Voices sang over rhythmic music at the Palms’ main entrance on Wednesday afternoon, heralding the festivities for the resort’s public reopening slated a few hours later.
The songs marked a special commemoration for the opening of the first tribal-owned-and-operated casino resort in Las Vegas.
Members of Southern California’s San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and its San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority officially began the opening process with a special private tribal ceremony under the property’s porte cochere, where guests cheered the historic ownership and the songs and dance by the Moapa Band of Paiute and San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Bird Singers.
Palms executives say they’re ready for the potentially big crowds expected to come calling, given the thousands of people in town ahead of Thursday’s opening of the NFL draft, just down Flamingo Road from the 766-room resort.
San Manuel purchased the property from Station Casinos, Inc. about a year ago and revamped it through new cafes, improved furniture, upgraded back-of-the-house features and more.
Though the doors open to the public at 9 .m., festivities begin earlier for invited guests with a cocktail reception and a ribbon cutting ceremony for the sportsbook.
It’s the first time the property has been accessible to the public since March 17, 2020, when Gov. Steve Sisolak instituted an emergency order to close casinos to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at [email protected] or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter. McKenna Ross is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on Twitter.