Volcano at the Mirage

Named Las Vegas' “Best Man-made Wonder” by Las Vegas Weekly, the iconic visual experience welcoming guests to the Mirage Hotel Resort has long proved a show-stopping attraction in its own right. First unveiled in 1989, the Mirage Volcano was geared to be little more than a tourist feature, created to draw greater attention to the resort at a time when the landscape of Las Vegas was a developer's playground. Every night at 7 pm, a cluster of anticipatory visitors would gather to watch the timed spectacle, marveling at the seamless light show created by little more than a few strobe effects and butane ignitions hidden among the rocks of the 20 foot high mountain. Today, that mountain is bigger, wider and encompassed by a huge moat of turquoise pools and fountains – the ideal setting for one of Vegas' most popular free experiences on the Strip.

Commencing with the gentle fizzing of geysers beneath the surface of the tranquil pool, the volcano's eruption is slow and dramatic, timed perfectly with the signature “world music” score, composed by Grateful Dead drummer Micky Hart and Bollywood music producer Zakir Hussain. Critically acclaimed by worldwide press, Mirage Volcano is the only purpose-built structure of its kind to replicate the gradual eruption of a volcano, from the boiling of the magma, to the subsequent cracking of the volcano's crust, through which streams of molten lava gradually descend. Of course, the Las Vegas volcano's eruption has been created entirely by the pairing of digital lighting effects and synchronized flame-throwers, along with a little thing called flame-expression technology – usually reserved for big budget Hollywood blockbuster stunts. The result is a truly magnificent sound and light show, ricocheting off the rocks and lagoon pools of the decadent Mirage – a sight many now cite, as a once in a lifetime experience.