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The Tropicana Hotel was one of the most iconic casino-resorts on the Las Vegas Strip for nearly 70 years. It was one of 2 Las Vegas hotel closures earlier this year, along with the equally famous Mirage. On October 9 at 2:30 AM, the Tropicana was imploded spectacularly in about 22 seconds, the first implosion in Vegas in almost a decade.

Here’s a video of the Tropicana implosion and more details on what’s coming to one of the best locations on the Las Vegas Strip.

 

Video of the Tropicana implosion

Here’s the video of the Tropicana’s 2 tall hotel towers being taken down by controlled demolition using 2,000 pounds of explosives.

 

On Monday, I’m actually checking into the hotel right across the street from the Tropicana site, so I’ll update this post with my own pictures of what’s left. 

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Timing of the Tropicana implosion

Yes, they really did the implosion at 2:30 AM local time.

They even had 555 drones and a fireworks show for good measure… as if the sound of 22-story buildings exploding wasn’t enough for the people trying to sleep (literally thousands in hotel rooms all around).  

They did it in the middle of the night to minimize traffic, environmental, and other disruptions.

Many travelers made their way to Vegas to attend the event, with the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, MGM Collection even hosting a viewing party on its rooftop terrace. Many hotels with a view of the Tropicana were fully booked, and room prices were much higher than usual mid-week deals.

Party banner (image credit: Mandalay Bay)

 

Reason for the Tropicana implosion

The Tropicana sits on the corner of Las Vegas and Tropicana Boulevard, one of the prime locations on the Strip.

The very old hotel was demolished to make space for a new Major League Baseball stadium, as the former Oakland Athletics have announced their move to Las Vegas. They’ll play in Sacramento, the Californian capital, for a few years while the stadium is built.

Stadium new renditions
Stadium new renditions (image credit: Wikimedia)

 

The stadium will have 33,000 seats and cost US$1.5 billion. It’s expected to be ready for the 2028 season. A new resort will be built next to it, too. Construction should begin next year. Now, many observers are skeptical of the stadium plan, and nothing is really official yet. 

But that’s what is supposed to take the Tropicana’s place, at least. If it doesn’t happen, a new resort will definitely take up this great location eventually. It won’t stay empty for long.

You can read about the Tropicana’s history and future plans in our post about 2024’s Las Vegas hotel closures.

 

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Summary

After nearly 70 years as an iconic Las Vegas Strip landmark, the Tropicana Hotel was spectacularly imploded on October 9, taking just 22 seconds to come down. The demolition video is impressive to see — the event was accompanied by fireworks and a drone show.

 

What would you like to know about the demolition of the Tropicana resort in Las Vegas? Tell us in the comments below.

 

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Featured image: Tropicana Las Vegas (photo credit: Tropicana Las Vegas, official Facebook, JackpotJSlots, official Youtube, edited by Flytrippers)

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Andrew D'Amours

Andrew is the co-founder of Flytrippers. He is passionate about traveling the world but also, as a former management consultant, about the travel industry itself. He shares his experiences to help you save money on travel. As a very cost-conscious traveler, he loves finding deals and getting free travel thanks to travel rewards points... to help him visit every country in the world (current count: 71/193 Countries, 47/50 US States & 9/10 Canadian Provinces).

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