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LAS VEGAS Area Attractions
Las Vegas, Nevada
---- THE LATEST BUZZ ----
(9/23/2026) Huge Sale on Rooms, Packages and Shows From Caesaes' Properties
(9/13/2026) Another Closed Area 15 Attraction To Be Replaced Next Year
(9/7/2026) Self-Driving Zoox Cars Now Going To The Airport
(9/7/2026) Caesar's To Take Over And Probably Shut Down the Grand Bazaar Shops
(8/24/2026) New Room Scam By OYO Discovered
(8/22/2026) Interstellar Arc Attraction Suddenly Closes at Area 15
(8/21/2026) Two Major Shows Shutting Down in Las Vegas and a 3rd is Rumored
 Las Vegas News - (9/22/2026) Vegas fans… Caesars is offering a special “5 Day Sale” on various products if you book between now and Sept. 29th. So as expensive as a visit has gotten these days, saving money where you can is vital, especially in a town like Las Vegas. Current offers include stays up to 60% off at the various Caesars resorts in Las Vegas on trips between now and March 31, 2027, as long as you book it by Sept. 29th.
Show tickets are also on sale for various productions as low as $50, including performances by Josh Groban, Tim McGraw, Thomas Rhett, Jeff Foxworthy & Larry the Cable Guy, Letterkenny Live and many others. Tickets to see Jeff Dunham: Artificial Intelligence at PH Live are even lower, just $30, and various special prices are being offered for other shows across the resort chain ranging from Donny Osmond, Wayne Newton, Piff the Magic Dragon, RuPaul’s Drag Race Live and more, so it’s worth looking into.
Rides… and you know we’ve got to mention rides when they are available on Screamscape, and tickets to take a spin on the High Roller Observation Wheel at the LINQ are up to 20% off, and 25% off the Fly LINQ ZipLine and Eiffel Tower Viewing Deck at Paris Las Vegas, and a $5 off offer if you want to catch the REAL BODIES exhibit on display at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. (Ewww… but hey… it’s almost Halloween).
In addition there are several hotel package offers being promoted that include things like Daily Breakfast at Caesars, Paris or Vanderpump, or a daily $50 food and beverage credit if staying at Flamingo or The LINQ. (and yes… beverage credit means drinks at the bars!)
Just hit up Caesar’s Las Vegas Specials page to scan through the list of offers currently available.
(9/7/2026) Vital Vegas has posted a rather interesting story this week about a major bit of news that virtually everyone missed when it was first announced… because even they missed it. According to the article “Caesar’s Entertainment bought out JGB Vegas Retail’s stake in Grand Bazaar Shops for $66 million.” in May 2026.
If you’re wondering what Grand Bazaar Shops is… that’s the rather quaint sounding name for the extreme mess of mini shops that popped up all over the former entrance plaza of the casino once known as Bally’s… but now known as the Horseshoe. Vital Vegas keenly referred to the area as “the unshaved armpit of the Las Vegas Strip”.
While Caesar’s has always owned the land there, it was leased out to Grand Bazaar Shops and we ended up with the crazy looking development that is there now. But now that Caesar’s has bought them out… the guess is that Caesar’s is going to do whatever it can to stomp out this dumpster fire area as quickly as they are allowed to do so. The most likely way to see this done is to simply just refuse to renew all the leases as they come due, which is expected to happen over the next few years.
(8/24/2026) A quick word of warning to anyone looking to book at cheap room in Las Vegas. If you don’t recognize the name of the resort… you might want to double check the address with Google maps to see what you are really booking. Apparently the OYO Hotel & Casino on the South end of the Strip (next door to the former Tropicanna) had gotten such a bad reputation for horrid dirty rooms and broken elevators, that they created an entirely fake new hotel called the Palette Hotel and began listing rooms on the various online booking sites, complete with fake AI generated artwork of the fake resort. However, guests arriving to check in at the listed address were honestly very confused when they were dropped off at the OYO.
OYO staff blew off their questions and said the bookings were non-refundable, even though they were entirely guilty of false advertising, booking rooms at a resort that does not exist. The work got out quickly across social media and the listings pulled but when the local news finally got in touch with OYO, they claimed they were simply evaluating how their room categories could be position under different brands, and that they had not had time to renovate the physical property to reflect those brands yet.
In other words, they’re lying through their teeth and got caught big time… so beware!
(8/21/2026) A couple of major Las Vegas shows will soon be shutting down. According to confirmed reports Cirque du Soleil’s “Mad Apple” show at the New York-New York Casino will have a final performance on September 5th before closing down for good.
On the northern end of the Strip, Las Vegas Locally reports that Awakening at the Wynn is set to close down for good after final performance on October 10th, after just a 4 year run where it followed the casino’s previous show, La Reve, which ran for 15.
On the rumor side of things, we’ve heard from other sources that MGM and Cirque are keeping a close eye on the numbers of KA at the MGM Grand as well. KA has been around since 2005 however, and features an extremely customized theater with some crazy stage hardware that might prove to be difficult to repurpose for a new production without some extensive and expensive renovations. According to online data, the current production agreement between Cirque and MGM has KA only contracted to keep running through to November 2026, so beyond that is anyone’s guess at this point.
(8/1/2026) Are the casinos starting to see some better business trends in Las Vegas? According to the latest earnings reports, MGM Resorts claim that they have posted their second consecutive quarter of year-over-year revenue growth. They say the rising trends are coming from a strong event calendar for the city, as well as seeing some higher revenue come in from the casinos. The latest quarter report shows figures for the three months that ends on June 30th, 2026, revealing $2.2 billion in revenue, which is up 3% from the same quarter the year before, noting in particular that revenue from the casinos were up 17%.
They did note that while April and May were very strong, they were seeing some numbers start to struggle in June, and overall the performance level of the hotel side of things was actually down 2-4% compared to the year prior, while occupancy rates held unchanged at 93%. One of the more challenging segments of the company apparently comes from the “lower-prices” properties under the brand… specifically the Luxor and Excalibur were named as remaining as a bit of a “challenge” at the moment. This is why they launched new “all-inclusive” deal packages at those properties which has been quite successful at stabilizing things there, as well as being a driver of advanced bookings for the next quarter.
(5/28/2026) A couple of huge news items dropped out of Las Vegas this week that you’ll want to keep an eye on. For starters, it seems that Fertitta Entertainment has signed an all-cash transaction valued at $17.6 Billion to purchase Caesars Entertainment. This includes the assumption of about $11.9 Billion of Caesar’s outstanding debts, and current Caesar's shareholders will receive $31 for each outstanding share in the company.
Fertitta Entertainment,, owned by Tilman Fertitta, is no stranger to the casino biz, as they already own the various Golden Nuggets casinos around the nation, as well as as owning the Houston Rockets, as well as Landry’s Inc. who owns a number of restaurant brands including Landry’s, Bubba Gump, Chart House, Claim Jumper, Del Frisco’s, Joe’s Crab Shack, Morton’s, Rainforest Cafe, Palm Restaurant and many others.
