LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — BTS fans are flooding Las Vegas’ Chinatown neighborhood this week, and local businesses are reaping the rewards.
Business owners along the Spring Mountain Road corridor say this is the busiest they’ve been all year, as K-pop fans visit before and after the BTS concerts.
Joe Muscaglione, co-creator of ChinatownVegas.com and ShangHai Taste, said the impact has been significant across the neighborhood, which he said now has 248 restaurants.
WATCH | BTS concerts bring major business boost to Las Vegas’ Chinatown
BTS concerts bring major business boost to Las Vegas Chinatown shops and restaurants
“Most businesses I talked to are reporting anywhere from 50 to 75% increase from a normal weekend,” Muscaglione said.
“It was an economic B12 booster shot for businesses in this town. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Muscaglione said.
The surge has been especially meaningful for newer establishments like Pot on Fire, which opened in November 2025.
Xiao Li, a representative of Pot on Fire, said the concert crowds arrived unexpectedly and made a big difference.
KTNV
“We had nonstop customers coming in, definitely… quite a long lineups, and we were a little bit short staffed, but we were definitely getting the hang of it, but it was definitely busy,” Li said.
Li said business jumped by a significant margin during the concert period.
“Like around at least … at least 60% I’d say, or 70%,” Li said.
The crowds also helped put the new restaurant on the map.
KTNV
“At first some people doesn’t know we actually opened. So it definitely gets the, the name out of there and then it definitely helps with the business,” Li said.
Fans said the draw of the area goes beyond the concerts themselves.
“Good food, to be honest, like this, like most of the stores here we’re like really familiar with, so they’re like we always come this area,” Dalia Arad said.
Muscaglione said the neighborhood’s profile has grown dramatically in recent years.
KTNV
“It went from virtually unknown neighborhood to like a tourist magnet,” Muscaglione said.
BTS is set to perform again Thursday night. Businesses say they are scheduling extra staff and stocking up on inventory to keep up with the high demand.
Business owners are already looking ahead to November, when Lisa from BLACKPINK comes to Las Vegas. They hope that show brings another big wave of business to Chinatown.
KTNV
“I definitely expect um more people coming in, definitely, especially in larger parties,” Li said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
