Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville casino opens Oct. 1 at the Flamingo

Provided by Caesars Entertainment

A side-view rendering of Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville casino at the Flamingo.

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A rendering of the "5 o'clock somewhere" bar at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville casino at the Flamingo.

Click to enlarge photo

A view of the new Margaritaville casino sign hanging outside the Flamingo. The sign went up the week of Sept. 19. The casino is scheduled to open Oct. 1.

The slots are installed, the palm trees pruned and the margaritas ready for mixing. Good news, Parrotheads: Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville casino at the Flamingo is scheduled to open Oct. 1.

It will be a soft opening to make sure operations run smoothly, and a grand opening is planned Oct. 14. That also will be the kickoff of “Margaritaville Week,” which include street parties, a Jimmy Buffett concert and an attempt at creating the world’s largest margarita.

“We’re at the very final stages, down to the final coat of paint,” Flamingo President Rick Mazer said Friday. “The exterior sign is up, the interior signs are going up, the slots are all placed, and the tables will be placed today. It’s truly just the fine tuning and details.”

A portion of the Las Vegas Boulevard sidewalk was closed this week so Flamingo staff could hang a Margaritaville sign under the resort’s signature pink plume. Dust walls still block renovated portions of the casino floor but they should come down next week.

“The nice thing about the space is it sits on Las Vegas Boulevard,” Mazer said. “We have tens of thousands of individuals who walk by the doors on a daily basis. We’re hoping this is a feature and attraction for those folks who wander in off the street, as well as for the guests of the Flamingo and for the thousands of customers we have at Margaritaville.”

Buffett’s signature restaurant opened at the Flamingo in 2003. The singer and his Coral Reefer Band will be back in Las Vegas on Oct. 15 and 22 to play at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The Flamingo intentionally planned the casino’s grand opening to coincide with the concerts. Free all-day street parties with live music, games, food and drinks will be held starting 11 a.m. Oct. 15 and 22 in the alley between the Flamingo and O’Sheas, the site of Caesars Entertainment’s upcoming Linq project. Organizers also will try to break the Guinness world record for largest margarita.

On Oct. 11, staff will begin mixing 8,500 gallons of tequila, triple sec and margarita mix to create the mammoth 30-foot tall “Lucky Rita.” Workers plan to spend 300 hours around the clock mixing the concoction. The public will have a chance to top it off — and taste it — Oct. 15.

Margaritaville previously held the world’s largest margarita title but lost it last year to Ricardo’s Mexican Restaurant on Flamingo at Decatur.

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