(5/24/2026) I missed this announcement from earlier this month, but who remembers the SkyVue Las Vegas project? Back when the High Roller observation wheel was still just a dream, there was a second proposal in town that would put up another observation wheel along the strip across the street from the Mandalay Bay casino. SkyVue actually began construction as well, putting up the foundation of two massive support towers in 2012 that would serve to hold the hub of the planned observation wheel before the project stopped all work and ceased. If you’ve passed through this area, you have likely noticed the two towers, standing tall to this day, as a constant reminder of what was once planned, while the rest of the site has sat empty and barren all these years.
According to the local news a new developer has finally bought the former SkyVue site (11.8 acres for $70 million) with a dream of building a giant heart-shaped new hotel/casino building (874 rooms) which will keep those two pillars in place and incorporate them into the resort’s plans as well to hold up some kind of restaurant in the sky.
(5/21/2026) Las Vegas has lost one of Sin City’s popular attraction this week, as it was announced that the Heart Attack Grill, located down near Fremont Street, has now closed for good. The “over-the-top” eatery was known for it’s huge meal sizes, nurse themed waitresses, public spankings to those unable to finish their meals and even offering free food to guests who could weigh in at over 350 pounds on a massive scale by the front door.
(4/5/2026) Several Las Vegas casinos are trying something new this summer… and it actually does sound like they’ve finally realized that guests are looking for better “deals” to visit. So what is it? Would you believe that several casinos are now launching new “All-Inclusive” vacation packages? Yes… All-Inclusive… this typically means that for one price your all your meals as well as room stay is covered and these packages often come with other amenities such as show tickets and more.
For example… the MGM Resorts group is now offering a 2-night package for just $330 that covers your room, 3 meals a day, parking and even resort fees are included. Plus… you get two tickets to a show of your choice (like Blue Man Group, Carrot Top at Luxor), and even one ticket per guest to go over to the New York-New York and ride The Big Apple Coaster. (Last time I checked, a ride on the Big Apple was going for somewhere between $20 to $25 per person!)
Other casinos are jumping on the trend with their own packages, including Resorts World with the Conrad Complete package, Caesars has packages for Flamingo, LINQ, and Harrah’s, with other casinos rumored to be about ready to join the bandwagon with their own summer offers very soon.
 ZOOX - Driveless Transportation - (9/7/2026) Fascinating news from Las Vegas, as you now have a new ride option to get to the airport. The self-driving Zoox taxi service that has been running around the Strip for the last few years has now been given permission to take riders to the airport, and is able to pick up riders from both Terminal 1 and 3. Read up on the details on how to book and find your Zoox here.
(8/11/2026) It’s official! After testing rides in Las Vegas for free for the past couple years, Zoox has now officially started to charge for the robotaxi service. I’m curious to hear how the pricing ranks up compared to what Uber and Lyft rides are offering at the same time. I know I’ll be quick to try one of these on my next trip to Vegas… the last time I was there, I saw them riding around everywhere empty as they were still in the test phase.
According to the interview below, Zoox can not currently take rides to the airport, but that milestone is in the works and should soon be added as an option as well.
(8/3/2026) Elsewhere in Vegas... Up until now Zoox has been offering rides in their driver-less vehicles around the Las Vegas area for free, as the program has been ramping up operations and testing under real world conditions after several years of riding around town with no passengers. Now the transportation department has approved Zoox to start offering paid ride services for use of the vehicles, along with approval to deploy up to 5,000 of their driverless vehicles over the next two years, starting in Las Vegas.
2026 - New at The Sphere - (3/16/2026) I know I reported the rumor a couple of weeks back, but I forgot to confirm that Metallica is indeed playing a short series of concerts inside The Sphere. The shows will take place between Oct 2026 and Mar. 2027.
(4/12/2025) The Sphere in Las Vegas is moving forward with the creation of two new immersive experiences that will play within the attraction during the days when there isn’t a concert scheduled. I assume the existing Postcard from Earth show will also be remaining and be shown in rotation with these new shows.
The first new experience will be the unique “The Wizard of Oz at Sphere”, which will transform the classic 1939 film into a new “fully immersive experience” as only the Sphere can do, by using cutting edge new technology to enhance the original film experience while still being able to “maintain the integrity of the classic while pushing the boundaries of Sphere’s experiential medium.”
The second experience will be something called “From The Edge” that will be about extreme sports and will “push that vision forward in different ways.” It will feature extreme athletes from the fields of free diving, skying, rock climbing, surfing and BASE jumping.
Look for The Wizard of Oz at Sphere to open in August, and we will see From the Edge added sometime in 2026, but filming of the action is already taking place at various world-wide locations through the rest of the year.
 2026/2027 - New at Area 15 - (9/13/2026) I had not heard this before, but another once-popular Area 15 attraction is closed. According to this article about the closure of Interstellar Arc, it also mentions that the Illuminarium attraction closed back in March and is currently in the midst of being redeveloped into something new that will open in 2027.
(8/22/2026) Consider me very shocked, but the new Interstellar Arc attraction that just opened in Area 15 on October 22, 2025 has now suddenly closed up. Apparently the online ticket store ceased selling all tickets to the attraction on August 18th and the official Google Maps listing for the attraction now has it labeled as being “Temporarily Closed”.
However, the official attraction website has not been updated in any way, other than being updated to no longer being able to sell any further tickets to visit. Not even a statement confirming that the attraction is closed. So… maybe they are going through some kind of bankruptcy process and hope to reopen in the future, perhaps under new ownership, or maybe this is just simply it and we will never see it return. Anyone know more?
As for the creative team responsible for the attraction, Felix & Paul Studios, their last update on social media was a Facebook post on June 18th about how Interstellar Arc had won the award for “Best Location-Based Entertainment at AWE USA 2026!”
(7/18/2026) Something special is coming to Area 15 on July 23rd. Look for a giant shipment of strange shipping containers to arrive as the DARKFIELD experience will arrive to offer three different audio-led experiences completely in the dark: SEANCE, FLIGHT and PLACEBO.
(1/15/2026) It has been reported that Area 15 in Las Vegas has signed deals to add even more venues and tenants to the complex, many of which will arrive throughout 2026 and into 2027. Constant expansion, adding the element of surprise to Area 15, where returning guests never know quite what to expect because new things are being added all the time, as been very much a part of Area 15’s success story.
New arrivals expected include:
The Bowl - featuring robot chefs who will cook while you watch
Miniso - lifestyle retailer featuring popular IP products
House Rules - competitive socialising venue with a bar, extensive food offerings and games
iFLY Indoor Skydiving
2026 & 2027 - F1 Race - (6/15/2025) When the F1 race deal was first created for Las Vegas, apparently while the deal from the county allowed for the race to take place over a 10-year period from 2023, though the initial deal from F1 was to confirm at least three races initially to take place in November 2023, 2024 and 2025. It has been no secret that the race itself has caused a number of issues with the locals and business owners along the strip, as well as for tourists planning visits to the city who were not attending the race at all. So it is safe to say that the initial race was off to a bit of a rocky-start, though things improved in year 2.
So for anyone who may have been hoping that 2025 would be the last year of dealing with the F1 circus… we’ve got some bad news, because F1 has officially extended the running of the Las Vegas Grand Prix by another two years… with events now planned to take place in 2026 and 2027.
