The Las Vegas skyline will lose a volcano and gain a guitar this summer.
The iconic volcano at The Mirage on the Strip will be demolished on July 17. Then, construction on the Hard Rock Casino & Guitar Hotel Las Vegas can start.
The new resort’s standout feature will be a 660-foot hotel tower shaped like a glass guitar. The guitar is an iconic symbol used by the Seminole Tribe at their flagship property in Hollywood, Fla.
The Mirage will also close on July 17. The new Hard Rock resort is expected to open in late 2027 or early 2028.
Hard Rock is first tribe-owned casino on the Las Vegas Strip
The Seminole Tribe of Florida owns Hard Rock International and operates six Sunshine State casinos. Two of them, in Tampa and Hollywood, are Hard Rock-branded resorts.
Florida online casinos remain illegal. However, Hard Rock CEO Jim Allen recently said the tribe may soon lobby lawmakers to amend the 2021 Florida gaming compact to allow them.
In December 2022, the Seminoles purchased The Mirage from MGM Resorts International for $1 billion. Shortly after the deal was finalized, Hard Rock began operating the property and implemented its Unity player rewards program.
The only question remaining was when Hard Rock would transform the casino.
Hard Rock Las Vegas is the first tribal-owned casino on the Strip. The Connecticut-based Mohegan Tribe owns the casino side of Virgin Casino, and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians tribe owns Palms Casino Resort, but neither is on the Las Vegas Strip.
Beatles-themed Cirque show ends long run on July 7
The Mirage opened in 1989 and quickly became a popular destination in Las Vegas. It was the most expensive casino resort ever built when it opened, costing $633 million. It hosted the wildly popular variety show Siegfried & Roy for years and was featured in the Grand Theft Auto game series.
Another long-running Cirque du Soleil show, “The Beatles LOVE,” will end its run at the resort on July 7.
The volcano at The Mirage “explodes” every hour between 8 and 11 p.m., making it a popular attraction for visitors. It will explode for the last time in mid-July.
A separate business, Hard Rock Cafe on the Las Vegas Strip, will be open during the construction of the new Hard Rock resort.
