Change never stops happening on the Las Vegas Strip. In the past year the Bally's name was replaced by the Horseshoe brand and soon one tower from that resort casino will be rebranded to Caesars Entertainment's (CZR) Paris Las Vegas brand.
The Strip also lost the famed Hawaiian Marketplace in 2022 and countless long-running shows, including "Legends In Concert," saw their runs end as the Las Vegas tourist crowd has leaned toward big-name headliners over traditional production shows.
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Last year also saw the end of Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat at Mirage and, in the coming year that same property will also lose its iconic Volcano. In addition, the Strip will lose an entire resort casino as Bally's (BALY) Tropicana, the second-oldest casino on the Las Vegas Strip, will be demolished (or imploded) to make way for the new Oakland Athletics baseball stadium.
The future of the Mirage itself, and everything on its property, has been in question since MGM Resorts International (MGM) sold the operating rights to the property to Hard Rock International (HRI) last year. HRI has insisted that it won't be closing the main Mirage resort casino building as it fully remodels the property.
It has, however, already closed the Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat, a one-time signature offering, and has made it clear that the Volcano will be shut down to make way for a version of the company's signature Guitar Hotel. No date has been given for that closure, but it could be imminent as the new owner has received county approvals for the new building.
Many Mirage fixtures under MGM's ownership are going away, but one popular show will be sticking around, at least for a while.
Image source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Hard Rock Extends 'Beatles: Love' at Mirage
HRI has the rights to use the Mirage name for three years from when the purchase from MGM closed at the end of last year. The company has not shared a timetable for the major improvements it plans to make at the core resort property, but those efforts will include expanding the casino space and remodeling the hotel towers.
While those changes are happening, the new owner will keep one staple around from the previous ownership -- Cirque du Soleil's "Beatles: Love" show. HRI has made a deal to keep the show running, "through at least 2024," according to a press release.
“The Beatles: Love is a musical masterpiece and raised the bar for live production shows in Las Vegas,” said Cirque du Soleil Resident Show Division President Eric Grilly. “We’re excited this extension gives our show the opportunity to reach even more audiences, and we thank our hard-working cast and crew for making dreams come to life.”
HRI has not commented as to whether it has the Beatles show in its long-term plans once the company finishes construction at the property. Given that the new owner will be building a guitar-shaped hotel on the property, it's not inconceivable that a longer-term deal will be made to extend the show.
Hard Rock Has Big Plans for Mirage
HRI has been very quiet about timetables for its remodel of Mirage. That's likely because the company does not fully know when it's going to begin major construction and wants people to continue booking stays at the property.
Once the work begins, however, HRI has dramatic plans for the property that will literally change the Las Vegas Strip skyline.
The company plans to "renovate the 3,044-room hotel-casino and build a new 600-room high-rise along Las Vegas Boulevard, according to a letter, which was shared by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
"All told, its musical instrument-shaped tower will be an “engineering masterpiece,” the paper reported. "At 660 feet tall, the high-rise is designed to resemble back-to-back guitars with 'brightly lit strings' and would feature floor-to-ceiling glass panes," the company shared.
