How and where to watch the Tropicana Las Vegas implosion

The planned implosion of what remains of the Tropicana casino-hotel is a must-watch event in Las Vegas for locals and tourists alike.

The controlled demolition of the two former hotel towers of the Tropicana Las Vegas is scheduled for 2:30 a.m. Wednesday and will last about 22 seconds. It will be preceded by a fireworks and drone show.

But, with nearby hotel rooms all but sold out or too expensive for the average visitor, catching a glimpse of the spectacle may prove to be tougher than expected.

Officially, there are no designated public viewing areas for the implosion of the Rat Pack-era casino on the corner of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard.

For safety reasons, a perimeter around the site will be off limits to the public. Pedestrian access on the streets surrounding the Trop site will be restricted and road closures have been announced.

Given that the implosion is taking place at the wee hours of the morning, the usual places one might go to get an unencumbered view of the Strip — such as the top of The Strat casino-hotel or the Legacy Club at Circa casino-hotel in downtown — will not be available to the general public.

Where can people go?

The most obvious places to watch are on top of parking garages in the vicinity.

The roof of the parking garage of New York New York casino-hotel has a completely unobstructed view and the MGM Grand casino-hotel parking garage offers a clean view as well. As of Friday, MGM Resorts International — which operates both casino properties — has not said whether it will be restricting access to those locations.

Another MGM-operated casino has a prime vantage point which is, arguably, the best spot in the city. The Foundation Room on the 63rd floor of Mandalay Bay casino-hotel is holding a sold-out viewing party. The event is being hosted by LiveNation.

An off-Strip casino hotel is also getting in on the act when it comes to throwing an implosion viewing party. Ellis Island, located on Koval Lane, two blocks east of Las Vegas Boulevard, is hosting its own shindig on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Ellis Island’s Front Yard will feature Las Vegas trivia and karaoke before the big bang.

Las Vegas locals may be able to see the implosion from their favorite vantage points around the valley, although distance and darkness may play spoiler to those plans. On the west and northwest sides, several parks in Summerlin and Centennial Hills offer great views of the Strip, while the east and southeast sides of the valley features dozens of spots with sight lines.

For those who do not want to venture outside but still want to watch the spectacle unfold, the Las Vegas Review-Journal will be livestreaming the event. Local television news channels are also broadcasting the Trop implosion.

The Trop, which opened in 1957, is being demolished to make room for a baseball stadium and new resort on the 35-acre site. Bally’s Corp., which holds the gaming license to the now-shuttered property, and the Athletics have announced their intention to build a $1.5 billion stadium on nine acres of the site with a possible new hotel-resort coming later on. As of now, the owner of the Major League Baseball team has not publicly announced a source of funding for the stadium and Bally’s has not disclosed its plans for a new resort.

According to officials, the planned demo of the Trop will cost roughly $1.2 million and take up to 2,100 pounds of explosives. The implosion will bring down the Club Tower and the Paradise Tower.

David Danzis can be contacted at ddanzis@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0378. Follow AC2Vegas_Danzis on X.