Electronic music artist Kygo has struck a major deal in Las Vegas: He will open his own Palm Tree Beach Club at MGM Grand in May in the Tao Group venue formerly occupied by pioneering dayclub Wet Republic, in partnership with manager Myles Shear and their Palm Tree Crew ventures. He decamps to Tao Group after eight years as a resident artist at Wynn Nightlife.
Rockwell Group designed Palm Tree Beach Club as a “bold, immersive music and entertainment experience … and a tropical oasis with chart-topping performers and top-tier service,” evocative of the chill, melodic tropical-house musical vibe for which Kygo (real name Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll) is known. Over the years, he has collaborated with Selena Gomez, Rita Ora, Miguel, and John Legend, among others, and launched a Palm Tree festival in locations around the world.
Spanning 60,000 square feet, Palm Tree Beach Club will include a ground-level stage, salt water pool, 12 bungalows and 10 cabanas, along with daybeds and chaise lounges accommodating 3,000 guests. There is a new sound system, LED screens, and pyrotechnics set within a theme that is “Beverly Hills meets Palm Springs with a youthful Country Club touch. Every material is new, from the floor to horticulture and greenery to the fabrics in the cabana to the layout of tables.” says Tao Group Hospitality Co-CEO Jason Strauss. “To have Kygo perform in this venue and be part of it conceptually — we will probably see record-breaking days with him and bringing our other DJs.”
A rendering of the new venue (Photo courtesy Palm Tree Crew)
Wet Republic resident DJs include Tiësto, Martin Garrix, Zedd, Steve Aoki, Loud Luxury and Lil Jon. Tao Group runs Tao, Hakkasan, Omnia, Marquee and Jewel and restaurants Lavo, Beauty & Essex and Cathédrale in Las Vegas.
Strauss says the Beach Club idea is similar to the formula that country stars like Blake Shelton and Jason Aldean now apply to the Strip. “The country music guys have come in with Shelton’s Red O and Jason Aldean [restaurants and live music venues]. This is the obvious evolution of hospitality in Las Vegas, where artists are coming in and bringing their concepts and brands,” Shear says, adding that the model is inspired by Jimmy Buffett and his Margaritaville brand, valued at over $2 billion.
Buffett and Kygo struck up a friendship playing the music festival circuit, and the late legend made surprise appearances over the years at Palm Tree festivals.
“We were spending time with Jimmy Buffett and learning about Margaritaville,” Shear continues. “We went to one of his shows, and we saw this community that he built around his music and his persona, and that’s where we got the idea that one day we could have our spot in Vegas, where our fans could find something new to engage with and not just come to a concert.”
Palm Tree Crew originally began as an apparel company selling Palm Tree logo T-shirts and necklaces. In 2020, Kygo and Shear officially launched the company, which has expanded into a live events business, a multi-product investment arm and a consumer brand selling palm tree necklaces and more. They struck a deal with Live Nation and acquired part of celebrity event production company Medium Rare.
At the same time, Kygo released hit collaborations, sold out arenas and continued a Vegas residency that had him playing the city multiple times per month to thousands of clubgoers. Then came the Palm Tree festivals, which occur in locales from Sydney to Dana Point and St Barts to the Hamptons, with artists such as Gryffin, Calvin Harris, Chainsmokers and Swedish House Mafia playing to sold-out crowds.
Palm Tree Beach Club is intended to be a permanent home for the experience.
Shear says over the years, they built a friendship with Strauss and his business partner Noah Tepperberg, noting that Kygo’s first show in Vegas was actually at Marquee before doing an acoustic set at the opening of Beauty and Essex.
“They approached us about doing a club together, and we met in Aspen at our Palm Tree Festival last year about all of us working together,” Shear says. “It’s never happened like this in the history of Las Vegas, where, you know, a DJ has been a partner in a project like this. When we found out about the opportunity, we almost didn’t believe it. It feels historic.”
While Wet Republic remained successful, Strauss says it was time to elevate the concept to match what consumers want now — to be as close to the DJ as possible and willing to pay five-figure premiums for the positioning.
“He created a festival brand that he takes to all the jet set markets and built a database and experience. “We had a venue that needed a new story and narrative,” Strauss says. “Now, it’s all about how they interact with the experience and the performance. We thought we could do better by getting people closer to the DJ booth and them to surround it in a way where they feel part of the performance,” he says, in addition to cosmetic improvements “to make it look more beautiful, more vibrant, use all of the colors that palm tree is known for, the greens and his whole color palette that he’s used all of his festivals.”
Wet Republic opened in 2008. It was originally part of Angel Management Group and then sold to Hakkasan Group, which Tao Group later acquired. The venue and Tao Group’s Tao Beach at The Venetian pioneered the Las Vegas day club scene. It gave Tiesto, Calvin Harris, Steve Aoki and David Guetta their first Vegas pool club residencies and set the stage for landmark performances from artists like Deadmau5.
Strauss and Shear said the official lineup, opening date, and performance schedule for Kygo will be announced later.
In the last days of 2024, Palm Tree Crew opened a restaurant, Palm Tree Club Orlando and a hotel, Palm Tree Club Miami. The next Palm Tree festival will occur in Aspen on February 21 and 22, with Dom Dolla, Fisher, Sofi Tukker and Kygo headlining and then bouncing to Oahu in May.
In the musical chairs world of Las Vegas nightclubs, it was also announced this week that Deadmau5 would return to Wynn, and Odeza will perform at the resort’s nightclub and dayclub XS and Encore Beach Club in 2025.
