Most Bellagio Las Vegas Trees Planted to Replace Those Felled For F1 Now Dead

Posted on: April 12, 2024, 02:46h. 

Last updated on: April 12, 2024, 06:01h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas.

Of the 14 fir trees replanted last fall in front of the Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip, a whopping 13 are no longer alive. The trees replaced similar, but more mature, evergreens felled to make way for a Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix grandstand last fall.

Approximately 45 trees formed one of the only tree-lined sections of the Strip for 25 years. Since the resort opened, they provided welcome and vital shade from the desert sun to visitors watching the Bellagio fountain show. (Image: X/@JamesinLasVegas via Vital Vegas)

Following up on this story, which was broken by Casino.org’s own Vital Vegas on X/Twitter yesterday, the Las Vegas Review-Journal got an MGM rep to reply that “it hopes to replace the trees with a heartier species” next week

New trees will arrive as early as Monday, the R-J reports, and will be fully planted by next Thursday or Friday.

All Bellagio trees are expected to be removed each fall for the annual F1 race, which will return to the Las Vegas Strip on Nov. 23, 2024 and possibly on eight more Thanksgiving weekends after that.

However, they are now planted in boxes to facilitate their easy removal.

Shady Move

When MGM released the renderings of its Bellagio Fountain Club in November 2022, it was obvious that Bellagio’s sidewalk trees would need to come down to accommodate it. The Fountain Club is a 3,600-person capacity grandstand featuring celebrity chefs, a rooftop deck, and a $13K admission cost per person.

Some of those trees had been there since the time they were planted in front of the Dunes, the Bellagio’s successor, which Steve Wynn had imploded in 1993.

At the time, Travelzork reported being promised by an MGM Resorts spokesperson that the company would “temporarily and safely remove the trees in front of the Bellagio fountains.”

When the trees facing the street, which constituted the vast majority, were instead hacked and woodchipped overnight, Twitter exploded with rage.

The trees were replaced with younger first last December. A month later, by arborists declared them to be in good shape, according to the R-J. However, their condition rapidly deteriorated in March.