Weekly Residency · Every Wednesday · Summer 2026
R&Bae Wednesdays at Hakkasan
DJ Franzen holds down the Strip's best mid-week R&B night inside Hakkasan Nightclub at MGM Grand. Classic R&B, trap soul, and hip-hop. Lower cover. A crowd that actually dances.
Free guest list every Wednesday, May through September 2026.
About the Night
What Is R&Bae Wednesdays?
R&Bae Wednesdays is a weekly R&B and hip-hop residency at Hakkasan Nightclub inside MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, running every Wednesday night from 10:30 PM to 4 AM throughout spring and summer 2026. DJ Franzen — one of Las Vegas's most deeply established DJ and radio personalities — has held this weekly slot since the series launched, making R&Bae one of the most consistent and well-attended mid-week nightclub events on the Las Vegas Strip.
The name is deliberate: “bae” — contemporary shorthand for a romantic partner — combined with R&B describes the night's emotional register precisely. This is not an aggressive EDM night or a trap-heavy Saturday where a headliner performs three songs and a DJ fills the remaining three hours. R&Bae Wednesdays is built around groove and genuine dancefloor participation — the format that defined nightclub culture before the era of DJ performance spectacle took over Strip programming.
In Las Vegas's current nightclub landscape, authentic R&B programming is rare. Most Strip clubs program EDM on weekends and hip-hop as a complement. DJ Franzen is one of a small number of Las Vegas DJs with the catalog depth, radio heritage, and audience relationship to sustain a dedicated R&B night at a venue of Hakkasan's scale. R&Bae fills a gap that widened when Drai's Beachclub closed in late 2025 — Franzen himself moved his primary residency from Drai's Nightclub to Hakkasan, bringing a decade of audience relationships and R&B programming philosophy with him.
The crowd at R&Bae Wednesdays skews noticeably different from Hakkasan's weekend demographic. Wednesday draws Las Vegas locals, hospitality industry workers from other Strip properties whose schedules free them mid-week, and visitors who specifically seek out a mid-week nightclub experience without the weekend premium. The intergenerational appeal is one of the event's defining characteristics: younger attendees discover catalog records they know from samples and streaming playlists, while those who experienced the original releases connect to them viscerally. This generational bridge — facilitated by DJ Franzen's decades-deep catalog knowledge — creates the kind of communal dancefloor energy that is increasingly rare in large-format nightclubs.
Resident DJ
DJ Franzen: The Man Behind R&Bae
DJ Franzen — born Franzen Wong, his first name combining his father Francisco and mother Zenida — began his career in 1990 as a 14-year-old intern at 106.1 KMEL in the San Francisco Bay Area, the most influential urban radio station in California during the formative years of West Coast hip-hop. Within a few years he had become an in-house DJ and on-air personality, eventually hosting his own show that earned the highest ratings in KMEL's history.
From 1994 to 2000 he hosted the CMC Music Video Countdown Show on California Music Channel. In late 2000, he moved to Los Angeles to co-host Snoop Dogg's nationally syndicated radio show — a program that reached over 35 of the top U.S. markets and placed his DJ sets in front of a national audience at a scale that few regional club DJs achieve. His Las Vegas radio career produced the highest-rated afternoon show in Las Vegas history at Hot 97.5 FM, cementing his status as a market-defining voice.
In May 2015, the city of Las Vegas awarded Franzen a key to the city and formally declared May 28 “DJ Franzen Day” by civic proclamation — a distinction shared by very few entertainers in the market. He is also TWITCH.tv's top-ranked DJ, extending his reach into the streaming audience between live performances. His music philosophy reflects three decades of cross-genre immersion: hip-hop, old school R&B, and reggae are his primary territories, with Frank Sinatra, Bob Marley, Jay-Z, Tupac, Sade, and Notorious B.I.G. among the cross-genre reference points that inform how he sequences a set.
DJ Franzen At a Glance
Music Guide
What to Expect on the Dancefloor
R&Bae Wednesdays is organized around a multi-era R&B progression that builds across the night. Early hours — 11 PM through midnight — typically anchor in 90s and early 2000s catalog: the foundational records of classic R&B that audiences know in their bones. Jodeci's slow jams. Usher's Confessions-era peak. Aaliyah's signature production. TLC's mid-decade run. Mariah Carey's vocal showcases. Destiny's Child before Beyoncé went solo. These records function as the warm-up layer — familiar enough to fill the floor early, powerful enough to hold a room that is not yet at full capacity.
