Nothing is more Las Vegas than an implosion. The city loves to level its past and reinvent itself by building the next shiny new toy on the same site. Given that an acre of prime Strip real estate sells for no less than $6 million—often many times more than that—it’s understandable.
In this case, we’re talking about the Tropicana coming crumbling down to clear the way for a professional baseball stadium that’ll be built there for the Oakland Athletics’ move to Las Vegas (that’s the plan anyway).
To make room for that, the Tropicana will be imploded in the early morning hours of Wednesday, October 9; the two 22-story towers are set to collapse simultaneously at 2:30am. Prior to the implosion there will be a drone show and Grucci fireworks display, naturally. We told you it’d be a spectacle.
And room rates at nearby resorts are already reflecting it. The going rate at MGM Grand for that Tuesday night starts at $1,542. In comparison, the Tuesday prior a room can be had for $104.
The 67-year-old Tropicana closed for good on April 2. Some of the resort’s memorabilia and signs have been donated to the Neon Museum and are already on display. The A’s are expected to move to Las Vegas for the start of the 2028 season but they have yet to secure all the funding necessary to build the $1.5 billion stadium.