Aerial view of the Las Vegas Strip, looking north over The Bellagio fountain.
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LAS VEGAS – Top officials in Las Vegas expect the guestlist for “America's Party 2023” to surpass 400,000 people this year, even as rain forecast throughout the evening could put a damper on New Year's Eve celebrations, including the iconic midnight fireworks show over the Strip.
If Clark County officials pull the plug Saturday night on the annual eight-minute pyrotechnic show, it would mark the first weather-related cancellation in the event's 22-year history. The show was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Michael Mack, a spokesperson for Las Vegas Events, said rain alone isn't likely to threaten the longstanding show.
“Wind is the thing we watch out for,” he said.
More than 11,000 pyrotechnics are expected to launch from the rooftops of eight Strip hotel-casinos when the clock strikes midnight, in addition to a fireworks show at the Plaza hotel-casino in downtown Las Vegas.
As of Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service, an 80% chance of precipitation was in the cards in the hours leading up to the show, with gusts during the day potentially reaching 35 mph.
“That's a pretty high chance this far out,” said Las Vegas-based meteorologist Trevor Boucher. “That shouldn't be shrugged off.”
Meanwhile, rain or shine, the Strip will be closed to vehicles by 8 p.m. on New Year's Eve and reopen around 2 a.m. Sunday, according to Andy Walsh, a Las Vegas police undersheriff. And when the party ends, 16 street-sweeping trucks will be deployed up and down Las Vegas Boulevard to collect an estimated 12 tons of trash left behind by revelers on the Strip and in downtown.