According to officials the 2024 race generated $934 million in revenue overall, and generated $45 million in tax revenue for the city. F1 would like to see the races continue indefinitely, and is just planning on evolving what happens from year to year, refining it and extended it in similar fashion as they go.
2026 & 2027 - Universal Horror Unleased Special Events - (6/6/2026) As Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas is quickly approaching it’s 1 year anniversary on August 14th, the attraction has now announced a program of special events that will take place at the attraction throughout the year in order to add some new fun features as well as give those who have experienced the attraction a fun reason to return again.
For example, for the Easter season in the spring, they held their own “Feaster Grievings” event, which added a number of new extra “easter eggs” to the experience, if you will. This included half-dead bunnies on leashes, blood soaked women in pastel dresses, an egg hunt and the arrival of the “Feaster Bunny”.
New overlays are now set to take place at the attraction throughout the 2026 and 2027, as mapped out during a presentation at the Monsterpalooza convention last week in Pasadena, CA. This includes more planned seasonal events to coincide with various holidays such as Krampus & Kin for Christmas, a New Valentine’s Day experience, the return of Feaster Grievings in 2027. New and updated shows with Jack, special “Food Film Frights” events, the launch of new and updated haunted house experiences, and more.
The timing is perfect, as most “die-hard” horror fans in the area, as well as the locals, have likely already made their first trip into Universal Horror Unleashed by now as the first full year is coming to a close. So this is a perfect way for Universal to show that evil never rests, and that new and updated experiences and enhancements are being planned to roll out constantly at the attraction to keep things “lively” for everyone. Plus the idea of building new “seasonal” events is a fantastic way to make a year-round Horror experience shine in new ways outside of the traditional Halloween season where it is expected.
2027 - New NEON MUSEUM - (9/24/2024) The famous “Neon Museum” in Las Vegas will be preparing to move to a new location in “the Arts District” that will put it closer to the future site of the Las Vegas Museum of Art. If you haven’t heard of the Neon Museum, the eclectic attraction became famous for saving and salvaging the former famous neon signs from many former Las Vegas casinos and attractions starting in 1996 and opened to the public as an attraction in 2012.
According to this article, the Neon Museum is expected to have its new site ready to open sometime in 2027 and will feature two display areas. The rooftop of a parking garage and some nearby open space will house most of the Neon Museum’s typical outdoor display of salvaged display signs, while the ninth floor of the parking garage will be converted into an enclosed exhibit space.
The interesting thing is that currently the existing Neon Museum still only has room to display only 35% of the Neon signs they have in their collection.
 2027 - Sphere - Updated Wizard of Oz - (8/3/2026) According to this report a version “2.0” of the runaway hit, “Wizard of Oz at Sphere” in Las Vegas is being developed that they are hoping to launch sometime in September if all goes well, ahead of the launch of the new Rocky Horror Picture Show next year, expected in March 2027. According to the report some of the new and enhanced additions to Oz 2.0 is
Adding a “ride experience” with a witch character, along with the addition of “new kinds of flying monkeys”.
The Wizard of Oz show at the Sphere will hit its one-year anniversary on August 28th, and has already sold 3.6 million tickets in that time period, generating approximately $450 million in revenue.
2027 - Sphere - The Rocky Horror Picture Show - (6/20/2026) Blooloop has also confirmed that The Rocky Horror Picture Show will become the newest immersive theatrical experience at Sphere - Las Vegas. Guests will be able to take the “Time Warp back into the iconic madness” starting in 2027, with an enhanced theater experience similar to the current Wizard of Oz attraction, which has sold more than 3 million tickets to date in less than a year.
(6/17/2026) According to Nerdist, the next enhanced film project coming to the Sphere in Las Vegas is said to be The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Back when the crew at the Sphere was working on their Wizard of Oz project, it was confirmed at the time that a second major project was also in the works to serve as a follow up to Oz. They report that in less than a year since Oz opened at the Sphere, it has generated over $400 million in ticket sales for the venue, so it would be crazy to not start working on the next project… and even another one to come after that. Our previous rumor claimed that the Sphere may be looking at Avatar as a future project as well.
 2027 - HARD ROCK LAS VEGAS HOTEL & CASINO - (7/4/2026) A nice look at the current state of the Hard Rock Casino can be found below, as the new Guitar shaped tower is nearing full height. Meanwhile the crews have begun working on the former Mirage hotel tower, and removed all the old golden glass in order to give the old tower a fresh new look as the renovations continue towards an 2027 grand opening.
(9/21/2025) Our local friend sent in some great new pictures of the massive guitar shaped tower rising in front of the former Mirage casino taken this weekend. The interesting thing is that they’re already installing the glass on the lower sections of the guitar instead of waiting until it is more fully built.
(6/12/2025) Having just returned from a trip to Las Vegas, I was able to grab a great photo showing off the current state of things at the former Mirage resort. As previously mentioned, the Mirage is now closed for good to be transformed into a new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The huge frame-work rising in the foreground of the photo will be the base for the resort’s massive new guitar shaped hotel tower structure that is replacing the Mirage’s former Volcano area that used to sit right along the Strip.
According to the signs, they are planning to have the new casino hotel ready for guests by mid to late 2027.
(3/30/2025) Vertical construction has finally started in Las Vegas at the former Mirage Casino, where the front volcano grotto is being transformed into what will eventually be a massive guitar shaped hotel tower as the casino becomes the new Hard Rock Casino. Some pictures were sent in this weekend by a friend of ours, so enjoy!
(7/20/2024) In a rare early morning performance, the mighty Mirage volcano show erupted for one last time on July 17th. With the resort now closed, demolition is expected to begin at the volcano site soon to make way for the future Hard Rock resort’s new guitar shaped hotel tower that will sit right in front of the new casino resort site.
(5/25/2024) While previously the plans announced to transform The Mirage into a new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino did not seem to involving shutting down the iconic casino, those plans have now changed. According to management, The Mirage will now completely close down on July 17th, with the last night guests can say being July 14th, to kick off a three-year-long construction project that will see it reopen under the Hard Rock banner, complete with a new 700-foot tall guitar-shaped hotel tower out front where the Volcano is sometime in 2027. According to The Mirage, if you previously had reservations for dates beyond July 14th, those reservations have been canceled.
Unfortunately this also means that the entire staff of the Mirage just found out that they are being laid off within a very short period of time. For those wondering, the current Cirque du Soleil show, “The Beatles: Love” is also coming to an end on on July 7, 2024.
(2/15/2023) The dolphins at The Mirage now have a new home. According to the local news three dolphins who have made a home at the former Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat (Karli, Sofi and Osborne) have now been moved to SeaWorld San Diego. According to the article, the dolphins were originally actually from SeaWorld and have been at The Mirage under a long-term loan agreement, so now they are returning home again.
(12/10/2022) Hard Rock International shared their latest plans to renovate The Mirage casino during a presentation of the Nevada Gaming Control Board this past week. The updated plans to transform the Mirage into the new “Hard Rock Las Vegas” branded resort still include a massive guitar-shaped hotel tower.
