Unspecified/General

In the rapidly redeveloping Fremont East district of downtown Las Vegas, the Downtown Container Park is an outdoor entertainment complex built almost entirely from recycled shipping containers and modular Xtreme cubes. The project opened in November 2013 as a flagship initiative of the Downtown Project, an ambitious revitalisation effort funded by Zappos founder Tony Hsieh that sought to inject creative energy, small business and community life into a then-neglected corner of the old downtown. The park is organised around a central courtyard featuring a popular twenty-five-foot interactive treehouse and oversized children's slide, with rows of recycled-container shops, bars and restaurants rising along the perimeter. The cargo containers, repurposed at considerable expense into climate-controlled retail spaces, house a constantly evolving mix of independent boutiques, art galleries, jewellery shops, gourmet food vendors and an array of small bars and cafés. The unmistakable visual icon of the park, however, is the giant fire-breathing praying mantis sculpture that stands at the entrance facing Fremont Street. Originally created as a Burning Man art installation by Las Vegas-based artist Kirk Jellum, the forty-foot insect breathes plumes of fire on the hour through the evening, a much-photographed Las Vegas spectacle that has become an unofficial mascot of the entire district. By day, the park is family-friendly, with the treehouse playground drawing children and the smaller shops welcoming all visitors. By night, the venue strictly enforces a 21-and-over policy after 9 pm, when several of the bars open their stages to live music, DJ sets and seasonal events. Free to enter and easily reached from the famous Fremont Street Experience just one block away, Container Park makes a refreshingly relaxed, creative stop on a downtown Las Vegas evening. A regular calendar of free outdoor concerts, themed evenings, holiday events and pop-up markets runs through the year, drawing both visitors and a loyal local crowd. The park has become one of the most distinctive non-gambling stops on a downtown Las Vegas evening and a refreshing reminder that the city has more to offer than the Strip.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: 707 East Fremont Street, Las Vegas, NV, United States

Telephone: 702-359-9982

Website: downtowncontainerpark.com

Opening Date: 26/11/2013