Las Vegas loves the long goodbye.
That makes sense because once you announce an end date for a show, a restaurant, or even a casino, people become nostalgic for it. This creates a situation where people want to have one last visit in order to say goodbye to something that perhaps had fallen out of favor.
Caesars Entertainment CZR recently experienced that with Old Homestead Steakhouse at its namesake Caesars Palace resort casino. The company announced that the legendary New York eatery — which gained fame due to a legendary "Seinfeld" episode — would be closing to make way for a new Bobby Flay restaurant.
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Sharing the closing date for the once-popular eatery that had, perhaps, become taken for granted in a city where there's always something new to try gave it a fitting goodbye. Customers got a few months to have one last meal and to drain the restaurant's massive wine cellar.
Another Las Vegas Icon, the Mirage Volcano, has been living on borrowed time since Hard Rock International (HRI) purchased Mirage from MGM Resorts International MGM late last year.
"We're very respectful of the legacy of the volcano, but we recognize that is part of the Mirage of the past," Hard Rock International Chairman Jim Allen said in Dec. at a meeting of the Nevada Gaming Commission. "We will not be continuing to operate the volcano once we commence construction."
That statement put the Volcano on the clock, but the new owner has not shared when construction on its new Guitar Hotel, which will replace the iconic attraction, would begin. HRI has been especially vague about its construction plans — partially to keep people booking rooms at Mirage — but it's possible the Volcano has already erupted for the last time.
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Image source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
The Mirage Volcano remains closed
Currently, HRI has closed the Mirage Volcano from Sept. 13 through Dec. 8 due to construction related to the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. That means the iconic attraction will be closed during the race, which will be one of the biggest weekends in the history of the Las Vegas Strip.
HRI has implied that the Volcano would reopen on Dec. 9, but a new plan for the property casts that into doubt.
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Paramount Global PARA will take over the Mirage Volcano site during Super Bowl weekend in early February. The entertainment giant, which owns CBS, the network broadcasting the big game will be building "A Mountain of Entertainment" at the Volcano site, a temporary attraction to showcase the company's film and television properties.
"This four-day 'Paramount Mountain' activation will engage fans in the breadth and diversity of Paramount Global and feature 10 brands from across the company’s portfolio, including CBS, CBS Sports, Paramount+, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Pluto TV, and Paramount Home Entertainment," the company shared in a press release.
The Mountain will be built on top of the Mirage Volcano. It will be a block-long structure that will offer interactive fan experiences built around well-known Paramount properties including "Transformers," "Yellowstone," "Star Trek," "Dora the Explorer," "Ghosts," "Sistas," and the UEFA Champions League.
"Those brave enough to summit “Paramount Mountain” will have the opportunity to reach its precipice through an immersive “FUNicular Experience.” Voyagers will board a hyper-realistic gondola ride and ascend in a thrilling simulation, accentuated by frigid winds and harrowing heights, with their favorite Paramount characters and brands to guide them to and from the Mountain’s peak," the company shared.
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Given the time needed to construct Paramount Mountain, this move puts the immediate future of the Mirage Volcano into doubt. It's possible that it reopens in Dec. after the site is cleared from the F1 race, but it also seems possible that construction would keep the site closed, perhaps permanently.
HRI did not return an immediate request for comment.
