What is the Fremont street experience in Las Vegas?
The Fremont Street Experience located in Downtown Las Vegas and offers a wide range of entertainment which rivals the newer and bigger casinos.
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A brief history of the area
Overview
Fremont Street is rich in history.
It has been the site of many Las Vegas firsts, including first hotel, which was the Hotel Nevada in 1906 and is now The Golden Gate.
It was also the site of Nevada’s first telephone in 1907, the first paved street in 1925, the first Nevada gaming license, which was issued to the Northern Club at 15 Fremont Street, the first traffic lights, first elevator, which served The Apache Hotel and the first high-rise, being The Freemont Hotel in 1956.
The Horseshoe was the first casino to install carpeting, while the Golden Nugget was the first structure designed from the ground up to be a casino.
In more recent times, the shows and mega casinos of The Strip have somewhat overtaken Freemont Street and in some people’s eyes left it in the shadows.
Freemont Street today
Today
In the past 20 years however, there has been much investment in the area and the most obvious and largest part of the Fremont Street Experience today is the Viva Vision canopy and light show.
The canopy towers 90 feet above the ground and spans the length of five football pitches.
Featuring more than 12 million LED modules and 555,000-watt sound system, the light show attracts tourists and locals alike who come in their thousands to witness the incredible spectacle.
The first light show was broadcast in 1995.
Nearly a decade later in 2004, $17 million was invested in upgrading the Viva Vision canopy.
Further development
Significant improvements were made and now it has 10 times higher resolution, resulting in clearer, sharper pictures. It can also display 16.7 million colour combinations.
The display is so sharp, live video can be broadcast on what is the world's largest screen. Concerts, usually free, are also held on two sound stages.
Final word
The venue has become a major tourist attraction for Downtown Las Vegas, and is also the location of the Neon Museum at The Freemont Street Experience and the city's annual New Year’s Eve party, complete with fireworks on the display screen.