The shape of the tower has changed slightly from the previous Gibson shape into one more balanced left to right. It has been described as more of a “Gretsch” shaped guitar and while it probably offers the ability to include a few more rooms, it will also make the Vegas location stand out as being visually different from Hard Rock’s first guitar shaped hotel tower (a Gibson) that has already opened in Florida. It was also noted that the new guitar tower will be used as part of an all new nighttime light show viewable from all along the strip as sort of a replacement for the Mirage’s old Volcano eruption show.
Hard Rock also proposed building another guitar shaped hotel tower resort in Japan back in 2019 as part of a bid to build an integrated casino resort. There has been a lot of change in the Japanese political landscape since then due to the rise of the pandemic, but last I heard Hard Rock was still keen to bring their vision to Japan when the time is right.
Hard Rock says that while internally things will begin to change later this month as they take over operations from MGM Resorts, the resort was planning on keeping the existing Mirage name in place until the renovations are complete in 2025. Meanwhile the plan is that anything you may remember from the old Mirage will be gutted and removed, and then completely rebuilt and renovated into something entirely new for the Hard Rock brand. This includes the entire casino space, all restaurants and every one of the existing guest rooms.
As previously announced the Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat area will also be closed for good and demolished to make way for a new massive resort pool area. New homes are being found for all of the existing dolphins, lions and tigers in the exhibit. The process of relocating all the animals is expected to take between 6 to 12 months and should be complete by this time next year.
The end result for the Hard Rock Las Vegas will be a nearly 600 room increase, more casino games, more restaurants, an expansion to the convention center space, and plans to build a new “Hard Rock Live” performance space. The contract for the existing Beatles themed Cirque du Soleil show “LOVE”, has been extended to run at least into 2024. If ticket sales remain solid, I wouldn’t be surprised if Hard Rock opted to keep this one leftover from the old Mirage days as it does fit well into their brand.
During a Q&A session at the Gaming Board meeting, they were asked about the possibility of closing the Mirage to complete these massive renovation plans. Nothing has been set yet and they say that if a closure is needed, it won't be for at least another 18 months (mid to late 2024?) if it is determined to be a necessity.
(11/25/22) The local news has confirmed that the Mirage’s “Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat” will be closing down for good. According to a statement issued by MGM Resorts, the new owners at Hard Rock have been considering their options and in open discussions with MGM about the future of the facility.
“As Hard Rock has thought about its vision for The Mirage post-close, the team has determined that the best course of action is to wind down and, eventually, permanently close the Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat prior to the commencement of construction of the Guitar Hotel and other planned transformational redevelopments of The Mirage.”
“Given this decision, we’ve agreed to work proactively together in the months ahead to develop a plan to permanently relocate the animals to new homes where they will continue to be loved and cared for by welltrained, highly respected animal care professionals and veterinary experts. Rest assured that the health, safety, and well-being of the animals is our top priority. For three decades, nothing has been more important, and that will not change moving forward. Both MGM and Hard Rock are committed to finding new homes for the animals that meet our required high standards of care and give each animal an opportunity to thrive.”
They also noted that the Dolphin Habitat has been closed since September so that a team of outside experts and the animal care team could conduct a review of the animals and the facility itself. This was done following the death of three of the facilities dolphins that took place earlier this year, with the first in April and then two more suddenly passed in September. “We are nearing the completion of that review but have not yet determined when the facility will reopen or in what capacity.”
(7/23/22) We know The Mirage was sold to Hard Rock International to become the all new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The famous Mirage volcano in front of the casino is destinated to be demolished to way way for a new guitar-shaped hotel tower. While the deal has yet to be 100% finalized at this time, TheStreet is reporting that it is very likely that at some point between now and the planned 2025 launching of the new Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas that The Mirage may shut down completely rather than try to stay open during the renovations.
As part of the deal Hard Rock has the rights to keep using The Mirage name for up to three years royalty free if they wish, but anonymous sources from “one of the main theater productions” told the reporter than they were only offered one-year contract extensions at this time, which backs up the feeling that the Mirage will likely close for a time.
(1/23/22) Las Vegas has long been home to big cats, especially the tigers that were famously used in the days of the Siegfried and Roy magic show that performed from 1990 to 2003 at The Mirage. With the death of both Siegfried (Jan. 13, 2021) and Roy (May 8, 2020), the majority of the tigers and lions from the show have remained at The Mirage as part of the “Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat” attraction. But with the announced sale of The Mirage to Hard Rock and the intent to rebrand the casino resort as a new Hard Rock Casino, what will happen to the animals?
According to the local report the management of Hard Rock International has not yet made the call about what will happen to the Secret Garden attraction and the animals within. The terms of the sale of the resort from MGM to Hard Rock are unknown, and it is entirely possible that Hard Rock may require MGM to remove the animals before the sale is complete if Hard Rock is uncomfortable with taking ownership of them, or has other unannounced plans for the attractions space. Note that this isn’t an uncommon requirement when attractions change hands, especially if the new owner has no experience dealing with them, or in some cases, may have an existing corporate policy to not keep animals in captivity at their attractions.
On a related note about Tigers in Las Vegas, a proposal was made awhile back Jay Owenhouse to include tigers and other animals in a magic show held in a temporary structure along the Strip near the Mandalay Bay. In light of criticism from animal rights activists and safety concerns about keeping Tigers inside what would appear to be a modern-day circus tent style structure in such a public space the magician has now altered his proposal to exclude animals from the show.
The location of the show has also changed to a new location close to the Sahara on the northern end of the Strip after the land at the previous site (intended for 2020) fell into foreclosure. The new application for the animal-free show near the Sahara is expected to go before the Zoning Comission on Feb. 2, with plans to have it up and running sometime in Spring 2022.
(12/20/21) A piece of sad news from Las Vegas this week, as the CEO of Hard Rock International has confirmed that as part of the transformation of The Mirage into a new Hard Rock branded casino, the world famous ‘volcano’ structure outside the front of the Mirage that used to put on nightly shows will be torn down as part of the remodel of the casino.
Their plans for the Mirage property will involve building a massive new guitar-shaped hotel tower in front of the existing towers (why the volcano is leaving), adding a new live music venue and more. Currently however they have not announced if they plan to keep the Beatles themed show from Cirque du Soleil, though with a brand like Hard Rock, it would be hard to see them passing on opportunity to keep the show, unless it just was not selling out the venue on a regular basis prior to COVID.
A long-distance rendering of the property, as seen looking down the Strip, was also released by Hard Rock that shows off the new guitar-shaped hotel tower that will sit prominently in front of the entire resort.
(12/16/21) The Hard Rock brand is coming back to the Las Vegas Strip, but not where you would have expected. According to CNN Hard Rock International has signed a deal with MGM Resorts to hand the operations of The Mirage over to Hard Rock. The deal worth $1.075 billion will close sometime in the second half of 2022 and comes with the rights to continue to use The Mirage name and brand for three more years, allowing Hard Rock the time to determine just how they intend to re-brand The Mirage after that.
