Fremont Street Experience

Information

At a Glance

What is it?

A 4-block long pedestrian mall through the part of Downtown Las Vegas known as Glitter Gulch, with the Viva Vision light and sound show canopy above it.

Where is it?

Downtown Las Vegas along Fremont Street between Main and Las Vegas Boulevard.

Is it worth the cost?

It’s free but would be worth it even if you had to pay.

What else do I need to know?

The canopy got an upgrade in 2019 to make it even more brilliant than it was.

What’s the bottom line?

This is one of the best attractions in Las Vegas – a “must-see!”

Full Review

Back in the day Fremont Street was the heart of the Las Vegas.  The first buildings sprang up along here in the late 1800s and when the city was incorporated in 1905, Fremont was the bustling main street.

Later, as casinos developed and put up their enormous neon signs, this stretch of the street became known as Glitter Gulch, a famous bit of real estate that only became less famous when The Strip started developing in the 1940s and 1950s.

The area around Downtown Las Vegas declined as the 1980s and 1990s swung in and so the city decided to do something that, at the time, was nothing short of heresy.  They closed Fremont Street to automobile traffic – no more cruising in a convertible down Glitter Gulch! – put in a pedestrian mall, and put a giant canopy over the whole thing that had light and sound shows.  It seemed, to most, like a terrible idea but darned if it didn’t work and is one of the main reasons why Downtown Las Vegas is such a tourist destination today.

There a bunch of different shows, some themed to specific music acts like Heart, Green Day, Imagine Dragons, The Who, and more plus general themes like holidays, flying, and Area 51.  It’s fun and silly and a great way to spend a couple of minutes away from a slot machine.

Shows happen on the hour, every hour after dark and rotate frequently so check the website for what is playing when.

A $32 million upgrade of the visuals and sound was completed in 2019, which dramatically enhanced the experience. The new version has over 16 million LED lights making it 4 times the resolution of the old version and is 7 times brighter. In fact, while the shows only run at night, there is programming on the screens now 24 hours a day.

Along the pedestrian mall are several major casinos including The Golden Nugget and The Four Queens, attractions like the SlotZilla zip line, shopping at Neonopolis and other stores, and restaurants like The Heart Attack Grill.