New Year’s Eve crowd expected to be slightly smaller this year
There may be fewer people visiting Las Vegas to ring in the new year, but expect to see the same round of road closures to make way for large-scale celebrations.
About 330,000 people are expected to travel from out of town to welcome 2018 in Las Vegas, a 1.2 percent drop from last New Year’s Eve, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
The decline was not attributed to safety concerns raised in the wake of the Oct. 1 shooting, but rather the loss of hotel rooms due to renovations at Palace Station and the conversion of Monte Carlo to Park MGM, LVCVA spokeswoman Maria Phelan said.
Additionally, Phelan said travelers may be more conservative this year because New Year’s Eve falls on a Sunday.
“Even with having the next day off, people will be traveling back home more immediately after the holiday this year, Phelan said.
Those visitors are expected to spend about $254.3 million on food, hotels and gambling on New Year’s Eve, also a 1.2 percent decrease from last year, LVCVA officials said. Of the 148,586 total available hotel rooms in the region, 97.5 percent will be occupied for the weekend, the authority said.
About 611,000 airline passengers are expected to pass through McCarran International from Friday to Jan. 2, down 1 percent from the same period last year, airport spokeswoman Christine Crews.
However, that decline was linked to the fact that the Consumer Electronics Show was held almost immediately after the holiday weekend in 2016, Crews said. This year, the heavily attended convention is scheduled for Jan. 7-12.
Even though a majority of visitors will drive to Las Vegas this weekend, vehicles won’t be allowed to travel along a 3-mile stretch of the Strip on New Year’s Eve, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation.
Las Vegas Boulevard will close at 5 p.m. Dec. 31 in both directions between Mandalay Bay and SLS Las Vegas to make way for tens of thousands of revelers, NDOT spokesman Tony Illia said.
Tropicana Avenue also will close in both directions between Koval Lane and Dean Martin Drive during that time, along with eastbound Flamingo Road at Valley View Boulevard.
Onramps and offramps to Interstate 15 also will close at 5 p.m. New Year’s Eve at Spring Mountain Road, Flamingo Road and Tropicana Avenue. Drivers will be able to enter and exit the freeway at Sahara Avenue and Russell Road.
In downtown Las Vegas, closures start at 7 a.m. New Year’s Eve on Casino Center Drive, along with Main, First, Third and Fourth streets, between Ogden and Carson avenues, to make way for revelers and live entertainment at the Fremont Street Experience, city spokeswoman Natasha Shahani said.
All road and freeway ramp restrictions will be gradually lifted between 3 and 6 a.m. New Year’s Day.
Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Find @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.
Where to party
“America’s Party,” will take over Las Vegas for New Year’s Eve.
A synchronized fireworks display will be set off along the Strip from MGM Grand, Aria, Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace, Treasure Island, The Venetian and Stratosphere, organizers said. With the theme “Midnight in Vegas,” the show’s soundtrack can be heard live on radio stations KOMP 92.3 and 97.1 The Point.
In downtown, a dozen bands will perform on four stages along the Fremont Street Experience. Pre-sale tickets for “America’s Party Downtown” cost $35 and can be purchased at the SlotZilla takeoff tower on Fremont Street, or online at VegasExperience.com.
— Art Marroquin