  2028 - Top Gun - (7/23/2026) In a strange twist, it was mentioned in the local news this week that the Top Gun themed attraction that was announced earlier this year as coming next to the Strat… will now no longer be located anywhere near The Strat. Instead, the article confirms that the developers have bought a plot of land at 4815 South Las Vegas Blvd for the attraction instead for $12.5 million.
The currently empty location is just south of the Mandalay Bay casino on the strip, located right between the Little Church of the West wedding chapel and the Pinball Museum.
(6/30/2026) You may recall that we mentioned a Top Gun themed attraction was under consideration to be built near the Stratosphere Tower. According to the FB post below, the Top Gun project has now been confirmed and is slated to open in Summer 2028 at The Strat.
They say that the attraction will include Fighter Jet flight simulators, motion and immersive attractions, and “Cinematic, story-driven experiences”, along with a full recreation of the “Hard Deck” bar as seen in Top Gun: Maverick.
(11/20/2025) Blooloop has posted a quick update on that Top Gun attraction that was announced for Las Vegas earlier this year. They confirm that Simtec Systems was appointed as the engineering partner for the thrill ride attraction from Advent Allen Entertainment, that is still planned to launch in 2028.
The center itself is described as a multi-level destination that will include the “Hard Deck” restaurant as well as several interactive zones, including “A high-performance flight-themed thrill ride [that] will combine cinematic storytelling, precise motion technology, and immersive media in an experience that matches the intensity and excitement of the blockbuster films themselves.”
Previously they mentioned they were looking into other possible future locations as well, and in this article they also mention Orlando as being a possible flagship location down the line.
Simtec is known for their motion simulation hardware work in both the amusement sector as well as providing professional flight simulation system installations, including a specalized full-flight simulator for the Dornier 228 aircraft in Germany. Simtec is also involve with professional driving simulator systems as well, so their involvement with a Top Gun themed attraction seems like a good choice.
(5/25/2025) I feel the need… the need for SPEED!
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Paramount Global is looking to partner with Advent Allen Entertainment to create a “fully immersive experience” themed to the hit Top Gun film franchise, to be located on an undeveloped plot somewhere very close to the Stratosphere Tower.
While they don’t have many details to offer, they say the experience may include experiences involving ride and storytelling and some jet simulators. They say that the plan is to open the new Las Vegas attraction sometime in 2028, and are currently exploring the idea to open further locations elsewhere around the world.
To be honest, the “Top Gun” IP is sorely missed in the world of themed entertainment, and was a huge hit with guests when it premiered at four different Paramount branded theme parks back in the 90s when used as the theme for various different roller coaster designs. When Paramount sold their theme parks to Cedar Fair, the IPs did not go with the parks, so while most kept the navy jet fighter themeing, the “Top Gun” name was dropped and replaced by the more generic sounding “Flight Deck “ on most, while the Carowinds B&M Inverted coaster was given the more impressive sounding “Afterburn” name instead.
2029/2030?? - Brightline West / High Speed Rail - (6/21/2025) Prep work is still ongoing for the Brightline West highspeed train that will run from Southern California to Las Vegas. According to a local news report, soil samples along the future train path are still being taken in a few locations on the California side to determine what grading and foundations are needed along the way in each location for the 200mph electric train.
No date has been set, but Brightline West says that the start of actual construction is “getting close”. While they had originally hoped to have it up and running in time for the 2028 Olympics in LA, that timeline has now been pushed back.
(1/24/2024) Good news for those who can’t wait for the Brightline West line to get built between California and Las Vegas, as the US Department of Transportation just approved $2.5 billion in bonds to be used for funding for the high speed rail line. The initial plan will seen service built mostly along the I-15 corridor between Las Vegas to the “Inland Empire” area just east of Los Angeles, featuring 218 miles of track with all electric trains able to achieve speeds of 186mph, covering the distance in in half the time it would take to drive it yourself by car.
Combined with a previous round of funding, Brightline West now has $3.5 billion in funding for the railway, which is expected to break ground sometime in early 2024, with the goal of being open by the Summer of 2028.
(8/5/2023) According to the local news the plans for the Brightline West high speed train just cleared another major hurdle, clearing the path to hopefully start breaking ground before the end of the year. In the latest development the Federal Railroad Administration rules that the 49-mile stretch of the proposed line between the southern end-station in Rancho Cucamonga, CA and Victor Valley would have no significant impact on the environment and may proceed without a new environmental impact study. Previously a study for the Las Vegas to Apple Valley portion of the route was approved in 2011 and reviewed and reconfirmed in 2020. With the needed permits and right-of-way rights now secured, Brightline West should be able to proceed ahead and begin construction.
(4/23/2023) Brightline West shared some concept art of the stations planned for the planned high speed rail line from SoCal to Las Vegas. The Las Vegas station end station would be build on a large empty plot nestled between I-15 and the south end of Las Vegas Blvd (aka: The Strip) between Blue Diamond Rd and Warm Springs Rd. Only a small portion of this large empty site will be used by the rail line with other developments looking to take advantage of the rest of the space in the future for other uses like future resorts and possible new sports arenas.
Another piece of artwork sent out appears to show the California station, attached to a large multi-story parking structure, it would also serve as a link between Brightline West and the Metrolink Los Angeles area rail system.
If all moves forward as planned, work could start sometime over the next year with the system opening as early as 2027.
???? - Bally’s Las Vegas & “A’s” Baseball Stadium - (10/5/2025) An image showing off the proposed Bally’s Las Vegas casino project that would take over the former Tropicanna site on the southern end of the strip can be seen below. The proposal for the 35-acre site would include a new casino hotel with two 1,500 room towers, a dining and entertainment complex, a performance venue and, of course, a fully enclosed baseball stadium to serve as the new home for the Athletics Major League Baseball team.
???? - North Strip Margaritaville & Other Developments - (9/5/2024) A new large development has been approved by the city planners for the Strip area just south of Fontainebleau where the Riviera was once located, across the street from Circus Circus.
The proposal is for a bit of a mixed use project that would include two 600-foot tall towers that would contain a 750-room non-casino hotel, 425 condos, a domed structure that would house a 3,310-seat performance venue, a proposed 439-foot tall “amusement ride” and an assortment of street-front retail / restaurant spaces.
They aren’t saying what the amusement ride will be yet, but based on the concept art released, the proposal looks to include a new strip-side Margaritaville location, and what appears to be a Margaritaville themed Star-Flyer style ride, complete with a large drink and straw poking out of the top at the very peak of the tower.
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???? - Neonopolis / Attraction Expansion - Proposal - (5/19/2024) You may come across reports this week claiming that a plan is being made to create a new “theme park” in downtown Las Vegas. Well… Yes and No… I wouldn’t call this a theme park, but instead this is a proposal by the creator of Neonopolis to lease-out space to groups willing to build new rides and attractions.
Neonopolis is the building complex located on Fremont Street, but just outside of the covered roof, but as the last block of the street where only foot traffic is allowed, where they built the launch tower for the giant Slotzilla attraction in the street between Neonopolis and a parking structure. Currently the block is made up on a number of small retail shops, bars and a few restaurants (Heart Attack Grill, Dick’s Last Resort, Dirt Dog, Denny’s, etc…).
