Las Vegas City Council Approves Plans for New Vegas Immersive District

(eap) An expansion of the AREA15 retail and entertainment complex in Las Vegas, which has been open since 2020, has been in planning for some time – part of this is to include a year-round horror experience attraction from Universal Destinations & Experiences called Universal Horror Unleashed (c.f. EAP News of 12 Jan 2023). The Las Vegas City Council recently approved plans to redevelop a former industrial district north of AREA15. As a result, the “New Vegas Immersive District” project (the now official name of the planned AREA15 expansion) is entering its next phase.

Universal Horror Unleashed, anchor-attraction of planned New Vegas Immersive District © Image: AREA15 In addition to the Universal attraction, which according to Fisher Brothers (investor behind the AREA15 developments and the planned expansion) will be one of the future anchors, “vibrant art installations” and cultural adventures as well as retail, office spaces and multi-family housing are to be created. The Boeing 747 acquired from the Burning Man Festival in 2022 is also to be given a permanent home in the New Vegas Immersive District. Next, extensive infrastructure measures are required to develop and redesign the area earmarked for the Immersive District. According to the city of Las Vegas, the large-scale development is expected to create several thousand new jobs and also attract many more tourists from home and abroad.

In 2022, Fisher Brothers announced its intention to also develop a second AREA15 location with a focus on experiences, retail and entertainment in the “theme park capital” of Orlando, Florida (c.f. EAP News of 11 Mar 2022). ■