[toc] The Rio Casino in Las Vegas once attempted to establish a Brazilian casino theme, which now appears somewhat clichéd and antiquated. However, this hasn’t deterred Steve Wynn from drawing inspiration from Carnivale for his newest Las Vegas attraction.
During Wynn Resorts’s quarterly earnings call, new information was shared about the proposed $1.5 billion Paradise Park project. Apart from the Carnivale theme, there are some quite extravagant entertainment plans that are novel for Las Vegas.
Lagoon will host nightly Carnivale parade
The Paradise Park project will be located behind the Wynn and Encore casinos on the Strip, currently the site of The Wynn Golf Club. The golf course will cease operations on Dec. 22, with construction for the new project set to begin on Jan. 3 of the upcoming year.
From the outset, it was evident that a massive man-made lagoon would be the focal point of the project. The latest details clarify the part the lagoon will take in certain entertainment features.
Wynn is fully embracing the Carnivale theme with a nightly procession of lagoon floats, accompanied by fireworks. But in contrast to Disneyland where viewers watch the spectacle from the sidelines, at Wynn you have the opportunity to ride on the floats and be involved in the excitement.
Wynn expanded on the idea during the call:
Every night right after dark, an audio-visual parade takes place featuring 10-12 floats. This parade is a musical and visual spectacle, offering a more avant-garde experience than the Rose Bowl parade. It features enormous animated figures like spiders with their webs, King Kong, and the devil, all standing 25 to 30 feet tall.
The wonderful thing is that 10 to 12 people can participate in the parade by paying to get on the floats. These self-propelled floats are equipped with wheels and can descend a ramp before navigating through water using their propulsion systems.
Other plans include zip lines, carousel
Believing a giant float depicting the devil himself is wild, is merely the beginning of the entertainment options.
Wynn mentioned several other elements, such as:
- A vast carousel, featuring a center bar and Pullman cars, that hovers over the lagoon.
- LED-wired bumper cars
- Lagoon surrounded by zip lines
To clarify for those tracking, none of these elements pertain to gambling. Indeed, the company has no intentions of increasing its presence in the Las Vegas casino scene.
Instead, Wynn intends for this venue to be family-friendly and targets those seeking a resort experience rather than a gambling destination.
The project will also feature a 47-story hotel with over 1,500 rooms as part of its design. Additionally, the property will incorporate an indoor-outdoor convention space.
Given Wynn’s track record in Las Vegas, it seems like Paradise Park is set to outperform the Rio.
