Free Fireworks at Plaza Las Vegas • This Week in Gambling

Good things happen on Fremont Street. And this year there are free fireworks at Plaza Las Vegas every Friday night from now through late September! While the show may be free for you to watch, just remember that it costs the resort around $15,000 every time they set off these pyrotechnics. So if you want to show some appreciation, afterwards you could always grab a drink inside the casino. I mean, it’s the absolute least you could do.

The Plaza seems to be okay covering the cost of the show, which lasts just less than five minutes. Resorts who put on free displays are hoping to draw attention to their property. However, the displays also help out neighboring casinos downtown, even though Plaza isn’t “officially” a part of the Fremont Street Experience. Plus, the Pinkbox Doughnuts there does pretty well after each show.

If you’re planning to catch the free fireworks at Plaza, arrive early. The Viva Vision canopy blocks visibility from Fremont Street itself, so spectators gather out on Main Street, and that area fills up quickly. Don’t be late—the Friday fireworks last less than five minutes. But what it lacks in duration it makes up for in intensity.

Plaza could stretch the show out longer, but prefers a high-intensity experience, packing more shells into a shorter window for maximum impact. It’s deliberate: casinos want a brief, spectacular moment outside, then guests back inside to dine, drink, and gamble. I mean, they ain’t running a charity.

The resort opened on July 2nd, 1971, and was built on the site of the city’s first train depot. Originally it was named Union Plaza, and at the time of its opening it boasted the largest casino floor in Sin City. The property now features over 1,000 rooms and suites, a spacious 80,000-square-foot casino,and of course those free fireworks at Plaza.

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