Las Vegas loves an opening, and this month it has already had two big ones.
First up: The Park, MGM Resorts’ new open-air enclave, which officially arrived April 4. Wedged between New York-New York and Monte Carlo casinos, the Park is a dining and entertainment destination with desert-inspired landscaping, art installations, shade structures, seating and a lineup of restaurants that includes Beerhaus, California Pizza Kitchen, Sake Rok sushi bar and Bruxie, which serves waffle sandwiches.
The Park’s grand opening celebration featured appearances by Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and the ceremonial first lighting of the space’s signature artwork, Bliss Dance, a 40-foot-tall sculpture of a dancing nude by artist Marco Cochrane.
Physically, the Park is also a pathway, a passage that leads to MGM’s other big Strip opening this month, the highly-anticipated T-Mobile Arena.
The arena, a joint venture from MGM and entertainment company AEG, opened April 6 with a sold-out performance from three acts with local ties: The Killers, Wayne Newton and up-and-coming neo pop artist Shamir.
The 20,000-seat venue is getting a workout in its first month on the Strip. That opening night show was followed by Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande (April 7) and a pair of sold-out dates from Guns N’ Roses (April 8 and 9). Coming up in the next few weeks are the initial dates from the arena’s first resident performer, George Strait (April 22 and 23), Billy Joel (April 30) and the venue’s first boxing match, Canelo vs. Khan, on May 7.
“This is an exciting time for Las Vegas and everyone involved in the development of T-Mobile Arena,” said MGM Resorts chairman and CEO Jim Murren via release before the venue’s opening. “Las Vegas has long been known as the entertainment capital of the world, and with all the development we’ve unveiled this week in the neighborhood, you can see our deep commitment to ensuring Las Vegas holds that title for generations to come.”
For more information on the Park, visit theparkvegas.com/en.html. For more information on T-Mobile Arena, visit t-mobilearena.com.