What’s the deal with shoeprints on ceilings in Las Vegas casino parking garages?

Las Vegas casinos are full of idiosyncrasies and quirks not typically found anywhere else. That occasionally leads to visitors and locals alike asking questions that may seem unusual elsewhere — such as “How much should I tip on this comped drink?” (A: Full price of the drink) or “Why is this attractive young lady all alone and talking to me?” (A: She’s working) — but are pretty common in Sin City.

Yet there is one question that pops up on social media or Reddit boards quite frequently, and it is almost exclusively a Las Vegas-related query.

How did shoe prints get on the cross beams and ceilings of Las Vegas casino parking garages?

The answer is not really that interesting but newcomers to the city are surprisingly fascinated by it. Even some locals are intrigued by the practice.

The reason is this — people take their shoes off, jump up and slap the beams or ceilings with the soles of their footwear. Sometimes it is a “contest” between friends. Sometimes it’s a dare. Sometimes it’s just because they saw someone else doing it one time.

As one unidentified facilities manager said, “Alcohol is usually involved.” Sources say that’s usually the answer behind a lot of things that happen in Las Vegas.

But “how” and/or “why” did scuffing up casino garages with shoe prints even become a thing? Truthfully, no one knows.

If the internet is to be believed (and why wouldn’t it, right?), there are (unconfirmed) stories of teenagers in the 1980s who would “tag” mall parking garages throughout Miami-Dade County as a way of marking their territory. Similar urban legends of mall garage “taggings” are linked to Chicago, Baltimore and Los Angeles, just to name a few.

And while shoe prints can be found in parking garages all over the country (parking garages at all nine Atlantic City casinos had them as recently as June), Las Vegas seems to invite the behavior more than other places. Up and down The Strip, all over downtown and even at most of the local haunts, Las Vegas casino parking garages have shoe prints on the ceilings.

Don’t believe it? Just look up.

Contact David Danzis at ddanzis@reviewjournal.com, or follow on X at AC_Danzis.