Las Vegas Village Explained

Las Vegas Village
Former Names:MGM Resorts Village (2013–2015)
Address:3901 Las Vegas Boulevard
City:Paradise, Nevada
Owner:MGM Resorts International
Acreage:15acres
Opened:2013
Closed:2017
Yearsactive:2013–2017

The Las Vegas Village was an open-air venue located on the Las Vegas Strip on Las Vegas Boulevard in Paradise, Nevada. Opened in 2013 as MGM Resorts Village, the venue was 15acres and owned by MGM Resorts International.

The village was the site of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, which resulted in its closing. It has not been used since then.

History

Located across the street from Luxor Las Vegas, the property was previously a parking lot owned by Mandalay Resort Group until MGM Resorts International purchased the company in 2004.[1] The area became a concert venue and opened in 2013 as MGM Resorts Village, hosting the iHeartRadio Music Festival's Daytime Village—an outdoor counterpart to the main event—on September 20–21, 2013.[2] [3]

The village held the inaugural Route 91 Harvest music festival, a collaboration between MGM and Live Nation Entertainment, on October 3–5, 2014.[4]

The Stadium Super Trucks racing series competed on the property in 2014 and 2015 as the final race weekends of each season; the first year was held in conjunction with SEMA and also featured other racing divisions like legends cars.[5] [6] Robby Gordon and Sheldon Creed won every race in both years.[7] [8]

On October 1, 2015, the venue's name was changed to Las Vegas Village to reduce MGM's influence on the site and its marketing potential.[9]

During the 2017 Route 91 Harvest on October 1, Stephen Paddock fired on attendees in the village from the nearby Mandalay Bay Hotel, killing 60 people and injuring 488. The mass shooting, which was the deadliest in the United States by an individual, resulted in Route 91 being canceled for 2018;[10], the festival has not returned. The iHeartRadio Music Festival was relocated to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds.[11]

The area was fenced off and remained vacant as MGM deliberated plans for the site's future.[12] In 2019, MGM announced the village would be converted into parking space for Allegiant Stadium and a community center, but this plan was never implemented.[13] Instead, in 2021, MGM donated 2 acres of the site to Clark County for a memorial site,[14] and then sold the remainder in 2022 to a group of Native American tribes, the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation. As of January 2023, the MHA Nation has not yet announced its plans for the site, though it owns a casino on its reservation in North Dakota.[15]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Segall. Eli. Site of Las Vegas shooting faces a cloudy future. Las Vegas Review-Journal. October 20, 2017. July 25, 2021.
  2. News: Katsilometes. John. MGM Resorts Village is the playground for iHeartRadio Music Festival. Las Vegas Sun. September 19, 2014. July 25, 2021.
  3. Hayes. Chanelle. iHeartRadio Music Festival features all the hits in one spot. Las Vegas Magazine. September 11, 2015. July 25, 2021.
  4. Inaugural Route 91 Harvest Takes Root Among The Neon As First Country Music Festival Ever To Launch In Las Vegas. MGM Resorts International. July 17, 2014. July 25, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20150423121209/http://newsroom.mgmresorts.com/mgm-resorts/latest-news/company-news/mgm-resorts-village-festival-grounds/mgm-resorts-village/inaugural-route-91-harvest-takes-root-among-the-neon-as-first-country-music-festival-ever-to-launch-in-las-vegas.htm. April 23, 2015.
  5. News: Stadium Super Trucks Partners with SEMA, Moves Las Vegas Race to Nov. 6. Stadium Super Trucks. October 29, 2014. July 25, 2021.
  6. News: Super Trucks race under the lights of the Strip — PHOTOS. Las Vegas Review-Journal. November 5, 2015. July 25, 2021.
  7. News: Sin City Stadium Super Trucks Showdown. Toyo Tires. July 25, 2021.
  8. News: Creed wins Super Trucks title in Las Vegas. Speedcafe. November 6, 2015. July 25, 2021.
  9. News: Katsilometes. John. No MGM Resorts: It's now Las Vegas Village and Las Vegas Festival Grounds. Las Vegas Sun. October 1, 2015. July 25, 2021.
  10. Gray. Mark. Route 91 Harvest Festival Eyes 2019 Return to Las Vegas. Rolling Stone. December 13, 2018. July 25, 2021.
  11. News: Katsilometes. John. iHeartRadio ready to return outdoor festivals to the Strip. Las Vegas Review-Journal. May 1, 2018. July 25, 2021.
  12. News: Darrow. Max. Two years later, One October shooting site will soon transform. KSNV. October 1, 2019. July 25, 2021.
  13. News: Katsilometes . John . December 30, 2022 . MGM Resorts sells most of Oct. 1 site to tribal interest . . January 1, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230101183213/https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/the-strip/mgm-resorts-sells-most-of-oct-1-site-to-tribal-interest-2702670/ . January 1, 2023.
  14. News: Lacanlale . Rio . August 2, 2021 . MGM donates land for Route 91 memorial to be built at site of shooting . . January 1, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220923192051/https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/mgm-donates-land-for-route-91-memorial-to-be-built-at-site-of-shooting-2411954/ . September 23, 2022.
  15. News: Katsilometes . John . January 1, 2023 . New Oct. 1 site owners to invest in N.D. reservation; praise memorial plans . . January 1, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230101183230/https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/entertainment-columns/kats/new-oct-1-site-owners-to-invest-in-n-d-reservation-praise-memorial-plans-2703530/ . January 1, 2023.