Las Vegas’s art and entertainment district has announced a major expansion, spanning 20 acres running north along Interstate 15, and a permanent installation from Universal Parks and Resorts.
What’s Happening:
- AREA15, the immersive art and entertainment district located minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, announces a monumental expansion spanning 20 acres to its north along Interstate 15. Universal Parks & Resorts will anchor the District expansion with a new, year-round horror entertainment experience inspired by its popular Halloween Horror Nights. The new development extends beyond AREA15’s main complex, renowned for its iconic immersive experiences such as Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart, Illuminarium and Lost Spirits Distillery. AREA15 is seeking tenant partners to bring even more best-in-class immersive experiences, attractions, curated retail, unique entertainment and adventurous food and beverage destinations to the immersive entertainment District
- The AREA15 District’s expansion will include more than 450,000 square feet of customizable retail, office and residential space featuring different types of building structures, with tenant leasing opportunities ranging from 1,000 square feet to 60,000 square feet. The recently unveiled anchor experience, Universal Parks & Resorts, will occupy over 110,000 square feet in a stand-alone building on the southern end of District. Additionally, more than 85,000 square feet will be dedicated to pop-ups and outdoor experiences, including a salvaged Boeing 747 aircraft to be repurposed as an event space. With consumers continuing to gravitate towards immersive retail experiences, the expanded district’s future tenants will have the opportunity to create bespoke storefront concepts adding to AREA15’s vibrant, immersive ecosystem.
- AREA15’s existing complex has welcomed nearly 4 million visitors, created more than 1,000 jobs and hosted over 200 live events and performances in its two and a half years of operation. Among the numerous accolades it has received, AREA15 has been named “Best Immersive Art Experience” by USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards, one of “The 10 Most Innovative Urban Development and Real Estate Companies of 2020″ by Fast Company, “Reader’s Choice—Best Attraction” by Las Vegas Weekly, “Best Arts Hub” by Vegas Magazine, claimed the No. 1 spot in Blooloop’s “World’s Top 11 Immersive Art Experiences,” included in Las Vegas Magazine’s Hall of Fame and earned the Urban Land Institute Nevada’s Placemaking Award for Excellence in the private sector category.
What They’re Saying:
- Winston Fisher, chief executive officer, AREA15: “AREA15 curates a constellation of world-class experiences and our partnership with an internationally renowned entertainment company such as Universal marks a significant milestone in our evolution. Consumers continue to gravitate toward artful new forms of entertainment providing immersive experiences, authentic connections and real emotions. The demand for more AREA15 experiences is high, and we are ready to dive into this substantial expansion and find more partnerships that will have a lasting impact on the AREA15 District and the City of Las Vegas.”
- City of Las Vegas Councilwoman Olivia Diaz: “AREA15 has positively transformed this area of my ward and turned it into a vibrant and creative arts community. The further expansion of the District will be invaluable for our city, especially for those interested in the immersive entertainment industry.”
- Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman: “Las Vegas is an entertainment destination unlike any other and AREA15 has helped change the landscape in the city since opening in 2020. We are very excited about their plans to expand so dramatically. Just minutes from the Strip, this immersive experience is the next unique and groundbreaking attraction Las Vegas has to offer our visitors and locals alike.”