SEMA 2026 Dates, Hours and the Public Day
The 2026 SEMA Show runs Tuesday, November 3 through Friday, November 6 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, 3150 Paradise Rd. Show hours are 9am to 5pm Tuesday through Thursday and 9am to 4pm on Friday. SEMA is a trade show: Tuesday to Thursday are for registered industry buyers, media and exhibitors.
Friday, November 6 is the only day the general public gets in. Tickets are sold as "SEMA Show Friday – Open to the Public", with or without SEMA Fest, the concert and motorsports event held on the show campus that afternoon; the named lineup includes The Offspring, Jimmy Eat World and 311. The show floor is 16 and over. There are no day-of sales, and public tickets are picked up only on Friday between 7:30am and 2pm at SEMA Show Registration in South Hall or West Hall, with a government photo ID that matches the confirmation. Buy through semafest.com and check the current price there.
If you're trade, do your buying meetings Tuesday to Thursday and plan for heavier aisles on Friday. This year SEMA has expanded its Powersports, SxS and Lifestyle section in West Hall.
Monorail and Loop: Getting Off Campus
Las Vegas Monorail
The monorail runs along the Strip with seven stations: MGM Grand, Horseshoe/Paris, Flamingo/Caesars Palace, Harrah's/The LINQ, Boingo Station at LVCC, Westgate and SAHARA Las Vegas. It runs Monday 7am to midnight, Tuesday to Thursday 7am to 2am, and Friday to Sunday 7am to 3am, with no changes posted for show week. A single ride is $6.25 at the machine or $5.75 bought online, and unlimited passes are $15.50 for one day, $27 for two and $33 for three ($13.95, $24.45 and $30.85 online). Nevada residents ride for $1 with ID. Online discounts apply only when you buy ahead, so buy before you land. There is no customer service desk at the LVCC station, only machines.
The LVCC Loop
The Loop serves the convention center campus. Its campus stations are South, Central, West and Riviera, and rides between campus stations are free. The Riviera station gives direct access to Resorts World, which has its own station below ground near its LVCC entrance. Rides to the resort stations, including Encore, Resorts World and Westgate, need a ticket from the Vegas Loop site; hours vary by event.
Fashion Show is not on the monorail. The Loop's Central Plaza station connects to the paid Encore station, across the Strip from Fashion Show, or take a cab or rideshare.
Resorts World: The Closest Shopping
Resorts World (3000 Las Vegas Blvd S) has its own Loop station and is a quick escape at lunch. Its shopping, called The District, is a short list of boutiques rather than a mall. Nectar Life sells handmade soaps, bath products and skincare made in Las Vegas. Wally's is a wine and gourmet shop with more than 8,000 labels plus a place to sit and eat. Eight Cigar Lounge keeps a humidor of limited-edition cigars to buy or smoke there with a cocktail. The RW Store covers snacks, drinks and resort merchandise.
For food between halls, Famous Foods Street Eats is the resort's street-food hall, with counters for dumplings, pho, ramen, hand-pulled noodles, tacos, hot chicken and bubble tea. Sun's Out Buns Out serves egg-forward comfort food 24 hours a day. For a client dinner, Stubborn Seed Las Vegas is MICHELIN Recommended in the 2026 Southwest selection; see our MICHELIN guide for the full Las Vegas list.
Westgate: On Paradise Rd
Westgate Las Vegas (3000 Paradise Rd) has both a monorail station and a paid Loop station. Viva Coffee & Espresso is open 24 hours, serving Starbucks coffee, sandwiches, salads, pastries and ice cream, which makes it an early stop before a 9am open. The resort also lists Benihana, Edge Steakhouse and a food court.
Wynn Plaza: Gifts That Fit in a Carry-On
The Wynn and Encore shops (3131 Las Vegas Blvd S) are a paid Loop ride from campus to the Encore station. For gifts to take home, Diptyque has candles, room sprays and fragrance, and Le Labo, on the second floor of the Wynn Plaza Shops, compounds and labels its fragrances by hand when you buy. If the show wrecked your luggage, Rimowa is here too. Most Wynn boutiques post Sunday to Thursday 10am to 9pm and Friday to Saturday 10am to 10pm, so you can shop after the halls close.
For dinner, Cipriani sits in the Wynn Plaza Shops, Red 8 serves dim sum, noodles and Hong Kong-style barbecue, and Urth Caffé works for coffee and a lighter plate. Self-parking in the Wynn and Encore garages is $25 a day with the first three hours free, and more during special events.
Fashion Show: The Full Mall
Fashion Show (3200 Las Vegas Blvd S) is across the Strip from Wynn. It's open Monday to Thursday 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday 10am to 9pm, and Sunday 10am to 7pm, and daytime parking in the North and South decks is free.
For kids at home, The LEGO Store on Level 1 has the Pick a Brick wall and minifigure builder, and Pop Mart sells blind boxes and figures from Labubu, Skullpanda and Molly. Hat Club carries New Era fitted caps in team colors and exclusive colorways. Pandora on Level 1 is an easy jewelry gift, and Sephora covers anything you forgot to pack. If a bag failed you on the trip in, TUMI does carry-ons and monogramming, and Apple has the Genius Bar for a dead phone or a lost charger.
For a fast lunch, Luke's Lobster serves lobster, crab and shrimp rolls daily 11am to 8pm. For a sit-down meal, The Capital Grille on Level 3 is the client-dinner steakhouse, Maggiano's Little Italy on Level 2 serves family-style portions for a team, and El Segundo Sol has a patio on The Plaza facing the Strip.
Late Nights and the North End
Show days start early and dinners run late. Peppermill Restaurant & Fireside Lounge (2985 Las Vegas Blvd S), open since 1972, is open 7am to 2am Monday to Wednesday and 24 hours Thursday to Sunday, so it works for a breakfast meeting or a 1am plate after a party.
At the north end of the Strip, Fontainebleau (2777 Las Vegas Blvd S) has Cocoa Dolce for bonbons and chocolate gift boxes and Morris & Co. for gifts and sundries, both on Level 2 and open until 10pm Sunday to Thursday and 11pm on Friday and Saturday.
For gifts that fit a carry-on, the short list from this guide: candles from Diptyque, a fragrance from Le Labo, handmade soap from Nectar Life, chocolate from Cocoa Dolce, a fitted cap from Hat Club or a blind box from Pop Mart. Kids at home are covered by the LEGO Store. Pack them in your checked bag if they contain liquids.
Coming back later this year? AWS lists re:Invent 2026 for November 30 to December 4 in Las Vegas, and our hotels guide covers where to stay near the malls.