In response to the growing trend that ordinary retail malls are dying unless they can add a significant entertainment presence to keep the relevant, the owner envisions adding a $300 million package of new attractions to the landscape including roller coasters, skydiving simulators, and a plan name the complex “Mini Disni” as a way to get attention while trying to attempting to skirt a potential lawsuit from The Walt Disney Company.
It is true that the Fremont Street area is perhaps more popular than ever these days, with a lot of new life breathed into the area, especially with the opening of the impressive Circa Resort at the opposite end. So with that in mind, the concept behind this expansion of Neonopolis to create Mini Disni might really actually happen. It is also worth noting that it has been a long time dream of Neonopolis to become home to a major amusement attraction. Long time readers may recall that for a period of time, the owner of Neonopolis attempted to negotiate a deal to move and rebuild the wildly popular Star Trek: The Experience attraction when it shut down, but was unfortunately unable to close that particular deal.
The interesting thing about this latest plan however is that Neonopolis won’t own these news attractions, instead they are looking to twist the idea of a retail mall concept of leasing out space to other companies who will themselves compete for the success of their ventures against each other. While this concept is mostly foreign to the American marketplace, I believe it is far more common in Europe where various “Showmen” will arrive with their various rides and attractions to set-up and compete for success at Europe’s biggest fun-fairs and Octoberfest events each year. Another fine example is the Prater in Vienna, Austria, where the entire amusement complex features attractions built in spaces leased out to different owners that are constantly in a state of being upgraded and improved. So this is a concept worth keeping an eye on…
 ???? - Las Vegas Museum of Art - (12/21/2025) The terms, “Art Museum” and “Las Vegas” are seldom used in the same sentence. Sure, there are amazing works of art on display spread throughout Las Vegas’ casino-sphere of resorts, but “museum” style experiences within Sin City typically fall more into the more themed experience category, such as a Museum of Ice Cream or the famous Neon Museum showcasing former casino displays, or into the realm of the truly bizarre, such are Area 15’s Omega Mart from MeowWolf.
This is now set to change however, with the planned construction of the Las Vegas Museum of Art that is planned to break ground in 2027. The museum has released concept art to showcase the building design chosen for the city’s first freestanding museum that will feature a structure with the exterior covered by locally sourced stonework. Look for it to rise in the Symphony Park area, which isn’t far from downtown’s Fremont Street Experience.
Ongoing - Primm Valley Casinos - (7/6/2026) Affinity Interactive confirmed that the transition of control of the Primm Valley Casino properties to the new operations partnership of the Primm landlord and Terrible’s is now complete. However, it is interesting to note that Affinity decided to fire a few shots at their former landlord on the way out the door.
The press release posted by Affinity wanted to set the record straight regarding their time at running the Primm casino properties. “Contrary to misstatements and what has been reported in the press, the discussions between TPC and the Primm landlord regarding the Primm property lease began more than two years ago. This was done in conjunction with a comprehensive third-party valuation process and market outreach.” (note: TPC is The Primadonna Company, a subsidiary of Affinity set up to run the Primm casinos).
“TPC determined that the economics of the Primm leasehold interest were no longer viable, and the Primm landlord was not willing to reduce the rent for the Primm property to a sustainable amount. The Primm property was a cash drain of approximately $10-15 million per year for many years, and there was no commercially rational basis to continue investing in the property or to financially support its continued operations.”
“It’s unfortunate that the Primm location has become obsolete and the Primm landlord did not work with TPC on an economically rational solution.”
And with a final wink before slamming the door, they thank the Nevada Gaming Control Board and end it with well wishes to the Herbst family (aka: Terrible’s) but do not mention the Primm family landlords.
To me at least, It is interesting to read this, as someone who would often visit Buffalo Bills and the rest of Primm back in the casino’s prime while driving from SoCal to Vegas several times a year, so have always wondered how such a great oasis of fun in the desert ended up being so run down and ignored. Especially in terms of how the Desperado roller coaster was treated, as it alone should have been able to serve as a lure to bring more people in, and yet the operations team at Buffalo Bill shut it and the other rides down, and just sort of let things wither for the past several years.
At least now we know why Affinity cut off all non-essential funding to the properties, because they were doing whatever they could to slow the bleeding out process down to just $10-15 million per year for many years.” This makes sense why a complete restoration of the Desperado and Log Flume and anything else that we loved about Buffalo Bills never happened. It also explains why we saw those occasional operations of the coaster and water flowing through the log ride here and there over the past couple of years, which was likely part of the third party company being brought out to study the Primm casinos’ various features and amenities.
(6/28/2026) The Primm Valley Casinos Resort is saved… for now. According to various news reports Terrible’s has signed an agreement with the Primm family to operate the businesses at Primm effective July 1st. The deal has been given a preliminary 1-year license from Nevada gaming regulators, as they had a very short time to review it, so as the longer-term plans are finalized, Terrible’s license can be extended.
According to the reports the Primm Valley Resort will remain open full time, cancelling the planned July 1st closure. Buffalo Bills, taking over from departing Affinity Gaming who has the current operations lease. The Primm family who owns the properties will be partnering with Terrible’s to help manage and operate things.
Buffalo Bill’s will stay closed for now, but will likely reopen for special events and concerts as the long-term plans are laid out. I’ve also seen it mentioned that there is a “pending safety review” for the Desperado roller coaster as well… so that sounds promising.
Whiskey Pete’s will remain closed… however, the Flying J truck stop station on that side of the freeway will remain open and operational. The other various smaller businesses around the area (the regular gas station on the Primm Valley side, local restaurants, etc) are also expected to remain open, and plans are being worked on with the California officials to keep the Primm Valley Lotto Store open.
Ongoing - The Vegas Loop - (2/3/2026) According to reports the Vegas Loop transit system is now testing runs to the Airport. While they are finishing up the final tunnel segments that will allow direct underground access to the airport from select hotels, the service being tested now currently goes underground most of the way and takes regular surface roads for the final run to the airport. According to those who have tested it, the service right now can get you to the airport from Resorts World in about 12 minutes, but once the full tunnel access system is complete, a ride to the airport is expected to shorten down to about 8 minutes.
From what I’m hearing the only runs being tested right now are from a few hotel locations to the airport, and that they aren’t giving rides from the airport back to the hotels just yet. The full run to the Airport is expected to begin service soon, but for now they’re just saying “Early 2026”.
(4/12/2025) The latest expansion of the Vegas Loop underground transportation network opened this past week with a new station at The Encore casino, next to the Wynn. This is the second station to open along the Las Vegas Strip, in addition to the three stations that service the Las Vegas Convention Center. This new station features just one tunnel so far, but it connects The Encore to the Convention Center, the timing of which worked out well, as the national NAB convention was in town that week. The Boreing Machine is already in the ground working on the second tunnel which is expected to open later this year, which will complete that connection, which departs from a station near the Central Hall of the convention center. Meanwhile two other extensions have previously opened from the Convention Center’s Riveria station that transport guests to the Resorts World and Westgate Resort stations.
They say work is also under way for a new extension called the University Center Loop that will move riders from the Silver Lot at the Convention Center to a new station near UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center arena, with a mid-point stop expected at the Virgin Hotel Las Vegas and at another point planned for a future residential development.