As the room fills past midnight, DJ Franzen transitions toward modern trap soul and contemporary R&B. SZA's SOS-era material. H.E.R.'s guitar-forward R&B. Giveon's baritone. Summer Walker. Brent Faiyaz. Daniel Caesar. Current chart hip-hop that crossovers cleanly into the R&B format. The transition maintains the groove-first philosophy while speaking to the full age range in the room. Reggae elements appear throughout as bridging moments between R&B blocks — a reflection of Franzen's Bay Area radio heritage and the musical crossover between reggae and 90s R&B that shaped West Coast production during the era he came up in.
What distinguishes R&Bae Wednesdays from other mid-week Strip options is crowd response. DJ Franzen has noted explicitly that his favorite thing about the night is that people dance. The programming is optimized for dancefloor participation rather than passive audience watching — a distinction that matters enormously in an era when nightclub culture has drifted toward treating the DJ as a performer to observe rather than a facilitator of collective movement. On the right Wednesday, the whole room moves together in a way that the same Hakkasan room on a Saturday with a rap headliner does not consistently produce.
Early set (11 PM – midnight)
Classic R&B (90s–2000s)
Jodeci · Usher · Aaliyah · TLC · Mariah Carey · Destiny's Child · Boyz II Men · Brandy · Monica
Peak hours (12 AM – 2 AM)
Trap Soul & Modern R&B
SZA · H.E.R. · Giveon · Summer Walker · Brent Faiyaz · Daniel Caesar · Bryson Tiller · Jhené Aiko
Throughout the night
Hip-Hop & Reggae Bridges
Jay-Z · Biggie · Tupac · Snoop Dogg · Drake · Bob Marley · Sade · West Coast rap · current hip-hop
2026 Dates
R&Bae Wednesdays Summer 2026 Schedule
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Wed May 13 | R&Bae Wednesdays — EDC Week Opening |
| Wed May 20 | R&Bae Wednesdays — Post-EDC |
| Wed May 27 | R&Bae Wednesdays |
| Wed Jun 4 | R&Bae Wednesdays |
| Wed Jun 11 | R&Bae Wednesdays |
| Wed Jun 18 | R&Bae Wednesdays |
| Wed Jun 25 | R&Bae Wednesdays |
| Wed Jul 1 | R&Bae Wednesdays — Pre-July 4 |
| Wed Jul 8 | R&Bae Wednesdays — NBA Summer League |
| Wed Jul 15 | R&Bae Wednesdays |
| Wed Jul 22 | R&Bae Wednesdays |
| Wed Jul 29 | R&Bae Wednesdays |
| Wed Aug 5 | R&Bae Wednesdays |
| Wed Aug 12 | R&Bae Wednesdays |
| Wed Aug 19 | R&Bae Wednesdays |
| Wed Aug 26 | R&Bae Wednesdays |
| Wed Sep 3 | R&Bae Wednesdays — LDW Week |
Schedule confirmed via hakkasan.uvtix.com, taogroup.com, and calendar.lasvegasnightclubs.com. Individual dates subject to change. Verify before booking travel.
Entry & Pricing
Guest List, Cover Charges & Bottle Service
Free Guest List
Submit your group through NoCoverVegas to get on the R&Bae Wednesdays Hakkasan guest list. Guest list provides free admission for women all night and free entry for men before 12:30 AM with an even-or-better female-to-male ratio. Your name at the door is sufficient — no ticket or printout required. Arrive by 11:30 PM to guarantee the free entry window.
NoCoverVegas guest list covers all standard Wednesday dates. Holiday weekends in summer 2026 fall on Friday–Sunday (Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day), so Wednesday dates adjacent to major holidays run at normal R&Bae pricing without special premium markup.
