Tag: Plazas

When many visitors to Las Vegas think of fireworks displays on New Year’s Eve, their attention turns to the nine-minute show on the Strip as the clock strikes midnight to ring in another year.

That display, in its 20th year, is a choreographed effort between nine resorts that takes planning from 71 pyrotechnicians.

However, it won’t be the only celebratory fireworks show in the Resort Corridor tonight.

The Plaza in downtown will blast fireworks from its rooftop for an eighth consecutive year, adding a punch to the party at the Fremont Street Experience.

It is the only downtown property planning for fireworks — a tradition the property embraces, said Jonathan Jossel, CEO of the Plaza. The display complements everything happening downtown on New Year’s Eve, he said.

“We love fireworks. We love adding just another layer of entertainment and fun to downtown, and on New Year’s Eve, it’s a spectacle that every other major city has, every other major party has, and we wanted to join the fun in downtown Las Vegas,” Jossel said. “Downtown is fun; people come here to party, to drink, to have a good time, and fireworks go so well with that.”

Jossel decided to add a New Year’s Eve fireworks show in 2017 because the Plaza is such an iconic and visible landmark within downtown Las Vegas, so even people who live or stay outside of the area can enjoy the bright lights, he said. The resort also has a fireworks display on the Fourth of July.

The Plaza’s fireworks have become so popular that it began a series of Friday night fireworks shows during the summer in 2023. Jossel said that strategy was inspired by Disneyland, which in the summer has a pyrotechnic display daily before the amusement park closes.

Thousands of guests are expected tonight because the pyrotechnics are “synonymous with celebration … celebrating life and having fun,” Jossel said.

It takes about six to eight weeks to plan the eight-minute fireworks show for New Year’s Eve, Jossel said. The resort partners with Utah-based Lantis Fireworks and spends about $50,000, he said.

Though Jossel explained that it’s a “pretty big production” that includes securing permits, getting cleared by the fire department and preparing security, the past seven years have given them plenty of experience.

And, he stressed, “it’s a process, but it’s something that we love to do.”

Some of the best places to watch the show are on Main Street in front of the Plaza’s Carousel Bar and underneath the glass dome in Oscar’s Steakhouse, Jossel said. Jossel additionally said the heated Plaza Pool and nearby Symphony Park were also good viewing spots.

Those who are downtown but not interested in the Fremont Street Experience festivities can gather on Main Street to view the fireworks show.

But you’ll need to get to those spots early, Jossel added.

Seeing the excited faces of visitors every time the hotel puts on a fireworks show makes Jossel “want to do it again and again and again.”

The shows have become so popular that Jossel is bringing back the “Friday Fireworks” shows starting in May.

“Yes, we’re the only ones downtown doing it and yes, everyone downtown benefits from it, but that’s what’s great about it. It’s for the downtown, it’s for the community and it just adds another dimension of fun,” Jossel said. “If you’ve ever seen a Plaza fireworks show, it’s unlike any other, so come down and check it out.”

Andrew Simon, CEO of the Fremont Street Experience, said the area had “put on over 35 events, which was a record number of events for downtown Las Vegas.”

This year, they’re ringing in 2025 with the “Time of Your Life Festival 2025.”

“For New Year’s Eve, we said we have to do something bigger and better than ever,” Simon said. “We are the official party for the city of Las Vegas. We invite everybody to attend and we’re so excited at the Time of Your Life New Year’s Eve party at Fremont Street.”

Starting at 7 p.m., seven different artists will be performing at various stages under the Fremont Street Experience’s canopy, including rapper Flo Rida and country singer-songwriter Dylan Marlowe, to name a few. Mayor Shelley Berkley will participate in the countdown to a new year.

Visitors can purchase tickets for $50 to go inside the Fremont Street Experience for the New Year’s Eve party.

 

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