The Mirage
Encyclopedia
The Mirage is a 3,044 room hotel and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip
in Paradise, Nevada
, United States.
The Mirage is connected by a free tram to Treasure Island
. The marquee
in front of the Mirage is the largest free standing marquee in the world.
The Mirage was the most expensive hotel-casino in history, with a construction cost of US$630 million. The hotel's distinctive gold windows get their color from actual gold dust
used in the tinting process. It was reported that the resort would have to bring in a million dollars a day to pay off a 7-year construction loan. But in fact The Mirage did so well, the loan was paid off in just 18 months.
Its construction is also considered very noteworthy in that Wynn had set a new standard for Vegas resorts, and is widely considered to be the father of today's Las Vegas. Prior to The Mirage's opening, the city was experiencing a decline in tourism
that began in the 70s, especially around the time that the state of New Jersey
legalized gambling and tourists (in particular those on the East Coast) began to frequent the casinos of Atlantic City
. Also, this was a time when Las Vegas was no longer considered a fashionable destination, so a new, high-profile, project was necessary to jump-start the ailing industry. When it opened, The Mirage was the first casino to use security cameras full time on all table games.
From 1990 through 2003, The Mirage was the venue for the Siegfried & Roy
show. The two headliners combined magic
and the use of wild animals. The closing of the popular attraction in 2003, after Roy Horn was injured by one of the white tigers used in the show, affected The Mirage for a while.
In 1993, The Mirage hosted an extended run of the Cirque du Soleil show Nouvelle Expérience
in a tent in The Mirage parking lot. It was during this time that Steve Wynn decided to invite Cirque to create Mystère
for the soon-to-be-built Treasure Island
resort next door. Finally returning to where they began in Las Vegas, Cirque du Soleil has a permanent production at The Mirage, Love
.
In 2004, Danny Gans
took over the main marquee becoming the resort's main entertainment attraction. In December 2006, the Beatles-themed REVOLUTION ultra-lounge opened. It was the first time Cirque du Soleil was involved in the development of a nightlife venue, operated by Light Group Las Vegas.
Gans left The Mirage in 2009 to star in a show at the Encore Las Vegas. In 2009, ventriloquist and 2007 America's Got Talent
winner Terry Fator
began a 5-year run at the hotel.
Also in 2009, The Mirage was featured on The Amazing Race 15
, where one team member had to bungee the other into the air to grab a bouquette of flowers presented in the Love
theater. In 2010, the estate of Michael Jackson and Cirque du Soleil announced a deal to develop Michael Jackson shows. The Las Vegas permanent show, also in partnership with MGM Resorts International, is expected to open in late 2012.
Notable features include:
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
in Paradise, Nevada
Paradise, Nevada
Paradise is an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 223,167 at the 2010 census...
, United States.
The Mirage is connected by a free tram to Treasure Island
Treasure Island Hotel and Casino
Treasure Island Hotel & Casino is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, USA with 2,664 rooms and 220 suites, and is connected by tram to The Mirage as well as pedestrian bridge to the Fashion Show Mall shopping center...
. The marquee
Marquee (sign)
A marquee is most commonly a structure placed over the entrance to a hotel or theatre. It has signage stating either the name of the establishment or, in the case of theatres, the play or movie and the artist appearing at that venue...
in front of the Mirage is the largest free standing marquee in the world.
History
The Mirage was built by developer Steve Wynn and designed by Joel Bergman. It opened in November 1989 and was the first resort that was built with the money of Wall Street through the use of junk bonds. It was built on the site, formerly occupied by the Castaways and previous to that, the Red Rooster Nite Club.The Mirage was the most expensive hotel-casino in history, with a construction cost of US$630 million. The hotel's distinctive gold windows get their color from actual gold dust
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
used in the tinting process. It was reported that the resort would have to bring in a million dollars a day to pay off a 7-year construction loan. But in fact The Mirage did so well, the loan was paid off in just 18 months.
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
that began in the 70s, especially around the time that the state of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
legalized gambling and tourists (in particular those on the East Coast) began to frequent the casinos of Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
. Also, this was a time when Las Vegas was no longer considered a fashionable destination, so a new, high-profile, project was necessary to jump-start the ailing industry. When it opened, The Mirage was the first casino to use security cameras full time on all table games.
From 1990 through 2003, The Mirage was the venue for the Siegfried & Roy
Siegfried & Roy
Siegfried & Roy are two German-American former entertainers who became known for their appearances with white lions and white tigers....
show. The two headliners combined magic
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
and the use of wild animals. The closing of the popular attraction in 2003, after Roy Horn was injured by one of the white tigers used in the show, affected The Mirage for a while.
