Pyrotechnics explode during a news conference for America’s Party 2023 at the Fashion Show mall Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. From left: showgirl Tara Taylor, Corey Grucci of Fireworks by Grucci, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, Clark County Commission Chairman Jim Gibson, emcee Steph MacKenzie, Pat Christenson, president of Las Vegas Events, H. Fletch Brunelle, Vice President of marketing for the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority, and showgirl Jennifer Autry.
Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022 | 4:04 p.m.
“Let’s Go Big!”
That’s the theme of the upcoming, annual New Year’s Eve party on the Las Vegas Strip — America’s Party — and its accompanying pyrotechnic display.
Officials from the city of Las Vegas, Clark County and Fireworks by Grucci, including Mayor Carolyn Goodman, gathered Thursday morning in Fashion Show Mall’s Great Hall to discuss the citywide celebration.
“The countdown is on for the launch of America’s Party 2023,” Clark County Commission Chairman Jim Gibson said Thursday, on a stage flanked on either side by women dressed as showgirls. “The world knows that Las Vegas puts on a spectacular party.”
This year’s eight-minute, pyrotechnic performance will take off after midnight from the rooftops of eight different resorts, including the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, the ARIA Resort and Casino, Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace, Treasure Island, The Venetian Resort, Resorts World and the STRAT Hotel, Casino and Skypod.
Corey Grucci, production manager for Fireworks by Grucci — which has produced the fireworks show at America’s Party for 18 years — said the display includes more than 11,000 electrical devices and relies on dozens of pyrotechnicians.
He added that this year’s show aims to live up to the party’s theme of being bigger than ever before and will feature crisscrossing comets to a soundtrack of hits like Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.,” “Larger Than Life” by the Backstreet Boys and more.
“Every year, we put our heart and soul into this grand performance, and then you sit back and say, ‘Oh, that was great. What are we going to do next year?’” Grucci told the Las Vegas Sun. “So, it’s very creative; it’s very hands-on … And it's very challenging. But I'll tell you, you get to see the fruits of your labor. It’s amazing.”
The Strip resorts will also provide an array of entertainment options, including in showrooms, nightclubs, restaurants and more, for the thousands of people who flock to Las Vegas for the holiday, Gibson said.
“This year, we in Las Vegas certainly have reason to celebrate,” he said, noting proudly that the city has seen a continual increase in tourism. “America’s Party especially resonates this year.”
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Vice President of Marketing H. Fletch Brunelle echoed that sentiment, adding that Harry Reid International Airport saw a record of more than 5 million passengers in October.
He also touted the number of musicians headlining concerts in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve — including Pitbull at Resorts World, The Killers at the Cosmopolitan, Adele at Caesar’s Palace and more.
“No one does New Year’s Eve better than Las Vegas,” Brunelle said.
