Las Vegas traditionally rings in the new year with a large and impressive fireworks show at the stroke of midnight. To mark the city’s rebound from the coronavirus pandemic, an even bigger show is planned for the Fourth of July.
Fireworks will be fired off at 11 p.m. from the rooftops of seven hotels on the Strip, marking the first time the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) has staged a spectacle on Independence Day.
Fireworks will be fired from the rooftops at Planet Hollywood, Aria, Caesars Palace, Treasure Island, the Venetian, the STRAT, and Resorts World. The latter is the Strip’s newest hotel, a 3,500-room monument that opens its doors June 24.
“Las Vegas is a city built on hospitality and entertainment, and we are thrilled to welcome visitors back from around the country,” Kate Wik, chief marketing officer for the LVCVA, said in a statement. “The excitement throughout the destination is palpable, and we know the pent-up demand to visit is real. We have been waiting for this moment to announce that once again, your ‘Only Vegas’ experience is waiting.”
While visits to the city have been building for several months, the doors flew open June 1 when all restrictions were lifted and hotels and casinos returned to 100 percent capacity.
Stephen Thayer, general manager of the STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod, called the fireworks show a celebration to put the last year behind us.
“I think it’s important for people to remember what they love about Las Vegas, and when they come back have that fun experience they’re used to having,” Thayer told KVVU-TV.
The coordinated show at 11 p.m. won’t be the only fireworks in the city that night. Fireworks will also be fired off earlier in the evening from hotels off the Strip, including Red Rock, Green Valley Ranch, the Plaza, and at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson. In fact, the Plaza will put on a show July 2, 3, and 4.
“I think everyone wants to see fireworks,” Thayer said. “It’s already going to be a record-breaking weekend, and this will be the icing on top.”
Showrooms Open Again
The Fourth of July also marks the return of big shows and entertainment, although a few showrooms are getting an early start.
Mystère, the first of five Cirque du Soleil shows to return to showrooms, begins June 28 at Treasure Island, followed by O at the Bellagio July 1.
The first top-name entertainer to take the stage will be country singer Brad Paisley, who plays June 25–26 at the Wynn.
Then the floodgates open, with Bruno Mars restarting his residency at Park MGM on July 3, Dave Chappelle doing four shows at the MGM Grand beginning July 2, and Garth Brooks playing the first-ever concert at Allegiant Stadium, the new home of the Las Vegas Raiders, to more than 50,000 fans on July 10.
And even though the showroom at Resorts World won’t be finished or open to headliners until October, the hotel is getting in on the Fourth of July entertainment with a show at its Ayu Dayclub from Miley Cyrus.
There will also be a ton of comedy, with Bill Burr playing the Cosmopolitan and Tom Segura kicking off the restart of the Aces of Comedy lineup at the Mirage. The Aces of Comedy brings some of the top standups in the country every weekend through the fall. Upcoming shows include Gabriel Iglesias, Chelsea Handler, Whitney Cummings, Iliza Shlesinger, Ray Romano, Nikki Glaser, and George Lopez.
