SEMA Show 2026: where to eat, and what is on at night
November 3-6, 2026 · Las Vegas Convention Center and Venetian Expo · 160,000 attendees · Specialty automotive aftermarket
SEMA takes the Las Vegas Convention Center from November 3 to 6, and it does not have the city to itself: AAPEX opens the same Tuesday at the Venetian Expo, Halloween weekend clears out as you arrive, and XS reopens on the Thursday with Rufus Du Sol. Our Las Vegas team books the dinners and the tables after them, and moves your group between the halls.
The week you are walking into
SEMA fills the entire Las Vegas Convention Center campus, and the first week of November is busier still than that suggests. AAPEX opens the same Tuesday at the Venetian Expo, adding fifty thousand buyers and distributors two miles down the Strip, and plenty of people work both floors. Halloween weekend empties out on the Sunday you fly in. The practical effect is that the good rooms near both halls were spoken for in the summer, mostly by exhibitors, and the week prices like a holiday rather than an ordinary November.
When people are actually in town
Most people land on the Monday. Exhibitors are in a day early to build booths and take first meetings, which makes Monday night a real evening in town and one nobody plans for. The floor closes Friday and most of the hall flies home that afternoon, so treat Friday as optional and build the week around Tuesday through Thursday.
Where to eat, by the hall you are actually leaving
SEMA spans two buildings and they lead to different dinners. Leaving the convention center at the north end, Fontainebleau is across the street and holds the deepest cluster there - Komodo and Papi Steak for a dinner with some noise, Don's Prime and Mother Wolf for one without. Carversteak at Resorts World is the other short walk, and Wynn adds SW Steakhouse and Delilah. Leaving the Venetian Expo you are already standing in the best cluster on the Strip, with Wakuda, Bazaar Meat, BOA, Estiatorio Milos, LAVO and Mott 32 all under the same roof. Golden Steer, off-Strip and unchanged since 1958, is the one automotive groups ask for by name. Book for the hall you are leaving, not the hotel you are sleeping in.
Taking clients out after dinner
SEMA week has a genuine nightlife tail, and this year the calendar does something unusual. XS at Encore reopens on Thursday November 5 after its refurbishment, with Rufus Du Sol on the opening night, which lands squarely in the middle of the show. Friday is the heavier of the two: Martin Garrix at Omnia and The Chainsmokers at XS on the same night. If your group has a booth to open at nine the next morning, we will say so rather than sell you a table you will regret. The night-by-night picks below are the ones worth planning around; if you want the full list for the nights you are in town, our Las Vegas events calendar lists every venue.
Groups and buyouts
The bookings we make most during SEMA week are private rooms for twenty to forty and reserved sections for larger teams, plus the dealer and distributor dinners that need the room to themselves. Full buyouts and brand activations we will place. Open that conversation with the headcount and the budget rather than a venue name, because what is genuinely available during the busiest week of the Las Vegas year is a much shorter list than what exists.
If a nightclub is not the answer
If you are after something other than a club, say so. The Mayfair Supper Club turns dinner into the evening without anyone having to move. And if you would rather have a speakeasy or a live music bar, tell us the group and we are happy to steer you in the right direction and make recommendations.
Where to eat, by where your day ends
Leaving the convention center — Fontainebleau is across the street and holds the deepest cluster at this end
Leaving the Venetian Expo — all of these are in the building
Off-Strip — Golden Steer has been doing this since 1958 and takes a large table well
Frequently asked questions
When and where is the SEMA Show 2026?
November 3 to 6, 2026, across the Las Vegas Convention Center and Venetian Expo, with roughly 160,000 attendees. AAPEX opens the same Tuesday at the Venetian Expo and closes on the Thursday.
Where should we take clients to dinner during SEMA?
It depends which hall you are leaving. From the convention center, Carversteak at Resorts World and SW Steakhouse at Wynn are the nearest rooms that seat a group properly. From the Venetian Expo you are already inside the best cluster on the Strip, with Wakuda, Bazaar Meat, BOA and Estiatorio Milos under one roof.
What is on at night during SEMA week 2026?
XS at Encore reopens on Thursday November 5 with Rufus Du Sol. Friday November 6 has Martin Garrix at Omnia and The Chainsmokers at XS. Wednesday is quieter, with DJ Franzen at Hakkasan and LEMA at Marquee. Lineups move, so check our Las Vegas events calendar for the current version.
How far ahead should we book for SEMA week?
As early as you can. SEMA and AAPEX put more than two hundred thousand people across overlapping halls in the same week, Halloween weekend runs into it, and the rooms nearest both buildings are largely contracted by exhibitors over the summer.
What is on while you are here
Checked against the calendar on 21 September. See the full Las Vegas events calendar for the current lineup.
Monday — setup and arrival night, before the floor opens
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday — XS reopens tonight after its refurbishment
Friday (optional) — closing day, so optional - most people fly home
Other Las Vegas conventions
All Las Vegas convention guides
Planning the rest of it