In 1993, The Mirage hosted an extended run of the Cirque du Soleil show Nouvelle Expérience
Nouvelle Experience
Nouvelle Expérience was Cirque du Soleil's fourth touring circus show, which premiered in 1990. The show's tour ended in 1993 in The Mirage parking lot in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over 1.3 million people saw the production during its 3½-year run.-Cast:...
in a tent in The Mirage parking lot. It was during this time that Steve Wynn decided to invite Cirque to create Mystère
Mystère (Cirque du Soleil)
Mystère is a Cirque du Soleil show in permanent residence at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is one of seven resident Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas, the others being O, Zumanity, Kà, Love, Criss Angel: Believe, and Viva Elvis...
for the soon-to-be-built Treasure Island
Treasure Island Hotel and Casino
Treasure Island Hotel & Casino is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, USA with 2,664 rooms and 220 suites, and is connected by tram to The Mirage as well as pedestrian bridge to the Fashion Show Mall shopping center...
resort next door. Finally returning to where they began in Las Vegas, Cirque du Soleil has a permanent production at The Mirage, Love
LOVE (Cirque du Soleil)
Love is a 2006 theatrical production by Cirque du Soleil which combines the re-produced and re-imagined music of The Beatles with an interpretive, circus-based artistic and athletic stage performance. The show plays at a specially built theatre at The Mirage in Las Vegas.A joint venture between...
.
In 2004, Danny Gans
Danny Gans
Daniel Davies Gans was an American singer and comedian who found regional success as a vocal impressionist.-Career:...
took over the main marquee becoming the resort's main entertainment attraction. In December 2006, the Beatles-themed REVOLUTION ultra-lounge opened. It was the first time Cirque du Soleil was involved in the development of a nightlife venue, operated by Light Group Las Vegas.
Gans left The Mirage in 2009 to star in a show at the Encore Las Vegas. In 2009, ventriloquist and 2007 America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
winner Terry Fator
Terry Fator
Terry Wayne Fator is a ventriloquist, impressionist, comedian, and singer from Dallas, Texas. Fator is capable of doing over 100 ventriloquial impersonations, and uses 16 different puppets in his act. He was the winner of Season 2 of America's Got Talent, and received the million dollar prize...
began a 5-year run at the hotel.
Also in 2009, The Mirage was featured on The Amazing Race 15
The Amazing Race 15
The Amazing Race 15 is the fifteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 15 featured 12 teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world....
, where one team member had to bungee the other into the air to grab a bouquette of flowers presented in the Love
LOVE (Cirque du Soleil)
Love is a 2006 theatrical production by Cirque du Soleil which combines the re-produced and re-imagined music of The Beatles with an interpretive, circus-based artistic and athletic stage performance. The show plays at a specially built theatre at The Mirage in Las Vegas.A joint venture between...
theater. In 2010, the estate of Michael Jackson and Cirque du Soleil announced a deal to develop Michael Jackson shows. The Las Vegas permanent show, also in partnership with MGM Resorts International, is expected to open in late 2012.
Film history
- The poker room at The Mirage was the dream destination of Matt Damon's character in the movie RoundersRounders (film)Rounders is a 1998 film about the underground world of high-stakes poker. Directed by John Dahl and starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton, the movie follows two friends who need to quickly earn enough cash playing poker to pay off a large debt...
. - The movie Vegas VacationVegas VacationVegas Vacation is a 1997 comedy film. It is the fourth film in the original Vacation film series centering around the fictitious Griswold family, following Vacation, European Vacation, and Christmas Vacation. Chevy Chase reprises his starring role as Clark W. Griswold, the patriarch of the family...
was filmed mainly at The Mirage. - The Mirage is parodied in at least four video games: Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasGrand Theft Auto: San AndreasGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
as 'The Visage', Need For Speed: CarbonNeed for Speed: CarbonNeed for Speed: Carbon, also known as NFS Carbon or NFSC, is an Electronic Arts video game belonging to the Need for Speed series. Released in 2006, it is the tenth installment, preceded by Need for Speed: Most Wanted, succeeded by Need for Speed: ProStreet in release order and succeeded by Need...
as 'The Mirror', Fallout: New VegasFallout: New VegasFallout: New Vegas is a first person action role-playing video game in the Fallout series developed by Obsidian Entertainment, and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is based in a post-apocalyptic environment in and around Las Vegas, Nevada...
as 'The Ultra-Luxe' and Hitman: Blood MoneyHitman: Blood MoneyHitman: Blood Money is a stealth game developed by IO Interactive and published by Eidos Interactive. It is the fourth entry in the Hitman game series....
as 'The Shamal'. - The Mirage was one of the three casinos that Danny Ocean and his crew robbed in the 2001 version of the film Ocean's ElevenOcean's Eleven (2001 film)Ocean's Eleven is a 2001 American comedy-crime caper and remake of the 1960 Rat Pack caper film of the same name. The 2001 film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and features an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy García, and Julia Roberts. The film was...
. - A scene from Steve Martin's Sgt. BilkoSgt. Bilko (film)Sgt. Bilko is a 1996 comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn and written by Andy Breckman. It is an adaptation of the 1950s television series The Phil Silvers Show .-Plot:...
was shot at The Mirage. - The movie Pure CountryPure CountryThe album Pure Country is the soundtrack to the movie Pure Country, and all songs are sung by George Strait. It was released in 1992 by MCA Records. It is Strait's most commercially successful album, having sold over six million copies.-Content:...
featuring George Strait features scenes from The Mirage. - The show Criss Angel: Mindfreak sometimes takes place here.
