Inside the Latin Grammys: My Night at Latin Music's Biggest Celebration

I've always been fascinated by mass media and event production, so it's no surprise some of my travel adventures have included televised show tapings and live events.

My brother and I once sat in a Family Feud audience with the always entertaining Steve Harvey. We also attended an episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden at CBS Television City, which featured Sharon Stone and Elton John playing "James That Tune" and was one of only 32 episodes in the show's nearly 1,200 episode run that featured "Celebrity Noses".

For my latest behind-the-scenes escapade, I went big: the 2025 Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on Nov. 13, 2025. I was inspired after hearing Gloria Estefan's latest album, Raíces, which went on to win the Latin Grammy for Best Traditional Tropical Album.

Here's why it was one of my 2025 highlights — and why you should attend in 2026!

Travel Plans & Before The Show ✈️

While some award shows like the Grammys and the Academy Awards are typically invite-only, others sell tickets to provide a live backdrop for their VIP attendees. The minute I saw Latin Grammys tickets were still available — and found out the show was in Las Vegas — I couldn't hit 'Add to Cart' for my show ticket and flights fast enough.

I arrived a day before the event and checked into my room at the Flamingo, a famed fixture of the Las Vegas Strip. I have status with Caesars Rewards so my room was comped, leaving just the resort fee and incidental deposit (more on costs at the end).

Beyond affordable accommodations, the Flamingo also has a station for the Las Vegas Monorail, which runs early-to-late service across seven stations from the Westgate to the MGM Grand, where the Latin Grammys were being held (this is important later).

I slept in a bit on show day after a fun night learning to play three-card poker, walked to McDonalds for breakfast and coffee, and popped into to Walgreens for a few essentials before heading back to my room to relax and get ready.

The recommended, though not strict, dress code for the event was formal, but most attendees wore some version of a semi-formal outfit — myself included, complete with crooked tie 🙈. Others wore everything from couture gowns to flashy suits, ranchero attire, and the classic black-tie tuxedo.

The telecast started at 5 p.m. PT with a three-hour runtime, so I planned to leave around 4 p.m. I took an Uber to the venue and was unexpectedly dropped off right by the red carpet, so I stuck around and watched a few artists and celebrities arrive and greet their adoring fans. I headed to the Grand Garden Arena, grabbed a drink, snapped some photos, people watched, and found my spot. I couldn't believe I was at the biggest night in Latin music.

Cuatro, Tres, Dos... ¡Aplauso! 👏🏼

My seat was in one of the upper levels (Section 216, Row F), providing an incredible full view of the stage (which I scoped out beforehand thanks to A View From My Seat). The arena was buzzing, and I had a feeling the show was going to be great, especially since I was texting my parents who were watching it at home.

Giant LED screens behind the stage displayed a countdown timer while sponsorships, tribute videos, and announcements scrolled by. Moments before the start of the show — and each segment — the announcer asked the audience to take our seats before counting down from diez to ¡Aplauso!

As the lights dimmed, the familiar organ riff from "Oye Cómo Va" rang out as Carlos Santana and Maluma performed. They were soon joined by Christian Nodal, Edgar Barrera and Grupo Frontera, rounding out the set with "Corazón Espinado" and "Me Retiro".

The rest of the show was jam packed with award presentations and incredible performances from Los Tigres del Norte, Karol G & Marco Antonio Solís, Bad Bunny & Chuwi, the legendary Raphael, and Gloria Estefan, who sang two songs from Raíces; "La Vecina (No Sé Na')" and "Chirriqui Chirri" feat. Nathy Peluso.

The energy was palpable, from the electric performances to the award acceptance speeches. I even found the commercial breaks were entertaining to watch live. While my parents watched Mastercard commercials, I was hearing bachata over the PA and surveying the organized chaos of set changes, camera operators repositioning, makeup artists retouching hosts and performers, and the VIPs mingling at their floor seats. Plus, there were no photography restrictions, so I took pictures and videos throughout the whole show.

From Show to Flamingo 🦩

After the show, I snapped a few more pictures, left the arena, and headed straight to the monorail station. While it only covers a fraction of properties on the east side of the Strip, it's still a convenient, affordable, and oftentimes uncrowded way to get around.

Case in point: Between the short walk to the station, waiting for the next train, riding back to the Flamingo, and walking to my room, I was door-to-door in less than 20 minutes. I would've waited longer than that just for a rideshare to pick me up! 💯 worth the $6 fare. Find all the details at lvmonorail.com.

Let's Talk Dan-ero 💸

• The Latin Grammys: I paid around $200 for my ticket, and I'd do it again, too. Feeling the room buzz when Bad Bunny won Album of the Year for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, seeing performances by more than 30 of the biggest Latin artists — some I've been listening to for decades — and getting to watch the TV production from behind-the-scenes was all absolutely worth what I paid.

  
  

• Flights: My round-trip fare on Frontier was around $225 booked about a week before the event. Living in El Paso, I often see round-trip flights to Las Vegas and Denver on Frontier for less than $100, though keep in mind their base fare does not include any extras (e.g. checked or carry-on luggage, seat selection). Smart packing and limiting extras can help keep costs low if that's your vibe ✨

  
  

• The Flamingo: My Caesars Rewards status earns me comp rooms, which covered all three nights I was there. I ended up paying the resort fee ($56/night) totaling ~$170 for lodging. The Flamingo is centrally located within a 10-minute walk from the Fountains of Bellagio, Caesars Palace, The Linq Promenade, Walgreens, and much more, making it an affordable and accessible property.

  
  

• Food, Drinks, Incidentals: I spent around $250 on food, drinks, transit, and other incidentals (airport transport, Uber to the show, Monorail ticket back). I typically budget $40-$60 per day for food and non-alcoholic drinks in Vegas. (More on eating and drinking your way through Sin City in another post 🎰)

The Verdict

I'm honestly already thinking about going to the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards, regardless of the host city. Attending at a familiar destination gave me the confidence to make the last-minute splurge, and the show experience was entertaining and lively without feeling stuffy. If you love Latin music, appreciate televised event production, or just want an excuse to dress up and experience genuine award show energy, this is absolutely worth the last-minute adventure.

Curious about catching an award show or TV taping yourself? Let's talk entertainment travel. No commitment to book or planning fees — just curated travel plans to catch the next big award show in the room where it happens.