Hundreds flock to Mirage Las Vegas for final weekend

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Las Vegas icon is shutting its doors for good, and many are getting their last-minute look inside and trying their luck before its final day. 

The Mirage is the second property on the Las Vegas Strip to close this year. The Tropicana shuttered in April to make way for the A’s stadium. The closure of the Mirage, considered one of the first modern luxurious properties on the Strip when it opened in 1989, has many visiting the property before its doors close on Wednesday, July 17. 

The property was home to many permanent shows like Siegfried & Roy and “LOVE.” When guests entered the property, they were greeted by the famous volcano attraction outside the lobby doors. It was Steve Wynn’s first major casino on the Strip and the first of the new Las Vegas mega-resorts. 

Now the casino must give away $1.6 million in progressive jackpots before it closes because those jackpots belong to the gamblers under Nevada Law and all remaining balances must be paid out. 

Bill Krackomberger may be among those trying his luck at a place where he has a personal connection.

“I feel like when I am walking in there, I am walking through my parents’ footsteps. When they were in the Mirage the first time, they called me up and said ‘Oh my God, Billy it is so beautiful here’ … the way they made them feel this was really different and I like walking through those footsteps one last time,” he said. “The Mirage is beautiful and it’s still beautiful it really is. A glorious place and a lot of history and I hope for Hard Rock to do well.”

While it’s a walk down memory lane for Krackomber, he also admits he would like to cash in a jackpot.

“I am just there for that bonus money.”

Hard Rock plans to start construction on the property in the fall and open the new Guitar Hotel Las Vegas in 2027.

The legacy of the Mirage will live on because some of the signage will be given to the Neon Museum.