What’s happening at the Forum Shops on the Las Vegas Strip?
Looking to find a luxury bag, eat at a celebrity chef restaurant and see an animatronic show, all in one place? Look no further than the Forum Shops
Known for its iconic sky-painted ceilings and attention to detail, the Forum Shops at Caesars helped bring upscale and luxury offerings to the Strip and Las Vegas as a whole.
Today, the offerings have only expanded, with shoppers able to visit luxury stores that can only be found in the Forum Shops and flagship locations for the nation’s trendiest shops. With a basically zero-percent vacancy rate and 160 storefronts, according to mall management, the Forum Shops have remained a destination for retailers, tourists and locals alike.
Opening of the Forum Shops
The Forum Shops at Caesars is on a ground lease with Caesars Palace and has been owned and operated by the same company since opening in 1992: Simon Properties Group.
The land was previously home to the Caesars Palace Grand Prix, a part of the Formula 1 World Championship, but it was unsuccessful, leading to the mall being announced in 1987 on the land.
Construction started on the 8.4 acres in 1990, with Simon Properties Group, then Melvin Simon and Associates, and The Gordon Company as the co-owners and developers on the project. In the future, Simon Property Group bought out The Gordon Company for $174 million in 2003.
Doors opened on May 1, 1992, with 283,000 square feet of retail space and around 45 storefronts. Among the original stores and restaurants included Spago, Versace, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Victoria’s Secret.
At the time, people questioned Las Vegas as a shopping destination, with a Los Angeles Times headline reading “Mall of the Roman Empire - Vegas as Shopping Destination?”
Multiple expansions have happened at the location, the first in 1997 adding the Atlantis show, which depicts the fall of Atlantis and a 50,000-gallon aquarium to go along with it, as well as another shopping concourse.
Another key component to the expansion was the three-story FAO Schwartz, with a giant Trojan Horse inside the store. It subsequently closed in 2010.
In 2004, a $139 million expansion opened, adding a new wing with 52 retailers, then-Mayor Oscar Goodman was in attendance, calling it “nicer than the Vatican” in a Review-Journal article about the expansion.
Forum Shops today
Walking through the Forum Shops today, it still has the same features as originally planned. With sky ceilings and lights programmed to change every 40 minutes to mimic the outside, the Atlantis Show and columns galore. Although, they still keep their finger on the pulse with luxury and first to market offerings.
The Forum Shops also pride themselves in having 43 first to market storefronts in Las Vegas, including Urban Necessities, Culture Kings and Glossier, with more to come like Eric Emanuel and a new Jose Andres Meditteranean restaurant.
Their luxury concourse is stacked with storefronts like Ferragamo, Louis Vuittion, Gucci and Chloe, to name a few, while mixing in typical Vegas offerings like gift shops and kiosk stores.
Soon to come will be a three-story Zara in the previous FAO Schwartz space and an expanded Lululemon storefront, among others.
Contact Emerson Drewes at edrewes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @EmersonDrewes on X.
