Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

By the numbers: A look at New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas

NYE 2011: The Strip

Christopher DeVargas

Crowds watch and react to the fireworks display above the strip on New Year’s Eve, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011.

FireworkSet-up for New Year's Eve

Felix Grucci, executive producer for Launch slideshow »
Click to enlarge photo

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman is flanked by civic leaders and show girls during a press conference Dec. 20, 2012, at Fashion Show Mall to announce plans for New Year's Eve fireworks.

After 14 years, Las Vegas residents may take fireworks over the Strip on New Year's Eve for granted.

But plans for this year's "America's Party" fireworks show have been in the works since the sparks settled from New Year's Eve 2011. Felix Grucci Jr., whose family produces the shows, said planning began Jan. 5.

"It is somewhat of an art form," he said today during a press conference at Fashion Show Mall. "It really is the largest pyrotechnic program in the nation for New Year's Eve. It is an enormous logistics task, because the amount of explosives we bring into this city and put on rooftops of buildings with people in them."

Besides coordinating with the police and fire departments, Fireworks by Grucci must manufacture most of the fireworks launched during the 8 minute, 12 second show. Grucci said this year's will be the biggest fireworks show yet.

Here are some of the numbers behind the show and New Year's Eve on the Strip:

• 7: This number covers three areas — the number of buildings launching fireworks off their roofs: the MGM Grand, the Aria, Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace, Treasure Island, the Venetian and the Stratosphere. Seven is also the number of days it takes to install the fireworks and the number of songs that will be played during the show, culminating with David Guetta's "Titanium."

• 60: Number of members on the fireworks team.

• 10,000: Number of electric circuits firing the explosives.

• 88,166: Shells that will be fired during the show

• 300,000: Anticipated number of visitors in Las Vegas for New Year's Eve.

• 200 million: Estimated number of non-gaming dollars expected to be infused into the local economy.

• 68: Number of arrests made by Metro Police on New Year's Eve 2011 for drunken driving.

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