Monday, July 14, 2025

The Mirage Casino On The Las Vegas Strip Is Closing

The iconic Mirage hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip will close its doors this summer, marking the end of an era for a property that played a significant role in transforming Sin City into an ultra-luxury resort destination.

Closing on July 17, the Mirage will make way for extensive renovations and construction on the 80-acre site. It is set to reopen in 2027 as the Hard Rock Las Vegas, featuring a hotel tower shaped like a guitar, soaring nearly 700 feet above the Strip.

“We’d like to thank the Las Vegas community and team members for warmly welcoming Hard Rock after enjoying 34 years at The Mirage,” said Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International, in a statement announcing the closure.

This will be the second Strip casino to shut down this year. The Tropicana Las Vegas closed in April after 67 years, paving the way for a $1.5 billion baseball stadium, the future home of the relocating Oakland A’s.

Developed by former casino mogul Steve Wynn, the Mirage opened in 1989 with a Polynesian theme as the Strip’s first megaresort, sparking a building boom throughout the 1990s. Its volcano fountain was one of the first sidewalk attractions, predating the Venetian’s canals and the Bellagio’s dancing fountains. It was also known for hosting Siegfried and Roy’s white tiger performances and Cirque du Soleil’s Beatles-themed show.

We were lucky enough to see both the Siegfried and Roy and Cirque du Soleil’s LOVE shows on visits to Vegas and they were some of the best entertainment in the history of the Vegas Strip.

The final curtain on the Beatles-themed show, which reunited Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr for public appearances during its 18-year run, will also fall in July.

In 2022, the Mirage became the first Strip property to be run by a Native American tribe after Hard Rock International, owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, purchased it from MGM Resorts for nearly $1.1 billion. Hard Rock had initially stated that the property would continue operating under the Mirage brand for several years while renovation plans were finalized.

The Mirage is not accepting bookings beyond July 14, and any reservations past that date will be canceled and refunded.

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Amy Harris
Amy Harris is a writer and photographer who has been traveling for 20 years and flown over 2 million miles to visit over 80 countries on 6 continents. She is a freelance photographer for Invision by Associated Press, AP Images and Rex/Shutterstock. Her work can be seen in various publications and websites including: Rolling Stone, AP Images, National Geographic Books, Fodor’s Travel Guides, Forbes.com, Lonely Planet Travel Guides, JetStar magazine, and Delta Sky Magazine.

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