Rock star, NBA legend help kick off lavish culinary festival in Las Vegas — PHOTOS

Drink Las Vegas, one of the most lavish food and drink festivals ever held in the city, kicked off Thursday evening with a gala tasting hosted by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who was joined by special guests Sammy Hagar and Shaquille O’Neal. The tasting, at Yucca Pool at Aria on the Strip, featured creations by more than 30 top chefs, mixologists and hospitality professionals drawn from across the U.S. and Mexico.

Drink runs through Sunday at four MGM Resorts properties: Aria, Bellagio, The Cosmopolitan and Park MGM.

Among the scheduled events for the remainder of the festival are a tasting starring chefs Tom Colicchio and Tiffany Derry; a tasting celebrating Vegas with chefs Michael Mina, Masaharu Morimoto and Wolfgang Puck; almost a dozen lunches and dinners variously exploring agave spirits, Caribbean cooking, Latin-Japanese inspirations, rustic Italian dishes, zero-proof drinks (hosted by Andrew Zimmern and Tom Holland) and more; dinners starring some of the most coveted wines from Napa Valley and Bordeaux; and cocktail hours (including one hosted by chef Roy Choi), panels and seminars.

Here are some images from the star-studded party at the pool. Visit drinklasvegas.com for details.