The Bellagio Fountains, one of the Las Vegas Strip’s most recognizable landmarks, will mark Thursday’s reopening the nation’s largest gaming market with three new shows.
MGM Resorts International said the fountains, which have entertaining Strip visitors since 1998 with water shows set to music, will have three new songs and shows dedicated to the strength and resiliency of frontline workers, the country, and the people of Las Vegas.
The Bellagio is one three MGM-operated resorts that are reopening Thursday as the state ends it’s a two-and-a-half-month shutdown of gaming operations due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a regular rotation, starting Thursday, the fountains will play three songs throughout the day to commemorate the reopening:
- “Simple Gifts” – a tribute to frontline workers
- “Star Spangled Banner” – commemorating the country’s strength throughout this crisis
- “Viva Las Vegas” – celebrating the resiliency of the people of Las Vegas
The Bellagio Fountains have been named a top landmark in the country by TripAdvisor and have been featured in Travel + Leisure as one of the top 20 most Instagrammed places in the world.
MGM Resorts will reopen Bellagio at 10 a.m. Thursday followed by New York-New York and MGM Grand Las Vegas at 11 a.m. The Signature Towers, a non-gaming condominium complex behind MGM Grand, will also reopen Thursday.
Nevada’s casino industry was halted on March 18 by Governor Steve Sisolak in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. He said Tuesday night that positive data trends in Nevada – state health officials said the percentage of those testing positive for COVID-19 have fallen for 30 straight days – gave him the confidence to reopen the state’s casino industry, which produced $12 billion in gaming revenues last year.
MGM is reopening just three of 10 Strip resorts in the initial phase under the company’s health and the company’s “Seven-Point Safety Plan,” a multi-layered set of protocols and procedures designed in conjunction with medical and scientific experts to mitigate the spread of the virus, protect customers and employees and rapidly respond to potential new cases.
“As we plan for these openings, the health and safety of our guests and employees is at the forefront of all we do,” MGM Resorts acting CEO Bill Hornbuckle said in a statement.
On Wednesday, the Gaming Control Board modified its health and safety guidelines for resuming gaming operations, implementing several suggestions offered a day earlier at a three-and-a-half-hour workshop with health and safety experts involved in managing Nevada’s response to COVID-19.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
