Hot Vegas

Life ain't all that beautiful in 2020 ... another music festival is getting scrapped due to concerns over the novel coronavirus.

Life is Beautiful, a three-day outdoor festival in downtown Las Vegas celebrating music, art, food and comedy, has just been canceled due to COVID-19.

The festival was scheduled to take place on multiple stages in Sin City Sept. 18-20, but event organizers say they're taking a one-year hiatus and intend to return in 2021.

Life is Beautiful is still gonna try and make an impact on Vegas even though no bands are coming and no murals will be painted ... festival organizers say they're putting resources towards the local community instead of the event.

Seems festival honchos saw the writing on the wall ... Life is Beautiful says there was just no way the festival could happen as planned due to the health and economic impacts being brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Las Vegas is looking into ways to lift coronavirus restrictions and safely reopen the world famous strip -- but it's gonna change your Vegas experience forever.

Our sources in Vegas tell TMZ ... when the casinos reopen, they will absolutely have different layouts and practices, and the biggest issues on the table are cleanliness and spacing.

We're told casinos will have to make sure gamblers don't get too close to one another, and that means spacing out people at table games like blackjack.

The strip sees about 115,000 revelers on an average day, so the risk for spreading the virus remains high while there's no vaccine. As a result, we're told officials' top priority is preventing a COVID-19 flare up.

Our sources say monumental sanitation efforts are being discussed for casinos -- machines will need to be cleaned more than ever before, and they'll need a system to sanitize playing chips, cards and dice -- the 3 surfaces gamblers touch the most.

We're told casino operators are working directly with government officials to hammer out a plan to lift restrictions and reopen the city -- but there are a lot of hurdles. For instance, our sources say they haven't even begun to tackle nightclubs.

As you know ... Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak closed all the state's casinos in mid-March to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and the order's now in place until at least April 30. Sisolak said this week the state isn't even close to lifting restrictions, so don't book those flights just yet.

The Nevada Gaming Board tells TMZ ... safety is a top priority, as well as protecting employees and visitors, and ideas on how to do so safely are being exchanged.

Criss Angel's eyes are not deceiving him ... the Vegas strip has almost literally emptied out in wake of the coronavirus but he says when the time is right, it'll be ready for a comeback.

Criss joined "TMZ Live" Friday from his office and says it's been eerie to see Sin City -- the Entertainment Capital of the World -- come to a screeching halt as the COVID-19 pandemic triggers cities across the country shutdown.

But, he did more than just explain how the city's coping without the millions of tourists ... he showed us just how insanely empty the strip is at this moment. You can see him walking down one of the strip's main arteries as he made his way to Planet Hollywood.

The streets are quite literally empty ... safe for a hop-on/hop-off bus that appeared to be completely empty. Criss, wearing an air mask, walks down the middle of the road. The sidewalks are totally empty too.

Check out the video ... Criss says during the worst of times -- like the Depression or during wars -- entertainment has always been everyone's escape. This pandemic, however, has created an unprecedented moment because it's literally shut down the entertainment business.

Deontay Wilder will have to wait a little longer to get a 3rd crack at Tyson Fury -- their rematch has been postponed to October in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak.

The two were set to run it back on July 18 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas ... with Wilder looking for revenge after taking that "L" during their Feb. 22 fight.

But Top Rank chairman Bob Arum (who reps Fury) says the plans for a 3rd fight in July are off -- explaining, "We don't even know if the MGM will even be open by then."

"You could not guarantee the fighters that the event would take place on that date," Arum told ESPN ... "We couldn't convince them or ourselves," Arum said while noting other potential issues.

"Where were they going to train for it? It just made no sense. You just have to take a step back. How are you going to sell tickets? It's absolutely ridiculous to say the fight is on when the Brits can't even get there."

"So everybody has to take a step back. Boxing is not isolated. It's part of what's happening in the world ... So possibly the fight will be in early October."

Arum told ESPN he's been working with Wilder's co-manager Al Haymon who agrees with the decision to postpone.

Larry Flynt's Hustler Club in Vegas is still serving customers during the 30-day "stay home" order -- but strictly from its kitchen.

Yes, the only people coming to the stage at the strip joint will be the chefs, according to its honchos ... who tell us the kitchen will be open for those in need of food assistance in the Las Vegas valley.

Nevada governor Steve Sisolak announced a statewide closure earlier this week of all non-essential businesses, urging residents to stay inside to avoid contracting the virus. Businesses that serve food and provide delivery, drive-thru, pick-up or curbside service can stay open.

We're told the Hustler Club's looking out for seniors, too -- they'll deliver the free food to people who are at least 60 years old, while curbside pickup is available for everyone else.

The free meal service is being offered daily from noon to 6 PM while supplies last.

Chippendales is going the digital route to keep their clients entertained -- but more importantly ... as fit as their male exotic dancers.

The location in Vegas is ramping up a series of videos set to be featured on their social media channels that dish out in-home workouts fans and viewers alike can watch and participate in from the confines of quarantine. The sexy twist ... one of their own guys is leading the sessions, in and out of clothes.

