Downtown Las Vegas desolate, lonely, mostly lifeless — PHOTOS
Gates block the entrance to the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas, which is closed due to concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
Kat V holds a sign advertising The Cat's Meow karaoke bar in downtown Las Vegas, where the streets would usually be packed with tourists but are largely empty due to concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
Bikers ride on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, which is largely empty due to concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
The streets of downtown Las Vegas are largely empty due to concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
A single pedestrian passes Container Park in downtown Las Vegas, which is closed due to concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
An unoccupied Metro vehicle is parked in front of the El Cortez in downtown Las Vegas on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
The streets of downtown Las Vegas are largely empty due to concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
Gates block the entrance to the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas, which is closed due to concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
The streets of downtown Las Vegas are largely empty due to concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
Gates block the entrance to the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas, which is closed due to concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
The streets of downtown Las Vegas are largely empty due to concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
Gates block the entrance to the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas, which is closed due to concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
The streets of downtown Las Vegas are largely empty due to concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
Light traffic passes through downtown Las Vegas near the Fremont Street Experience on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
The streets of downtown Las Vegas are largely empty due to concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
The streets of downtown Las Vegas are largely empty due to concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
The streets of downtown Las Vegas are largely empty due to concerns related to the spread of the coronavirus on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @benjaminhphoto
Updated March 20, 2020 - 9:20 am
On a normal night, thousands would gather at the Fremont Street Experience, mingling in revelry.
The Viva Vision Light show would light up downtown with nearly 49 million LED bulbs.
Singers, musicians, an Elvis lookalike, scantily clad women and men, as well as plenty of other street performers, would be trying to make a living.
And with three stages, there would be plenty of music to keep tourists and locals moving and grooving all night.
But that was before the coronavirus pandemic reached Southern Nevada, forcing the closure of one of Las Vegas’ most popular destinations.
In the following images, Review-Journal photographer Benjamin Hager on Thursday captured the solitude and loneliness that has become today’s norm.
