Iconic Las Vegas casino is closing today after 34 years

Jordan Valinsky, CNN

New York (CNN) — The Mirage Hotel and Casino connected nan Las Vegas Strip is closing Wednesday, ending 34 years successful business.

The edifice will propulsion a farewell event, pinch doors officially closing this afternoon. That will headdress disconnected a weeklong event, successful which gamblers were fixed nan opportunity to triumph portion of a $1.6 cardinal rate prize successful accordance pinch Nevada authorities law. The edifice announced successful May it would beryllium closing.

Following its closure, nan 3,000-room edifice will acquisition a three-year renewal that will swipe distant immoderate markings of nan Mirage and its tropical theme. It will reopen successful 2027 arsenic Hard Rock Las Vegas, pinch a soaring 700-foot-tall edifice building successful nan style of a guitar, akin to its Florida property. The volcano will beryllium destroyed to make abstraction for caller rooms.

Opened successful 1989 by casino mogul Steve Wynn, nan Mirage ushered successful a era of luxe resorts for nan Strip and was nan first edifice to person a sidewalk attraction – nan volcano. That prompted nan Bellagio and Venetian to imitate nan Mirage pinch its dancing fountains and canals.

Architects told CNN connection KSNV-TV that nan tropical creation created by Wynn was meant to lucifer an oasis successful nan chaotic Las Vegas Strip.

“Nowhere successful Las Vegas earlier you would locomotion successful and location would beryllium craps tables location aliases location would beryllium a mini lobby and past location would beryllium a casino but successful this peculiar installation we said ‘no you are not successful a casino you are successful this beautiful tropical engineered spot that made you consciousness bully astir yourself’ and that is what it was for truthful galore years,” Mirage designer Paul Steelman told nan NBC station.

Beyond its exploding volcano, visitors apt champion cognize nan Mirage champion for hosting different quintessential Las Vegas features for illustration nan Siegfried and Roy’s achromatic tigers show and a Cirque du Soleil show group to Beatles music.

MGM Resorts bought nan Mirage from Wynn successful 2000 and sold it successful 2022 for much than $1 cardinal to Hard Rock International. It’s nan 2nd clip Hard Rock will person a beingness successful Las Vegas, pinch nan marque antecedently owning nan now-Virgin Hotel disconnected nan Strip.