‘Explosive’ Virtual Event Set for Las Vegas This New Year’s Eve

Posted on: December 10, 2020, 02:10h. 

Last updated on: December 10, 2020, 03:03h.

Larry Henry Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Gaming Business, Legislation, Politics, Regulation.

The massive New Year’s Eve celebration normally held on the Las Vegas Strip is going virtual this year — with a bang.

Las Vegas New Year's Eve
New Year’s Eve fireworks light up the sky over the Las Vegas Strip in this file photo. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s celebration will be online-only. (Image: Las Vegas Review-Journal)

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority plans to use its social media sites to show a 2020 sign being blown up in real-time just before midnight on Dec. 31.

An announcer will narrate the event, which will include a countdown to 2021.  The LVCVA will Livestream the celebration on its website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel. The event includes a contest for a trip to Las Vegas.

As the new year kicks in, a lighted 2021 sign will be unveiled in a display of confetti, streamers, and fireworks, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The event is expected to last about 15 minutes.

The annual New Year’s Eve fireworks show on the Strip was canceled this year because of COVID-19 concerns. This would have been the 21st annual show. Last year’s event attracted more than 300,000 people, according to news accounts. The Strip is south of downtown Las Vegas, outside city limits.

Plaza Plans Live Fireworks

The Plaza Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas is still planning to hold a fireworks show on New Year’s Eve.

Plaza CEO Jonathan Jossel recently said the Plaza traditionally conducts a New Year’s Eve fireworks display and “can’t wait to ring in the new year in classic Vegas style.”

The Plaza is on Main Street, where the now-demolished passenger train station once stood.

Several weeks ago, Jossel and downtown casino owner Derek Stevens watched from a rooftop at Circa Resort as fireworks were launched from a Plaza hotel tower. On Sept. 26, Stevens tweeted a video of the brief fireworks display.

Circa Resort is at Fremont and Main streets, across from the Plaza. Stevens owns Circa and two other properties on Fremont Street, D Las Vegas, and the Golden Gate.

Fremont Street Event Canceled

The annual New Year’s Eve celebration at the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas apparently is canceled this year, according to the Review-Journal.

The downtown event would have featured three music stages with live performances. However, the Clark County Recovery Organization Workgroup decided not to approve the event this year. Officials have raised concerns about the potential for large gatherings to spread the coronavirus.

Cassandra Down, the Fremont Street Experience spokeswoman, told the newspaper it was her understanding that large events are not being approved.

An estimated 10,000 people were expected to attend the celebration. The Fremont Street Experience is a pedestrian mall covered by an electronic canopy that displays colorful light shows.

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman told the newspaper she hoped the city would be able to celebrate something in a “safe and healthy manner.”

“We want to have a bright outlook to 2021,” she said.