p.m. And get there early. We do have about 125 free seats, and once they're gone, they're gone. To maximize the experience, look at renting VIP chairs, which are padded with an umbrella, or one of our 19 cabanas for the day. And plan to have whatever a good time means to you. It's usually a relaxed vibe.

Have you seen any high profile guests in the past? After all, some celebrities and "RuPaul's Drag Race" queens live in Sin City.

We've had a few. I've seen Jai Rodriguez from "Queer Eye." A lot of times, with some of the shows in town like Britney and Celine, their dancers will come to hang out. We've had the cast of "Zumanity" hang out.

What about craziest moments over the years?

The most fun for me is EDC weekend, honestly, because people tend to be a little more uninhibited with fun, crazy outfits. We have a regular guest who comes a couple of times a year, and he's totally decked out in beautiful heels, a sundress, and hat, and that's his persona for the day. I talked to him last season, and he said, 'this is the only place I come to do this.' He's having his moment, and people should have their moment, whatever that is.

Would you love to see Lady Gaga show up?

I would do anything to get Lady Gaga over here! I have reached out through our entertainment team because she performs at the Park Theater. If you have a hookup with Gaga let me know! She's invited any time, anywhere.

Ready to be tempted? Click here for more information about Temptation Sundays.