Circus Circus Las Vegas

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Circus Circus Las Vegas
Number of rooms 3,774
Theme Circus
Gaming space 101,100 ft² (9,392.19 m²)
Permanent show(s)
Signature attraction(s) Circus Circus Adventuredome
Notable restaurant(s) The Steakhouse
Blue Iguana
Owner MGM Mirage
Date opened October 18, 1968
Casino type Land-Based
Major renovation(s) 1997
Previous name(s)
Casino website Circus Circus Las Vegas
This article is about the Circus Circus hotel and casino in Las Vegas. There is also a Circus Circus in Reno, Nevada.

Circus Circus Las Vegas is a circus-themed 3,774 room hotel and 101,000 square foot (9,392 m²) casino located on the famed Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada that is owned and operated by MGM Mirage. Circus Circus features free circus acts on a regular basis throughout the day. Circus Circus has the only RV park on the Strip providing additional accommodations in the 399 space park operated by Kampgrounds of America (KOA).

Circus Circus Las Vegas is the largest permanent big top in the world. The clown marque at the entrance was provided by Young Electric Sign Company.

Contents

[edit] History

  • Opened October 18, 1968 by Jay Sarno.
  • Became the flagship casino for Circus Circus Enterprises (later Mandalay Resort Group), now part of MGM Mirage.
  • Underwent major renovations in 1997 that changed the hotel's theme from the standard American circus to a French Cirque du Soleil-style circus. Circus Circus is slated for renovation to its former theme in 2006.

The hotel may be demolished and rebuilt. According to an MGM Mirage report, the Circus Circus site "does not make economic use of the 44 acres that it sits on, therefore, we feel that demolishing the current property and rebuilding it in a different fashion (while still keeping the Circus Circus name) will be in our best interest."

[edit] Film history

Performers in the Circus.
Performers in the Circus.

The hotel's famous midway was featured in the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever.

In his journalistic novel of the early '70s, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson wrote, "The Circus-Circus is what the whole hep world would be doing Saturday night if the Nazis had won the war. This is the sixth Reich. The ground floor is full of gambling tables, like all the other casinos . . . but the place is about four stories high, in the style of a circus tent, and all manner of strange County-Fair/Polish Carnival madness is going on up in this space." When the Thompson work was adapted to film in 1998, the fictional "Bazooko Circus" was a thinly-veiled stand-in for the world-famed resort, which had refused permission for the filmmakers to shoot on their property.

The Adventuredome and the Canyon Blaster roller coaster (see below) were featured in the movie Baby Geniuses. The theme park was known as Joyworld in the movie.

[edit] Adventuredome Theme Park

Located under the pink top, this 5 acre (20,234 m²) indoor amusement park (formerly known as Grand Slam Canyon) offers 16 rides and is connected to the hotel. The theme park includes a roller coaster (the Canyon Blaster), rock climbing wall, 18-hole miniature golf course, an arcade, and carnival-type games. The dome of the park is made up of over 350,000 sq ft. of insulated glass.

[edit] Amenities and entertainment

Circus Circus at night.
Circus Circus at night.

In addition to the casino and the Adventuredome Theme Park, Circus Circus also offers:

  • Convention rooms—space for up to 800 people
  • Race and Sports Book 80 seats, with 18 big screens
  • Three swimming pools
  • "Chapel of the Fountain" wedding chapel
  • "The Midway" an arcade and games to win prizes such as stuffed animals

[edit] References

[edit] External links


    Coordinates: 36°08′13″N, 115°09′48″W