November 30, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Erika Yowell eyowell@lvcva.com 702) 892-7663
Marina Nicola mnicola@lvcva.com (702) 892-7663

LAS VEGAS TO ENTER FLOAT IN 2005 TOURNAMENT OF ROSES PARADE
Centennial-themed Design To Be Seen By Millions Of Television Viewers Around The World

LAS VEGAS - For the first time ever and in commemoration of its Centennial year, Las Vegas is entering a float in the annual, worldwide-televised Tournament of Roses(r) Parade, to be held beginning at 8 a.m. PST (11 a.m. EST) on January 1, 2005, in Pasadena, Calif.

Featuring Las Vegas icons such as Vegas Vic and Sassy Sally, as well as a towering birthday cake and giant champagne bottle, the Las Vegas Centennial float is float No. 42 in the lineup and will enter the Rose Parade at approximately 9:30 a.m. It will complete the 5.5-mile parade route in approximately two hours. Classic, Las Vegas-style showgirls, emblems of the Entertainment Capital of the World, will ride the float along the route.

If the audiences of previous Rose Parades are any indication, this year's Las Vegas Centennial float stands to be seen by millions of spectators. The 2004 Rose Parade was viewed by approximately 1 million in-person spectators and a U.S. television audience of 50 million on networks including ABC, CBS and NBC. Additionally, the parade was televised in 28 countries around the world.

"I can't think of a better way to tell the world the greatest city anywhere is turning 100," said City of Las Vegas Mayor and Centennial Chairman Oscar B. Goodman. "Everyone watching the Rose Parade will see Las Vegas' Centennial float and will be left with no doubt our 100th birthday will truly be a yearlong, Las Vegas-size celebration."

The Las Vegas float was designed by Fiesta Parade Floats in Pasadena. The company's staff worked together with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and the Las Vegas Centennial Committee to achieve a design that showcases Las Vegas' excitement and colorful history.

"Nearly 300,000 New Year's Eve visitors to Las Vegas will be a part of the Centennial kick-off with our America's Party fireworks extravaganza, and millions of others will get a taste of it the next day with the Rose Parade," said James Gibson, chairman, LVCVA. "Entering a float in this time-honored New Year's Day tradition provides the perfect, high-profile opportunity to launch a year of Centennial festivities, as well as promote the Las Vegas brand."

Added Tim Estes, president, Fiesta Parade Floats, "I was thrilled when the LVCVA approached our company to design the Las Vegas' Centennial float. It's not every day a city like Las Vegas celebrates a milestone like this one. Having the chance to design a float that captures its century of excitement was a privilege."

The final stages of float decoration, which will take place December 28-31, will be open to spectators for a $5 admission fee. On those dates, the Las Vegas Centennial float will be located at Buena Vista Pavilion, 2144 Buena Vista, (City of Hope) Duarte, Calif., 91010.

ABOUT THE LVCVA
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is charged with marketing Southern Nevada as a tourism and convention destination worldwide, and also with operating the Las Vegas Convention Center and Cashman Center. With approximately 130,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas alone and 9 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space citywide, the LVCVA's mission centers on attracting ever-increasing numbers of leisure and business visitors to the area. For more information, go to www.vegasfreedom.com or www.lvcva.com.