Walk-Up Cover & Tables
Walk-up cover at R&Bae Wednesdays runs $20–$30 for women and $30–$40 for men — significantly below Hakkasan's Friday and Saturday rates ($30–$60 standard, $50–$100+ on major headliner nights). Bottle service in The Studio starts at $300–$500 per table on Wednesday nights — 4 to 10 times lower than the same table during a Rick Ross or Tyga headliner event. For groups of six or more who want assured seating and service, Wednesday is the highest-value access point for the full Hakkasan table experience.
| Night | Women Cover | Men Cover | Table Min |
|---|---|---|---|
| R&Bae Wed (DJ Franzen) | Free (guest list) / $20–$30 | Free before 12:30 AM / $30–$40 | $300–$500 |
| Hakkasan — Standard Fri/Sat | Free (guest list) / $30–$50 | $40–$60 | $500–$1,500 |
| Hakkasan — Headliner Weekend | $50–$75 | $60–$100+ | $2,000–$5,000+ |
The Venue
Hakkasan Nightclub & The Studio
Hakkasan Nightclub occupies 80,000 square feet across five levels inside MGM Grand Hotel & Casino at the south end of the center Strip corridor. The complex is one of the largest nightclub footprints in Las Vegas, featuring a main floor with a custom-engineered LED ceiling system, a mezzanine level, the Ling Ling Club lounge, an outdoor terrace, and The Studio — the dedicated performance room where R&Bae Wednesdays takes place.
The Studio is intentionally more intimate than the main floor, making it the architecturally correct choice for a mid-week residency format. The contained scale directs sound and energy inward, creating an enclosed dancefloor atmosphere where DJ Franzen's R&B programming builds on itself across the room rather than dissipating into the larger main space. The production capabilities in The Studio — sound system, lighting, DJ booth positioning — are full-scale, maintaining Hakkasan's production standard at a Wednesday-appropriate scope.
The MGM Grand address at 3799 S Las Vegas Blvd places Hakkasan equidistant from T-Mobile Arena (home of Vegas Golden Knights and UFC events) and the south end of the center Strip hotel corridor. The venue is accessible from the Strip sidewalk, the MGM Grand parking structure, the Las Vegas Monorail (MGM Grand station, 3-minute walk), and rideshare drop-off on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Address
3799 S Las Vegas Blvd, MGM Grand
Room
The Studio at Hakkasan
Hours (Wednesdays)
10:30 PM – 4:00 AM
Nearest Monorail
MGM Grand Station (3-min walk)
Valet Parking
MGM Grand main entrance
Rideshare Drop-off
Las Vegas Blvd / MGM Grand entrance
Wednesday Options
R&Bae vs Other Wednesday Nights on the Strip
Wednesday is the most strategically interesting night in Las Vegas nightlife — it sits at the intersection of mid-week accessibility and full-scale venue programming. Four major options each serve a different audience, and choosing the right one depends on your music preference and group dynamic.
| Venue | Music | Cover |
|---|---|---|
| R&Bae Wednesdays at Hakkasan | R&B / Hip-Hop / Classic R&B | $20–$30 (free guest list) |
| Drai's Nightclub — Wednesdays | Hip-Hop / Trap | $20–$35 |
| Marquee — Lowkey in the Library | Open Format / Hip-Hop | $20–$30 |
| Tao Nightclub — Wednesdays | Hip-Hop / Open Format | $20–$30 |
Drai's Wednesday at The Vanderpump Hotel is the closest competitor to R&Bae. Both draw the Las Vegas industry crowd and program hip-hop and R&B. The difference is energy register: Drai's Nightclub skews harder and more trap-forward, with a basement acoustic environment that amplifies low-frequency energy. R&Bae Wednesdays is warmer and more melodic. For groups that lean toward slow jams, classic R&B, and an actual slow-groove dancefloor, R&Bae is the correct choice. For groups that want the hardest hip-hop and trap programming mid-week, Drai's edges it.
Marquee's Lowkey in the Library and Tao Nightclub's Wednesday both offer open-format approaches — broader in genre coverage but without the dedicated R&B identity that makes R&Bae distinctive. If your group has no strong music preference and you're staying at The Cosmopolitan or The Venetian, Marquee or Tao may be logistically easier from those properties. But for R&B specifically, there is no competing option on the Strip on a Wednesday night.
Insider Tips
How to Get the Most Out of R&Bae Wednesdays
Arrive by 11:30 PM for Guest List
Guest list entry is guaranteed before midnight. After 12:30 AM, men without guest list reservations may be asked for cover. Submit your name through NoCoverVegas at least a few hours before arrival to ensure you're on the list.
