The Bellagio Fountains have stopped dancing. The Venetian’s gondolas are docked and empty. The Welcome to Las Vegas sign welcomes far fewer visitors, and urges them to spread out 6 feet apart. Electronic signs at casinos tell you to wash your hands instead of touting headliner shows.
The usually throbbing entertainment city has come to a standstill. Residents are following stay at home rules, and visitors have left or canceled their plans to come. Last week the governor closed its famous casinos, restaurants and businesses that last year drew 42.5 million visitors.
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Despite the shutdown, Vegas hopes to soothe nerves with a light show dedicated to healthcare workers, according to an announcement Thursday.
The replica Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas will twinkle with lights for 10 minutes starting at 8 p.m. Also, the High Roller Observation Wheel at the Linq Promenade will flash “red, white and blue nightly as beacons of hope for America during this time of uncertainty.”
Still, the city has emptied out. Here’s what the Strip looks like during this rarest of moments.
An electronic billboard outside the Treasure Island March 19 reflects a coronavirus warning instead of a coming show.
(Aaron Mayes / UNLV Special Collections and Archives)
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The Venetian’s fleet of gondolas is moored along the mock canal outside the Italian-themed resort on March 19. With most of Nevada in a state-ordered, 30-day lockdown, Las Vegas’ iconic, themed hotel-casinos are shuttered.
(Aaron Mayes/UNLV Special Collections and Archives)
A motorcyclist took advantage of the quiet times to drive up to the Welcome to Las Vegas sign on March 24.
(Jay Jones)
Jam-packed Las Vegas streets have been stilled by coronavirus protocols.
(Aaron Mayes/UNLV Special Collections and Archives)
With the Bellagio Fountains switched off, the sidewalk in front of the man-made lake was empty March 19. The fountains closed three days earlier.
(Aaron Mayes/UNLV Special Collections and Archives)
Las Vegas casino-hotels shift gears on the party messaging. “The party is on pause” appears at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
(Jay Jones)
“Times are tough” sign stands outside the shuttered Cosmopolitan Las Vegas.
(Aaron Mayes/UNLV Special Collections and Archives)
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An escalator leading to the Grand Bazaar Shops, Bally’s and beyond was switched off on March 19.
(Aaron Mayes/UNLV Special Collections and Archives)
The boarded-up souvenir shop across the Strip from CityCenter on March 19.
(Aaron Mayes/UNLV Special Collections and Archives)
The shuttered Caesars Palace, left, and Bellagio are reflected in the glass doors to a business on the Strip.
(Aaron Mayes/UNLV Special Collections and Archives)
Never thought cars would be missed on the Las Vegas Strip. The emptiness, as reflected in the parking lots and casinos.
(Aaron Mayes/UNLV Special Collections and Archives)
There’s an eerie quiet on the usually packed walkways at the Las Vegas Strip.
(Aaron Mayes/UNLV Special Collections and Archives)
Empty sidewalks that connect casinos along the Las Vegas Strip.
(Aaron Mayes/UNLV Special Collections and Archives)
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Las Vegas usually draws more than 40 million visitors a year.
(Aaron Mayes/UNLV Special Collections and Archives)
