Trip the light fantastic with Viva Vision, a six-minute light show that screens hourly every night at the huge pedestrian mall on Fremont Street. Located in downtown Las Vegas, the Fremont Street Experience is part retro Las Vegas shaken up with the latest sound and visual effects and blended with live entertainment that draws around 25,000 visitors daily.
Subtle, it ain't, but who comes to Las Vegas looking for natural wonders? The Fremont Street is the city's most popular stretch after the Las Vegas Strip. The five-block pedestrian mall is in the historic gambling district with the revamped Plaza hotel and casino at one end and the Neonopolis entertainment complex at the other. The main drawcard is the free Viva Vision light and sound show projected onto the underside of a 457m-long, 27m-high arched canopy - the largest screen in the world. Since the first light show debuted in 1995, this sight-and-sound spectacular has seen new shows created every year mesmerising locals and visitors alike.
The arresting sight and ear-popping sound of the Viva Vision extravaganza is courtesy of 12.5 million synchronised LED lamps including 180 strobes and eight robotic mirrors per block, and a 555,000-watt sound system through 208 speakers. The high-definition visuals can display 16.7 million colour combinations on the massive screen. The shows change hourly and recent offerings have included tributes to Queen, The Doors, Bon Jovi and Don McLean's 'American Pie'. An added attraction is the zip-line ride underneath the Viva Vision canopy. Flightlinez at Fremont costs from US$15 and contains four 244m-long lines where you can reach speeds up to 48kmph as you zip overhead. The ride is open from Sunday to Thursday from noon to 1am, and from Friday to Saturday from noon to 2am. Elsewhere on the street you'll find cafes, markets, shops and other eclectic characters and entertainment.
To visit the Fremont Street Experience, from the Las Vegas @ Paris stop on Las Vegas Strip take the northbound DEUCE bus to 4th @Fremont stop and walk for one minute - a half-hour journey altogether.
