Fremont Street Experience

Just another night on the Las Vegas Strip, right? Wrong.

Welcome to the Fremont Street Experience located in fabulous Downtown Las Vegas.

This project blends vintage Las Vegas with high tech wonderment, live entertainment and more to create an attraction that rivals the famed Vegas Strip.

"Visitors come to Fremont Street Experience for multiple reasons," said Jeff Victor, president of the Fremont Street Experience. "We offer free live entertainment, an intimate party atmosphere with a laid back feel and a group of great casinos in close proximity to one another."

All of the lights

The most obvious and largest part of the Fremont Street Experience is the Viva Vision canopy and light show. The canopy towers 90 feet above the ground and spans the length of five football fields. Featuring more than 12 million LED modules and 555,000-watt sound system, the light show attracts tourists and locals alike.

The first light show debuted in 1995. Nearly a decade later, the Viva Vision canopy had $17 million worth of upgrades. Today, the canopy offers 10 times higher resolution, resulting in clearer, sharper pictures. In addition, it can also display 16.7 million color combinations. The display is so sharp, live video can be broadcast on what is the world's largest screen.

Viva Vision features shows like "Bad to the Bone," a wild motorcycle ride with the bad boys of rock as well as "A Tribute to Queen," where visitors can listen to "We Will Rock You" and "We are the Champions" while admiring the stunning graphics above. Fans of KISS can also catch the show, "KISS Over Vegas." During this tribute to the legendary foursome, visitors can rock to hits like "Lick it Up," "Shout it out Loud" and "Rock 'n' Roll All Night." 

The newest addition to Viva Vision is "Bon Jovi's Cosmic Concert." This show features three songs selected by Jon Bon Jovi including "It's My Life," "Who Says You Can't Go Home" and "Livin' On A Prayer." Using Jon Bon Jovi’s original concept, the band performs their iconic songs traveling across the universe.

New Viva Vision shows are created each year and are rotated in and out. The Experience can choose from a library of about 15 shows at any given time.

Technicians only have three minutes to load the show on the big screen. They are assisted by eight high-tech computers that intertwine the light, visual and audio systems. Cameras are mounted on the actual Viva Vision screen and transmit a live video feed to a row of LCD screens inside the control room so technicians can monitor everything.

More than just a light show 

Fremont Street Experience is more than just choreographed lights and sounds: "We are constantly creating events and experiences here for both locals and tourists," said Victor.

Anchored by the newly-revamped Plaza Hotel on one end and the Neonopolis shopping mall on the other, there are plenty of things to see and do in between.

Thrill seekers can breeze right beneath the Viva Vision canopy on a thrilling, yet relaxing zip line ride. On Flightlinez at Fremont Street Experience, soar at speeds up to 30 miles per hour. There are four lines total, each running 800 feet in length. The box office and launching elevator are located next to Walgreens and across from the Neonopolis. Bring your friends and get ready to cheer and giggle in excitement. 

Each year, the Experience hosts a number of special events including Race Jam during the NASCAR weekend, the annual Downtown Hoedown during National Finals Rodeo and Las Vegas Bike Fest in September. Live tribute bands also perform outside nightly.

If food, music and dancing interests you, the monthly Vegas StrEATS Festival hosted every second Saturday outside of the El Cortez features a variety of food trucks, a beer stand, live DJ-spun music and much more. Think of it as a neighborhood block party, but with a downtown Vegas twist. 

There are other food spots including a Piccadilly Pizza, a gourmet coffee stand, a popcorn cart, as well as cheap eats at Mermaids casino. These include deep-fried Oreos, deep-fried Twinkies, chocolate-covered bananas or hot dogs for only 99 cents and mini-chicken sliders for $5.99. The Beef Jerky Store not only offers more flavors of this classic snack than you can imagine (including veggie options!), but you'll find a variety of chocolates, candy and a wide selection of Hawaiian food favorites. That's a whole lot to chew on. 

Shops on the Fremont Street Experience include various paintings as well as kiosks selling souvenir items like engraved rice grain jewelry, unique T-shirts, hats and much more. There is an Indian arts and crafts market, too. The Heart Attack Grill offers humungous burgers and fries served to you by waitresses dressed like nurses. The restaurant takes the term "Eat your heart out" to a whole other level: Customers weighing more than 350 pounds eat for free.

The Experience now has a Hollywood Boulevard flair: You can take a picture with people dressed up as popular celebrities and characters. At the end of Fremont Street Experience, Fremont East District keeps the party going. Here you'll find a handful of eclectic bars, lounges and even a coffee bar/record store/two-story art gallery. Hipsters and artsy folks will definitely feel at home.  

With all the different interests offered here, there is always something fun for everyone to "experience." 

"The Fremont Street Experience and the surrounding casinos offer a very different feel than the Strip," Victor said. "Guests often use the word 'real' when they talk about this environment. The energy of the group is really great. They bring big smiles, curious eyes and lots of laughter."

-- Review by Jeannie Borbe