- CherCherCher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
's 1991 CBS special Cher Extravaganza: Live at the MirageCher Extravaganza: Live at the MirageExtravaganza: Live at the Mirage is the first live music video title by singer and actress Cher. Released by Sony BMG in 1992 , it contained footage from Cher's two Heart of Stone Tour specials filmed at Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas in 1990...
was taped during stops of the singer 1990 Heart of Stone TourHeart of Stone TourThe Heart of Stone Tour is the fourth concert tour by American singer-actress Cher. The tour supported her twenty-first studio album, Heart of Stone. A mini tour was set up in the summer 1989, and a second leg started in 1990...
. - In 20122012 (film)2012 is a 2009 American disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich. It stars John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, and Woody Harrelson. It was produced by Emmerich's production company, Centropolis Entertainment and was distributed by Columbia Pictures...
, The Mirage crumbled into pieces just after the Giant AntonovAntonov An-225The Antonov An-225 Mriya is a strategic airlift cargo aircraft, designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the 1980s. It is the world's heaviest aircraft. The design, built in order to transport the Buran orbiter, was an enlargement of the successful An-124 Ruslan...
left Vegas.
Attractions
- Siegfried & RoySiegfried & RoySiegfried & Roy are two German-American former entertainers who became known for their appearances with white lions and white tigers....
's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat - An artificial volcanoVolcano2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
along the Strip that "erupts" nightly from 7pm–midnight on the hour. After sister property BellagioBellagio (hotel and casino)Bellagio is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in the Paradise area of unincorporated Clark County, Nevada, USA and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. It is owned by MGM Resorts International and was built on the site of the demolished Dunes hotel and casino.Inspired by the...
opened, the design firm WETWET (WET Design)WET , also known as WET Design, is a water feature design firm based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 1983 by former Disney Imagineers Mark Fuller, Melanie Simon, and Alan Robinson...
, the company that created the Fountains of Bellagio attraction, improved the technology behind the volcano effect to make it more spectacular in 1996. To avoid the smell of uncombusted natural gas odorant, the mercaptanThiolIn organic chemistry, a thiol is an organosulfur compound that contains a carbon-bonded sulfhydryl group...
is stripped from the natural gas and a pina coladaPiña ColadaThe piña colada is a sweet, rum-based cocktail made with rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice. It may be garnished with a pineapple wedge or a maraschino cherry or both...
fragrance is added to the natural gas stream. The Volcano closed for a second and more elaborate renovation in February 2008 and reopened on December 8, 2008. A new soundtrack complete with the sounds of actual volcanoes erupting has been included for an even more enhanced experience. - An atriumAtrium (architecture)In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
at the hotel entrance features a large number of palm trees, water features, and other "rainforest" flora. - The 53 feet (16.2 m), 8 feet (2.4 m) aquarium behind the registration desk, recently renovated by top aquarium designers from around the world, is home to nearly 1000 specimens.
- LoveLOVE (Cirque du Soleil)Love is a 2006 theatrical production by Cirque du Soleil which combines the re-produced and re-imagined music of The Beatles with an interpretive, circus-based artistic and athletic stage performance. The show plays at a specially built theatre at The Mirage in Las Vegas.A joint venture between...
, a Cirque du SoleilCirque du SoleilCirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
theatrical production involving remixes of the Beatles. - Terry FatorTerry FatorTerry Wayne Fator is a ventriloquist, impressionist, comedian, and singer from Dallas, Texas. Fator is capable of doing over 100 ventriloquial impersonations, and uses 16 different puppets in his act. He was the winner of Season 2 of America's Got Talent, and received the million dollar prize...
is a current showcase after winning America's Got TalentAmerica's Got TalentAmerica's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
. - "Bare", a poolside lounge in which guests can traverse topless. While men are welcome, this attraction is mainly promoted for women since they are allowed in the lounge for $10–$20 as opposed to the charge for men of $20–$40. This is a rare experience for women since in most public places women must have some sort of covering over their breasts. One must be 21 years or older to enter.
Sporting events
- 1990-10-25 Evander HolyfieldEvander HolyfieldEvander Holyfield is a professional boxer from the United States. He is a former undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"...
vs. Buster Douglas - 1996-05-18 Félix TrinidadFélix TrinidadFélix 'Tito' Trinidad, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional boxer, considered one of the best in Puerto Rico's history. After winning five National Amateur Championships in Puerto Rico, he debuted as a professional when he was 17. He won his first world championship when he defeated Maurice Blocker...
vs. Freddie PendletonFreddie PendletonFreddie Pendleton is a retired professional boxer in the lightweight division.Known as "Fearless", Pendleton had a 1-5 amateur career & turned pro in 1982 losing to Rodney Watts at the Tropicana Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.Pendleton won his first title in October 1985 knocking out...
External links
- Mirage.com - official website
- Bare at the Mirage
- Jet - Mirage Nightclub