Circus Circus Porte Cochère Lit Up at Night

Circus Circus opened on the Las Vegas Strip in 1968, developed by Jay Sarno, who also built Caesars Palace. Sarno originally conceived the property as a casino without hotel rooms, centered on a circus-themed gambling floor under a big top. It became one of the first Strip resorts to market itself to families rather than gamblers alone, a shift that shaped Las Vegas development through the 1980s and '90s. The property still runs a permanent indoor circus with free acts performing above the casino floor, a feature dating to its opening year. Circus Circus also appears as a setting in Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."

Photo taken in September 2023.