The Room Peaks 12:30–2 AM
The Studio fills steadily from 11 PM onward, but peak crowd density and peak DJ set energy converge between 12:30 and 2 AM. Arriving at 10:30 PM gets you in with no lines. Arriving at midnight puts you in the room as it reaches critical mass.
Wednesday Still Has a Dress Code
The MGM Grand entrance and Hakkasan door enforce the dress code on Wednesdays. Men: dark jeans or dress pants, fitted shirt, dress shoes. No athletic wear, no hats, no basketball jerseys. Wednesday is slightly less strict than Saturday but the rules apply.
Continue at Drai's After Hours
After R&Bae closes at 4 AM, Drai's After Hours at The Vanderpump Hotel opens and runs until 7 AM — 8 minutes south on the Strip. Natural continuation for groups who want to extend past 4 AM.
Wednesday Bottle Service Is a Value Play
Wednesday table minimums at Hakkasan ($300–$500) are 4–10x lower than the same table on a Saturday headliner night. If your group wants bottle service and the full table experience, Wednesday is the highest-value entry point.
Check Individual Dates Before Booking
R&Bae Wednesdays runs every week through summer but confirm specific dates on hakkasan.uvtix.com before booking flights around a particular night. Cancellations are rare but can occur around major venue events.
Getting There
Directions & Transportation
Walking from the Strip
Walk south on Las Vegas Blvd from Bellagio, ARIA, or Cosmopolitan to MGM Grand's main entrance (5–12 minutes). Enter through the casino floor and follow signs to Hakkasan Nightclub.
Rideshare
Request drop-off at MGM Grand main entrance, 3799 S Las Vegas Blvd. Post-4 AM surge pricing is lighter on Wednesdays than weekends. Pickup zone is at the MGM Grand rideshare area — confirm with the driver.
Monorail & Tram
Las Vegas Monorail: MGM Grand station is a 3-minute walk to Hakkasan. The free tram from Mandalay Bay connects to Park MGM, a 5-minute walk north to MGM Grand. Monorail runs until midnight — plan your return trip accordingly.
FAQ
R&Bae Wednesdays — Common Questions
What is R&Bae Wednesdays at Hakkasan?
R&Bae Wednesdays is a weekly mid-week R&B and hip-hop night at Hakkasan Nightclub inside MGM Grand, hosted by resident DJ Franzen. The event runs every Wednesday from 10:30 PM to 4 AM throughout spring and summer 2026. The name combines “bae” with R&B, reflecting the night's romantic, groove-oriented energy. The playlist spans 90s and early 2000s R&B classics (Jodeci, Usher, Aaliyah, Mariah Carey), current trap soul, and modern hip-hop — a distinctly different atmosphere from Hakkasan's high-energy EDM and rap headliner weekends.
Who is DJ Franzen?
DJ Franzen — real name Franzen Wong — is one of Las Vegas's most established DJ and radio personalities. He began his career in 1990 at 106.1 KMEL in the Bay Area, later co-hosted Snoop Dogg's nationally syndicated radio show (35+ top U.S. markets), and produced the highest-rated afternoon show in Las Vegas radio history. The city awarded him a key to Las Vegas in May 2015 and declared May 28 “DJ Franzen Day” by civic proclamation. He is TWITCH.tv's top-ranked DJ. Full profile.
How much does R&Bae Wednesdays cost?
Cover at R&Bae Wednesdays is lower than Hakkasan's weekend rates — typically $20–$30 for women and $30–$40 for men at the door. Guest list entry through NoCoverVegas provides free admission for women and reduced cover for men (no cover before 12:30 AM with a balanced group). Bottle service tables in The Studio start around $300–$500 on Wednesday nights, significantly below the $2,000–$5,000 weekend minimums for major headliner events.
What time does R&Bae Wednesdays start and end?
R&Bae Wednesdays at Hakkasan runs from 10:30 PM to 4:00 AM every Wednesday. Doors open at 10:30 PM. DJ Franzen's set typically begins around 11 PM, with peak hours between 12:30 and 2:30 AM. Arrive by 11:30 PM to guarantee free entry on the guest list. After 4 AM, Drai's After Hours at The Vanderpump Hotel is the natural continuation, running until 7 AM.
