It immediately conjures up a vision of Las Vegas luxury after uttering its name.
The majestic 3,933-room Strip resort turns 25 on Sunday.
It seems like only yesterday that Las Vegas poured into a cold and windy Thursday afternoon to behold Steve Wynn’s latest lodging masterpiece, with a massive casino – one of the five most significant in the city – a seasonally changing conservatory showcasing the city’s finest floral displays, arguably the most impressive art gallery in Southern Nevada, award-winning restaurants and, of course, the fountains.
The Bellagio fountains have their own iconic status and is one of the most Instagrammed Las Vegas attractions.
From opening night, when the breeze pushed the fountain’s spray of water over the crowd of onlookers, to today, as the resort prepares for what could be the city’s most successful special event, the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix, the Bellagio has seen some great moments.
Wynn, who built the resort for an outrageous $1.6 billion, is long gone. Today, the resort is owned by Blackstone Group, a real estate investment trust, but MGM Resorts International manages it as one of its major brands.
Over the years, the Bellagio has seen some great moments. Here are 25 of them:
-October 15, 1998. Inauguration of the Bellagio. A star-studded event with the debut of the fountains and an epic fireworks show.
-May 30, 2000. Mirage Resorts, owner of Bellagio, is acquired by then MGM Grand Inc.
-September 25, 2001. Premiere of “I’m a Slave 4 U” by Britney Spears. Her first fountain performance was at the Billboard Music Awards.
-December 5, 2001. Ocean’s 11″ is released. Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon and a long list of stars, the film remake marked a watershed moment for Bellagio. The final shot of “Ocean’s 11” overlooking the fountains was the first of many incredible pop culture moments featuring Bellagio.
-2001. Bellagio became the first casino resort to receive AAA’s Five Diamond Award.
-May 2003. The World Poker Tour, a series of domestic and international poker tournaments, premiered at Bellagio with the Five Diamond World Poker Classic. The tournament aired on Travel Channel, creating a new television series for poker fans interested in watching top players compete monthly for prizes of more than $1 million. The show’s popularity had a major impact on the growth of poker over the next 20 years, cementing Bellagio’s reputation among players worldwide as the best poker room in the industry.
-November 2003. Le Cirque and Picasso received AAA Five Diamond awards. Bellagio remains the only hotel with two Five Diamond restaurants under one roof.
-2004. Victoria’s Secret dyes the fountains pink. It was the only time the colors of the fountains had been changed.
-December 2004. Spa Tower added. The Spa Tower at Bellagio added a new restaurant, expanded the resort’s award-winning Spa and salon, expanded convention facilities and added a 30,000-square-foot ballroom, as well as 928 more rooms and suites.
-September 2008. The Patisserie chocolate fountain obtained a Guinness World Record for being the largest chocolate fountain in the world.
-August 5, 2010. Cirque du Soleil reaches 10 million visitors at “O”, celebrating the success of the resort’s flagship show. Performed at the 5,626th performance of the show.
-August 2015. “Shochiku,” a kabuki show at The Fountains of Bellagio, premieres. The multimedia kabuki show, “Koi Tsukami (Fight with a Carp),” incorporated high-tech digital projection on the fountains for five free 30-minute performances.
-November 18, 2016. Bruno Mars’ “24k Magic” music video “24k Magic” is released. It was shot in a Bellagio villa and concluded with the performer riding a jet ski around the fountains.
-July 11, 2016. “Jason Bourne,” a film starring Matt Damon, is released. The film featured a car chase and a crash with the Bellagio fountains in the background.
-May 21, 2017. Drake performs “Gyalchester” at the Billboard Music Awards, featuring pyrotechnic effects in the fountains for the first time.
-June 2018. Wolfgang Puck’s Spago opened its doors, joining Bellagio’s portfolio of restaurants overlooking the fountains, quickly becoming one of the hardest tables to book. Jennifer Lopez chose Spago for the release party of her album “Dinero.”
-April 4, 2019. A limited engagement of a fountain show dedicated to ” Game of Thrones” is released. Composer Ramin Djawadi partnered with fountain contractor Wet to create a show with water, fire and music.
-May 2019. James Corden and Celine Dion hosted the fountains on “Carpool Karaoke” in a performance of “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic.”
-December 31, 2019. The Mayfair Supper Club opens, bringing a new dining experience to Bellagio.
-October 5, 2020. Jamie Foxx, using the fountains as a backdrop, launches BetMGM and MGM Resorts’ marketing campaign around “The King of Sports Betting.”
-October 2021. MGM Resorts auctions 11 Picasso paintings from the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art to diversify its art offerings.
-February 2022. For the first time, the National Hockey League holds its NHL All-Star Game at T-Mobile Arena and the league hosts its Skills Challenges competition in and around the fountains.
-April 2022. South Korean artists BTS, in Las Vegas for four performances at Allegiant Stadium, perform a show at the Bellagio Fountains.
-April 2022. For three days, the National Football League hosted the NFL Draft in Las Vegas and the Bellagio Fountains took center stage as the league built a stage over the fountains and introduced drafted players there with a red carpet.
-June 2022. Imagine Dragons, a Las Vegas band, used the Bellagio as the backdrop for a new music video, “Sharks,” with Dan Reynolds surfing in the fountains as the “sharks” circled around.
