LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — When fireworks dazzle the crowd on the Las Vegas Strip this year, it will mark the 20th time that Fireworks by Grucci has orchestrated the New Year’s Eve spectacular.
The Grucci family — heralded as America’s First Family of Fireworks — did its first show here in 2001. This year, a 10th hotel has been added to the extravaganza: Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
Archive photos have captured the fireworks shows on the Strip for years, and this shot shows Grucci’s first year:
More photos through the years show more than fireworks — they chronicle the history of the Strip and Downtown Las Vegas. The photos come from the Las Vegas News Bureau Collection at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) Archive.
Several photos show the Strip’s growth spurt as it happened. Others show resorts that have been torn down, imploded and replaced.
Views from New Year’s Eve 2002, 2004 and 2008 show Wynn Las Vegas going up, and The Venetian, too.
The Riviera, Stardust and Frontier are prominent in 2004, but they’re long gone…