Las Vegas to pay tribute on 7th anniversary of tragedy

At first, the news trickled in slowly amid the chaos on the Las Vegas Strip.

It was Oct. 1, 2017. The time was just after 10 p.m., and the Route 91 Harvest country music festival was in full swing.

The early reports were of gunshots. Police swarmed the area. People may have been injured.

Over the next hours, the full extent of the tragedy was revealed. It was the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

A total of 58 people were killed and over 800 others injured. Two more concertgoers would die of their injuries several years later.

A gunman perched in an adjacent hotel tower rained bullets onto the crowd before eventually killing himself. No motive was ever determined.

Those terrifying minutes are forever etched into the history books and the minds of those who experienced it.

And each year around Oct. 1, the Las Vegas community reflects on that terrible night.

“Clark County is committed to remembering the lives that were lost as a result of the 1 October tragedy and the lives that have been changed forever,” Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson said.

“Our annual exhibit and remembrance ceremony are an important way to wrap our arms around those who suffer, to let them know they are not alone or forgotten, and also to remember the tremendous strength, unity and compassion that our community has continued to demonstrate in the years since,” Gibson said.

Here is a list of some of the events marking the anniversary of the tragedy. All events are free unless otherwise noted.

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Items from the Clark County Museum’s 1 October collection will be on display at the Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, from Monday through Oct. 10. The exhibit will be open for viewing from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a model of the Forever One Memorial, a proposed permanent memorial at the shooting site.

Other exhibits include the Art of Healing mural and the Angels of Love displays.

The mural was created by local artists and students from the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts. It contains nine panels with teddy bear images representing the lives lost Oct. 1 and condolence messages the public was invited to write the first year the mural was on display.

The Angels of Love exhibit, created by a California nonprofit group, contains stained-glass angels and memorabilia dedicated to the first responders at the shooting scene. It has been on display at the Government Center since 2018.

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The annual Jus’ Run Vegas Strong 5K and 1-mile races will be back this year to honor Oct. 1 victims, survivors and first responders.

The races begin at 8 a.m. Sunday in the Llama Lot at 900 Fremont Street. Net proceeds will go to victim funds and for other Las Vegas community-identified needs.

Race entry fees are $50 for the 5K and $40 for the mile run. People can participate virtually for $50. For details, visit

jusrun.com/races/vegasstrong.

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The Vegas Golden Knights Foundation, in partnership with Downtown Summerlin and blood-drive service Vitalant, will conduct a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday outside City National Arena off South Pavilion Center Drive.

Donors must make appointments in advance at donors.vitalant.org.

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A fundraiser for Play it Forward in honor of shooting victim Quinton Robbins will be from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday at the Chicken Shack, 110 N. Boulder Highway. Robbins, then 20, was one of the shooting’s youngest fatalities.

The foundation, which provides money and equipment for youth sports in Henderson, will receive 20% of the day’s dine-in and takeout proceeds. Additionally, organizers continue to seek donations of raffle items or gift cards. For more information, email [email protected].

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The city of Las Vegas is hosting a ceremony at 10:05 p.m. Tuesday at the Las Vegas Community Healing Garden, 1015 S. Casino Center Blvd., where the names of each person killed are read aloud. A bell will toll and a candle will be lit in remembrance of each victim.

The event also can be viewed on the city’s KCLV-TV (channel 2 on Cox Cable), as well as its X and Facebook channels.

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The annual 1 October Sunrise Remembrance Ceremony will begin at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Clark County Government Center amphitheater, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway.

The event will feature live country music, an honor guard, a minute of silence for those who lost their lives and remarks from officials, including Gov. Joe Lombardo.

The ceremony will be aired live on Clark County TV (channel 4 on Cox Cable) and streamed on the county’s Facebook, X and YouTube social media pages.

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University Medical Center will host its 1 October Memorial Blood Drive with blood-drive service Vitalant from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the hospital at 1800 W. Charleston Blvd.

Donors must make appointments in advance using code “UMCLV” at donors.vitalant.org.

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A full list of events commemorating the seventh anniversary of the Oct. 1 mass shooting is available on the Resiliency and Justice Center’s website, resiliencyandjustice.org/calendar.