(9/21/2024) Interesting news for Las Vegas for those looking for better transportation options. According to the latest news The Boring Company who has previously dug the underground tunnel system connecting the Las Vegas Convention Center complexes and was previously approved to design a huge expansion of this network, known as the “Vegas Loop”.
According to their website Clark Country and the City of Las Vegas have approved of the planned network and you can see the map posted on The Boring Company’s website showing a tunnel system that would stretch 68 miles long under the city, with anywhere from 69 up to 104 different stations being served. This includes easy access access to virtually every major resort and casino on the Strip, the Harry Reid International Airport, Allegiant Stadium, UNLV and the Thomas & Mack Center, up to the Downtown and Fremont Street areas, and even under the I-15 to service locations like the Palace Station and The Palms. From the looks of the map, there will even be a tunnel that will head to the far south end of the strip that would likely meet up with the Brightline West high-speed rail station when it is built.
No timeline has been posted of course, but currently the Convention Center run is complete and active and they’ve opened an expansion from there that connects to stations at the Riviera and Resorts World.
(8/8/2023) The Vegas Loop underground tunnel network, created by The Boring Company, has now been granted approval to expand to become a whopping 68 mile long tunnel network. The first proof of concept was the three-station loop at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This is now being expanded with a connector tunnel to the Resorts World casino/resort.
While the long distance plan for the “Vegas Loop” project is to build a network of tunnels below all of the main tourist corridor attractions. Heading both towards the main Vegas tourist corridor and now towards the Downtown region, the overall Vegas Loop is expected to eventually include around 69 different stations. The southern expansion stops will be more obviously but towards the north end they plan on stopping at locations like Main Street, the Fremont Street Experience, Area 15, UNLV Medical District, The Strat, Circa, City Hall and more.
Meanwhile The Boring Company’s expansion of the network has already begun with new tunnel entrances at the Westgate Resort and a connector to the Encore resort happening over the past few weeks.
New 2026 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas area -
BLVD Las Vegas - World’s Largest In-N-Out Burger, along with other food and retail locations
Evel Knievel Experience - The largest collection of Evel Knieval artifacts
The Vanderpump Hotel - The former Cromwell hotel was transformed into The Vanderpump Hotel
Museum of Ice Cream - at Area 15
The Escape Game - at Area 15
Oddyssee Manor - at Area 15
Interstellar Arc - at Area 15 (and Closed in Fall 2026)
Eye Dropper - New Tower Ride at Area 15
New 2025 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas area -
Area 15 Expansion - John Wick Experience, Universal Horror Unleashed, Interstellar Arc, Fork n’ Film
The Wizard of Oz at Sphere -
The FRIENDS Experience - Inside the MGM Grand
F1 X / F1 Hub -
In The Game - Arcade style attraction near Fremont Street
Zoox Robotaxis - Now available for public service in specific areas on the strip, just download the app.
F1 Arcade - F1 driving motion simulators inside Caesar’s Forum Shops
Universal Horror Unleased - Year Round Horror attraction at Area 15
New 2024 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
Atomic Golf at The Strat - Interactive Golf / Driving Range Attraction (similar to Top Golf)
Dopeameme Institute for Pleasure Research at Area 15 - D.I.P.R. for short. The new Dopeameme attrtaction is actually a new experiential project from Superplastic, a creator of unique vinyl art toys and digital experiences using an assortment of their original characters.
Dreambox360º @ The LINQ - Immersive 5D projection experience
Illuminarium: Lite-Bright - Family friendly 360 projection experience with interactive elements / great nostalgia
The Lab at Area 15 - Technology-driven games and interactive experience
Play Playground at Luxor - 14,000 sqft of “tactile games for everyone, physical, memory, puzzle and word games”.
PopStroke - Adult Mini Golf attraction but set outdoors.
Swingers at Mandalay Bay - 40,000 sqft Adults ONLY mini-golf attraction w/ 5 themed courses, food + DJs
New 2023 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
MGS Sphere - U2 Residency Concerts through Early 2024 w/ “Postcard From Earth” daytime attraction
PARADOX MUSEUM -
MUSEUM OF ILLUSIONS -
New 2022 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
WYNN’S “Awakening” - New Show
ESCAPE IT - Themed Escape Room Experience
MAD APPLE - New from Cirque du Soleil at New York, New York Hotel & Casino
ARCADIA EARTH - Immersive Art Exhibit
FLYOVER LAS VEGAS: Legendary Iceland - New Flight Film Added
FLYOVER LAS VEGAS: Winborne: The Call of the Canadian Rockies - New Flight Film Added
LIFTOFF LOUNGE @ Area 15 - Part Ride, Part Bar, All Fun
New 2021 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
NEW COASTER TRAINS on Big Apple Coaster @ NYNY
FLYOVER LAS VEGAS - Flying Theater Attraction Open On Las Vegas Strip
MEOW WORLD: OMEGA MART - Unique Experiential Attraction Experience
ESCAPE BLAIR WITCH - Themed Escape Room Experience
NEW RESORTS - Resorts World Las Vegas and Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (Opened 2021)
New 2020 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
AREA 15 - New attraction opened in late 2020
Circa Resort & Casino - New Fremont Street Casino Opened Late 2020
New 2019 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
Eataly - at Park MGM, essentially a 40,000 square-foot “amusement park for foodies”.
The Hunger Games: The Exhibition - at MGM Grand, the exhibit will feature costumes, props and recreated scenes including President’s Snow’s Office, District 13, The Hall of Justice, an interactive archery training experience and more.
“R.U.N” at Luxor - (CLOSED A Few Months After Opening) “The First LIVE Action Thriller by Cirque Du Soleil” that starts in the desert at dawn… at a quiet chapel where a “gangland wedding” is interrupted and a guy begins running for his life. From there the action is said to be non-stop for the next 75 minutes as we learn just what he has done as the two gangs and a bride lead the chase through a fictional dark underground Las Vegas world.
New 2018 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
Fly Linq - Ten side-by-side ziplines (so you can fly with your friends) starting 114 feet in the air that make the 1,121 foot run across the promenade to the landing tower located near the base of the High Roller observation wheel.
The Official SAW Escape - New escape room experience themed to the famous horror movie series.
Esports Arena Las Vegas - The first dedicated Esports Arena in Las Vegas opened at the Luxor. The space features a competition stage area, LED video wall, seating as well as daily gaming stations and production studios.
The Void (Closed In Mid 2020) - The VOID VR experience opened inside the Grand Canal Shoppes inside The Venetian. Experiences offered the first year include Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, Ghostbusters: Dimensions, Nicodemus: Demon of Envanishment and Ralph Breaks VR.
New 2017 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
Fear The Walking Dead Survival – (CLOSED Mid-2019) A “dead”icated new and mostly walk-through adventure attraction themed around AMC’s popular Fear The Walking Dead show opened in the Fremont Street Experience over the Summer as part of a deal between AMC and TRIOTECH.
The Twilight Zone – Monster Mini Golf – A new themed indoor blacklight mini-golf attraction has opened inside the Bally’s casino themed around the famous Twilight Zone TV series. The site also features mini bowling, an arcade, gift shop and even a SciFi themed Wedding Chapel.
