The Show MUST Go On
Some bittersweet news out of Sin City this week and at the same time an intriguing peek behind the Civic curtain. The Las Vegas Visitor’s Authority quietly announced that is will NOT be foisting its vaunted and world-renown theatric, booming, kaleidoscopic fireworks show upon adoring street-level revelers on New Year’s Eve. They say that the perennially eye-glazing extravaganza featuring more than 80,000 individual pyrotechnics launched from the rooftops of the 11 major hotel/casinos is just too risky, irresponsible and untimely. The Authority to their credit is putting public safety FIRST sensibly inferencing that it would be a fool’s errand to enforce social distancing down on a closed Las Vegas strip. Said disbelievers upstrip in Downtown Las Vegas: NOT SO FAST. There, City officials say they have no intention of 86-ing their competing skyward show. Nope, the say what better way to shove 2020 into the ever-shrinking and heavily redacted image of our collective rearview mirrors. As the thinking goes, with a much smaller land area of Main Street to patrol, social distancing protocols will be much easier to enforce. Plus, what better way to throw open the doors to the newest Downtown casino/hotel sensation in a generation. Yep, that would be the $1.2B Circa Resort & Casino which officially throws it’s doors open on Dec 28. For those intending to check-in, you’ll be treated to the longest indoor bar in the State of Nevada (so on-trend in the Covid-era). Also too, the rooftop pool area known as Stadium Swim. It’s just a tiny point of interest home to a composite 15,756 square foot pool area spread across 6 tiers with a stated capacity of 4000 people. Don’t forget about that pool-fronted 143-foot, 14 million megapixel outdoor HD screen. Final fact: the Circa’s garage is termed Garage Mahal. Because why not. Cheeky! But I digress. A microcosm for what event planners are wrestling with around the world, The famed LV Strip and Downtown offer a choose-your-own adventure type approach to rolling into 2021. Time will tell how these dueling strategies unfold. Most of us I suspect will be watching everything unfold on TV from the cushiony confines of our La-Z-Boy sofas. That BEST life.
