Steve Wynn Returns to Vegas to Talk Mirage History

The conversation runs October 22 in the Golden Nugget's showroom and focuses on the period Wynn was most hands on, from financing and construction through The Mirage's early years of operation. Wynn arranged what was, at the time, a record setting $630 million financing package to get the resort built, a bet that the Strip could support something bigger and nicer than what was already there.

Neon Museum CEO Aaron Berger called The Mirage a resort that "represents a pivotal chapter of modern Las Vegas," which is the case the museum is making for why this story gets its own fundraiser conversation instead of just a display case.

When it opened in November 1989, The Mirage gave the Strip a volcano that erupted out front, a Siegfried and Roy show built around white tigers, and the first permanent Cirque du Soleil production ever staged on the Strip, Nouvelle Experience. That combination is widely credited with turning Las Vegas from a national punchline into a place people flew in for fine dining and world class entertainment, not just table games.

The volcano alone put on more than 400,000 shows before The Mirage closed in 2024. The building is being replaced by Hard Rock Las Vegas, a project still working through its own approvals, including a request for a second 2,000 seat theater on the same site.

The Neon Museum has been collecting Mirage pieces as the old resort comes down, including ceramic sculptures from the Secret Garden habitat, the resort's lagoon sign, and an original Volcano FireShooter, all now on display in the Neon Boneyard. If you want to see pieces of the resort before you hear Wynn talk about building it, the Boneyard is open most days and worth the trip on its own.

October 22 falls on a Thursday, so plan around a weekday evening if the talk is the reason for your trip. Golden Nugget sits in the Fremont Street district, a few minutes from the Boneyard and walkable to the Fremont Street Experience if you want to make a full downtown night of it. Tickets are through neonmuseum.org, and Golden Nugget itself has been investing in the property lately, including a new poker room in Rush Tower if cards are part of your night.