New 2016 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
Kiss – Monster Mini Golf – A new blacklight mini golf attraction themed around the famous rock band, KISS, is now open at The Rio casino. A previous version opened in a local mini-mall back in 2012, but they closed up shop and moved into The Rio instead as an all new attraction in 2016. The site also includes space for Birthday Parties as well as a Rock ‘n Roll wedding chapel.
New 2014/2013 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
High Roller Giant Wheel (2014)
Slotzilla Zip Lines (2014)
VooDoo Zip Ride (2014)
Cowabunga Bay (2014)
Wet ‘n’ Wild Las Vegas (2013)
Are The Las Vegas Casino Resorts in Decline? -
Various other report over the last few years seem to think so, including my own rant from 2016.
(8/10/18) Much like I've been saying for some time now, I think the world is proving that they are sick of Las Vegas casino resorts “nickel and dimeing” their guests with excessive fees, and laughing with glee all the while. Daily resort fees, parking fees and now even some new fees being placed on already high Salon and Spa service fees by MGM Resorts. Yes, it has gotten to the point where you would almost think MGM stands for "Money Grabbing Management" these days.
The times are changing and guests are now finally voting with their wallets, opting to skip trips to Las Vegas for other options. One after the next, the big Vegas casino companies have been reporting declining numbers for their properties this year, including MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, where the RevPAR numbers (aka: Revenue Per Room) has already dropped by an average of 4% for the first half of the year, room occupancy rates are down 1% and Convention attendance is down 3%. The declining numbers, while not huge, have resulted in casino stock prices dropping double-digits as investors flee.
Oh... and gambling is also down, particularly because the payout rates for winning have been altered in many cases to now pay out less than they have traditionally paid for decades. It seems many of the big fish have opted to gamble closer to home, both domestic players as well as international, especially those prized Chinese gamblers who can now play Baccarat to their hearts content at the casinos in Macau. The news that the first casinos have finally been approved to come to Japan is certainly not good news for Las Vegas either.
I've said it here on Screamscape for a few years now... the perceived "value" of taking a vacation to Las Vegas has been lost due to corporate greed. We've already seen the Wynn resorts try to fight back against parking fees by offering to validate parking for guests who spend at least $50 on site. It also looks like Caesars and MGM may be ready to take a step in the right direction by lowering their room rates for the later half of the year. Most importantly, I think they need to take a long look at the parking fee issue as well, which was put into effect due to the opening of the T-Mobile arena.
(5/4/18) An interesting article was posted to the LA Times regarding the possible beginning of visitor decline to Las Vegas over the past 10 months, and goes into more detail with a local Vegas publication who claims guest irritation with outlandish daily “resort fees” combined now with the crazy parking fees that may be to blame.
Me? I have to agree… considering that resort fees alone, something that used to never exist, are now as high as $45 per night (with Venetian and Palazzo being the highest in the city right now, followed by $39 per night fees at the Caesars and Wynn properties). Add in daily parking fees and you are looking at a combined cost that is about even with what the average room rate alone used to be in Vegas… but then you get to add in the new higher room rates… and tax… don’t forget that… and it’s no wonder people are starting to realize Vegas isn’t the bargin vacation destination it used to be.
No wonder gambling profits to the casinos has also been reported to be in decline for years now… because they’ve been taking the money out of your pocket long before you even had a chance to get to the casino floor. Sometimes I think all it would take is one bright casino chain to see the light here, reverse the trends that have transformed the industry for the worse over the past 10-15 years, to see if a return to the old ways would brighten not only the guest experience, but also their own coffers as well. Win over your guest’s hearts and you’ll win their loyalty. Just a thought...
(2/22/18) Is the bottom getting ready to fall out in Las Vegas? Are tourism and convention business both ready to turn elsewhere due to rising costs and the overall impression that Vegas is no longer a value destination? A great bit of commentary was posted to the Las Vegas Review-Journal this week that nails the potential problem on the head with the first hard-data that could show that 2017 was the tipping point.
Screamscape Rants - The Recession Is Not Vegas’ Biggest Problem
(1/12/16) CNN wrote an interesting article about how the overall business at the Las Vegas casinos was down and has been down for the past six years. They report that Vegas casino lost $662 million in 2015 alone, and lost a dumbfounding $6.8 billion back in 2009 when the economy got really bad. They go on to point out that there are plenty of tourists in Las Vegas, and they are all spending lots of money on hotels, restaurants, merchandise and entertainment… it’s the gambling side of things that is way down by comparison and as they point out, “if people aren't gambling as much, that means they're not losing as much.”
CNN blames the recession on this, but this is where I have to disagree and point out what they are blind to as someone who used to visit Vegas on a regular basis in the 90’s when it was a growing boomtown of opportunity. The Vegas of today and the Vegas of the past are two entirely different animals, and it seems that today’s Vegas has forgotten the lessons of the past and how the business model worked.
Today’s Vegas has forgotten that the best lure to increase gambling revenue was to make everything else as cheap as possible. Frequent free drinks, insanely low cost food and buffets everywhere, and to give the hotel rooms away as cheap as possible. For a good period of time, back when Circus Circus has just opened the Luxor they would run ads in in the San Diego paper every week advertising rooms as cheap as $13 a night at Circus Circus, $23 a night at Excalibur and $33 a night at the Luxor. Want something better? You could get a suite at the Mirage for $50-60 a night on the right night. Mix that in with $2-5 buffet meals, drink specials and tons of free or low-cost entertainment and you could go on one hell of a fun vacation without breaking the bank… which still left over a good bit of income in your wallet to spend some time to gamble and try to make your dreams come true. At the very least you could gamble with a rewards program and maybe earn yourself a couple of tickets to one of the big shows for fifty bucks.
Compare this to the price of a Vegas vacation today and you’re dropping top dollar just for the room itself quite often, paying anywhere from $10 to $25 a person (sometimes more!) for a buffet meal, and not to mention paying $100 to $150 on average for a ticket to see one of the big shows in Vegas these days that has almost become a mandatory part of the Vegas experience. Now do you wonder why the good old gambling revenue numbers are down?
Of course they are down… because people are spending everything they have on the rest of the Vegas vacation, much like you would on regular vacation, and have less cash to spend than before on gambling. I could spend four nights in Vegas in the 90’s for what I’d spend for just one night at today’s prices. I know that after I’ve dropped about $250 for the wife and I to see the latest Cirque show, in addition to another $50 to $100 on a nice dinner out before the show, the last thing on my mind is putting another $100 at risk at the Blackjack table.
Somehow the Vegas of today has forgotten that tourists wowed by the spectacle of the casinos, stuffed by cheap food and drink prices, who find themselves walking through the casinos feeling good (and maybe a little buzzed) with a fat wallet in their pocket are the one who are most willing to try their luck at the gambling tables before heading home. And don’t get me started on how many machines no longer drop coins as your payout… the sound of coins endlessly dropping throughout the casinos of old was like siren’s song to many a potential gambler, luring them in to try their luck.
So is the recession really the problem? I like to think that the problem goes much deeper than that.
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