Don’t Look for Mirage to Change to Hard Rock Until at Least 2027

By Scott Roeben, on July 12 2023
2 min read 13 comments
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We got lots of questions about when the Mirage will become Hard Rock Las Vegas.

The most common example of such questions is, “When will the Mirage become Hard Rock Las Vegas?”

This isn’t rocket science.

The answer might surprise you, as it surprised us. Let’s insert a gratuitous photo here to keep you in suspense.

Our favorite guitar terms: Head, fingerboard, body, soundhole, pegs and nut.

Mirage won’t be rebranded Hard Rock Las Vegas until late 2027 at the soonest, and it could be 2028.

That’s because the overhaul of Mirage is a major project, including the construction of a new guitar-shaped hotel tower.

This isn’t a “refresh” or “lipstick on a pig” situation. The Seminoles are doing a complete makeover of the pig. Look, it’s an imperfect metaphor. The Mirage is in no way a pig. Although, we find pigs adorable, so that’s not even an insult. Isn’t it interesting we place more value upon animals we consider physically appealing? Pigs are geniuses compared to pandas, but people love pandas. Pigs are smarter than dogs, but just try to eat a dog, you will have a line of picketers outside your house. So, let’s dump the whole “lipstick on a pig” metaphor.

The renovation of the Mirage is a major undertaking, not a “fishnets on a panda” situation. Which, if you’re honest with yourself, you’d be a little interested in seeing. Maybe not a real panda, but maybe one of the pandas at a furry convention.

The timeline for the rebrand of Hard Rock Las Vegas came as a surprise to us because while we claim to know everything, we were telling everyone the Mirage name would go in 2025. We assumed that because that’s the initial period of time the Mirage name has been licensed to the Seminoles by MGM Resorts. Plan on an extension.

The 2025 timeline isn’t really possible given the fact the tower alone is a 24 to 30 month project once construction commences, we’re told by a source familiar with the situation. That’s just one component of the massive renovation and improvement plan on the horizon for Mirage.

Hard Rock’s CEO Jim Allen touches upon the Mirage timeline in a town hall meeting in Atlantic City, about 22 minutes in.

Allen says the guitar-shaped hotel at Hard Rock Las Vegas will be “just shy of 700 feet.”

What does it all mean? It means there’s a lot of time between then and now. We are not a math genius (clearly, because we gamble), but that’s more than four years away.

So, everyone freaking out about various things, like losing the Mirage volcano tomorrow, can chill.

Mirage hasn’t said when it’s shutting down the volcano, but you still have time to not see it, just as you haven’t seen it for the last decade.

There’s a lot more to come in the Mirage saga, but now you know the timeline for when Mirage becomes Hard Rock Las Vegas.

While there’s no rush, get those Mirage casino chips and fridge magnets while you can.

In late 2027 or early 2028, the Mirage will become an optical illusion caused by the bending of light that creates the appearance of distant objects or features that are not actually present. Or something.