It's pretty interesting ... while we're used to seeing Chippendales dancers in strictly a stripper setting, here we're actually seeing one of these hunks under less raucous circumstances.

Check out some of their workout videos we got a hold of -- so far, it looks like they'll be breaking down their exercise regiments by muscle group. In these clips, the guy goes over muscle workouts (using household items) as well as glutes. One shows more skin than the other.

Of course, the home gym series comes on the heels of gyms all across the country being closed down -- not to mention most of Vegas itself being shuttered in recent weeks due to the coronavirus. Looks like Chippendales is getting creative ... and NOT going off the radar.

One last thing ... we're told Chippendales is sending mass emails to customers and ticket holders teasing their return on the strip -- promising 'Jersey Shore' star Vinny G is set to come back as their celeb guest host, and aiming for late April to June for things to be back in full swing.

Caesars Palace appears to be the next big Vegas resort to implement mass temporary employee layoffs and furloughs over coronavirus ... and the way workers are catching wind of it is about as dramatic as a Shakespearean play.

Sources within the palace walls tell TMZ ... staffers working at Gordon Ramsay's Pub & Grill -- which is owned and run by Caesars itself -- were notified by head honchos late Saturday furloughs were being instituted effective immediately ... and employees there, including some who were full-time, were told to go home and not return to work for the time being.

We're told the restaurant employees were instructed they wouldn't be coming back with pay for a minimum of 4 weeks -- with no specific return in sight. It doesn't sound like most of these folks were laid off outright ... it's just a provisional measure.

Per our sources, Ramsay's team weren't the only ones to get the temporary boot ... we're told a lot of the hotel maids were given the same talk as well. The reason, according to people who were offered an explanation, the resort's occupancy has dropped like a rock.

We're told, normally, Caesars sits at around 80%-90% occupancy, but these past couple weeks have seen a significant dip -- going as low as 20% and projected to go lower, we're told. Accordingly, our sources say Caesar is planning to keep just one hotel tower open.

Caesars wouldn't be the first resort to do this -- MGM has reportedly notified its workers about coming layoff and furloughs because of coronavirus. On the flip side ... Wynn Resorts assured their own employees they'd be getting paid during any future closures.

The writing might've been on the wall for Caesars to start furloughing next though ... they just suspended all live ticketed entertainment this weekend too.

We've reached out to Caesars Entertainment Corp. for comment ... so far, no word back.

The aisles are mostly empty inside Sin City wedding chapels ... couples hoping to tie the knot at famous spots are canceling wedding plans left and right in the wake of a deadly pandemic ... and even Elvis ain't immune.

Four of the most popular wedding venues in Las Vegas are no longer booming in the face of the fast-spreading coronavirus ... with lots of would-be brides and grooms telling them they're too scared to go through with their destination weddings.

Vegas Wedding tells us they've had couples saying they made their decision over fears of contracting coronavirus. One bride cited her weakened immune system, saying travel and crowds are not worth the risk. Another family also bailed over travel fears.

Graceland Wedding Chapel is dealing with similar fears -- COVID-19 and travel. They tell us they do lots of weddings for Europeans, and Trump's travel ban has chapel owners worried about future bookings. The silver lining -- European couples can get a 2-year credit to reschedule nuptials if they cancel.

Ditto Wedding Chapel ... the owner tells us things are deathly slow ... and the European travel ban is already forcing last-minute cancellations.

Viva Las Vegas Wedding is getting at least 3 cancellations a day, while some couples say they're still coming because they won't let the virus ruin their lives.

The chapels are dealing with the same issues -- and working overtime to keep things sanitized -- and even Elvis Presley impersonators are feeling the effects.

The famous Elvis at Viva Las Vegas Wedding is washing his outfits way more often ... and he's got hand sanitizer at his podium, because he's still shaking hands and hugging couples for photos. Ditto for the Elvises at Graceland Wedding Chapel, where one impersonator is also cycling through 20 jumpsuits to stay extra-clean.

The impersonators spend a lot of time in the bathroom, just like the real Elvis ... only the wannabees are there to wash hands.

Larry Flynt's Hustler Club is not closing up shop as fears mount over the spread of coronavirus -- instead, it's educating customers on cleaning up their act ... pre-lap dance!!!

The Las Vegas strip club actually has a PSA to remind its patrons about the best coronavirus defense ... simply washing your hands. Hustler's hammering home the point with an assist from some of its dancers.

It's catchy -- the video, that is -- but the Surgeon General would NOT approve of the face mask use!!! Not due to the boobs, but because they don't actually protect you.

Seriously though, a Vegas strip joint might seem like a potential coronavirus hot zone. It's got tourists from around the globe, cash is notoriously filthy and there's the up-close contact of a lap dance -- but the Hustler Club's taking extra precautions.

We're told Larry Flynt's hired a professional custodian company -- super-janitors if you will -- to sanitize the club daily. They've also hired additional porters for more on-the-spot cleaning throughout the night. Phew.

You'll probably still go home broke and covered in glitter, but you won't have a deadly virus. Most likely. No promises.