Where exactly is R&Bae Wednesdays inside Hakkasan?
R&Bae Wednesdays takes place in The Studio — a dedicated room within Hakkasan Nightclub's 80,000-square-foot, five-level layout at MGM Grand. The Studio is designed as an intimate performance space within the larger complex, giving Wednesday nights a more contained, room-focused energy. The venue entrance is through MGM Grand's casino floor at 3799 S Las Vegas Blvd.
How do I get on the R&Bae Wednesdays guest list?
Submit your group details through NoCoverVegas — include your name, group size, and the Wednesday date you're attending. Confirmation arrives within a few hours. Guest list provides free entry for women all night and free entry for men before 12:30 AM with an even-or-better female-to-male ratio. Walk up to the guest list line at Hakkasan and give your name at the door. No ticket or printout required.
What is the dress code for R&Bae Wednesdays?
Hakkasan enforces an upscale dress code on all nights including Wednesdays. Men: dress pants or dark jeans, button-down or fitted shirt, dress shoes or clean fashion sneakers. No athletic wear, no sweatpants, no hats, no basketball jerseys. Women should aim for cocktail-level attire. Wednesday is slightly less strict than Friday/Saturday but the rules apply at both the MGM Grand entrance and the Hakkasan door.
Is R&Bae Wednesdays good for a date night?
R&Bae Wednesdays is one of the best date night options in Las Vegas nightlife. The R&B music format creates a romantic atmosphere where crowds actually dance together rather than staring at the DJ booth. Lower cover and a smaller Wednesday crowd mean less line-waiting and a more relaxed entry experience. The intimate Studio setting is easier to navigate as a pair than the full-scale weekend operation. For couples, a Wednesday R&Bae night followed by late dinner at a Strip restaurant creates a genuinely different Las Vegas experience from the typical weekend tourist circuit.
What are the 2026 summer dates for R&Bae Wednesdays?
Confirmed R&Bae Wednesdays at Hakkasan in summer 2026 include: May 13 (EDC Week), May 20, May 27, June 4, 11, 18, 25, July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, August 5, 12, 19, 26, and September 3 (Labor Day Weekend week). DJ Franzen holds the Wednesday residency every week from May through September. Individual dates are bookable through hakkasan.uvtix.com or the Tao Group website.
How does R&Bae Wednesdays compare to Hakkasan weekends?
R&Bae Wednesdays is a fundamentally different experience from Hakkasan's Friday and Saturday headliner nights. Weekends feature nationally booked hip-hop and EDM headliners (Rick Ross, Tyga, Charlotte de Witte), higher cover charges, larger crowds at full 3,500-person capacity, and a performance-focused energy. Wednesdays are smaller, more affordable, more groove-oriented, and genuinely interactive. If you're visiting Las Vegas mid-week and want a real nightclub experience without the weekend premium, R&Bae is the correct choice.
Is R&Bae Wednesdays good for a bachelorette party?
R&Bae Wednesdays is an excellent bachelorette party option for groups who prefer R&B and hip-hop over EDM, or who are visiting Las Vegas mid-week. The music format (Usher, SZA, TLC, Beyoncé-era Destiny's Child) aligns naturally with bachelorette party energy. Lower cover saves on entry cost without sacrificing the full Hakkasan experience. The Studio's more intimate scale is easier to keep a group together. Book a table in advance for bachelorette package recognition — NoCoverVegas can arrange venue host coordination for groups of six or more.
Can I buy individual tickets for R&Bae Wednesdays?
Yes — individual tickets for R&Bae Wednesdays are available on hakkasan.uvtix.com and through Tao Group's ticketing platform at tickets.taogroup.com. For most visitors, the NoCoverVegas guest list is the better option — it's free for women and no-cover for men before 12:30 AM, more economical than purchasing a ticket. Reserve in advance either way: R&Bae Wednesdays regularly sells out in summer, particularly in June and July when the Las Vegas convention crowd adds mid-week demand.
Free Entry
Get on the R&Bae Guest List
Free entry for women. Men free before 12:30 AM with an even group. No cover, no ticket. Submit below for any Wednesday in summer 2026.