Circa, the new downtown Las Vegas resort, is looking to make a big splash with one of its venues.
It has six pools and two spas. A few hundred chaise lounges, 38 day beds, and eight poolside boxes available for rent.
The centerpiece of all this? The biggest video screen this side of Arlington, Texas.
Stadium Swim, what Circa Resort & Casino CEO Derek Stevens claims will “reinvent the Vegas pool party” is a Las Vegas sportsbook-swimming pool mashup.
Circa, the first new resort built downtown since 1980, will open on Wednesday with Stadium Swim and all the other casino amenities. The hotel itself is scheduled to open in December.
Stadium Swim’s LED screen measures 135 feet wide by 41 feet tall and features 14 million megapixels. For reference, the screens that hang from the ceiling of AT&T Stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play is 160 feet by 72 feet.
Mike Pena, the director of pool operations, has specialized in Las Vegas day clubs over the past 10 years, making stops at the Palms, Park MGM and Wynn Las Vegas.
“I’m pretty well-versed in pool and nightclub settings,” Pena said, “and this venue is massive. By square-footage, it’s by far the largest outdoor pool in the city.”
The amphitheater, which was designed by Steelman Partners, is multi-tiered with more than 15,000 square feet of what Circa calls “wet space.” Each pool will have a different water temperature, ranging from 78-94 degrees, depending on the Las Vegas heat.
Mike Pena, the director of pool operations, has specialized in Las Vegas day clubs over the past 10 years, making stops at the Palms, Park MGM and Wynn Las VegasThe Stadium Swim squad is ready for 365 days of fun in the sun. ☀ï¸
👇 Tag your squad below 👇#7Days #StadiumSwim #CircaLasVegas #CountdownToCirca pic.twitter.com/A0uP3ebiss
— Stadium Swim (@stadiumswim) October 21, 2020
During colder months, pools on the facility’s fifth level can be heated to a steamy 104 degrees.
“We’ll be open through the winter, when most pools are getting ready to close their doors,” Pena said. “So, it’s a little unorthodox.”
Stadium Swim will operate at full capacity throughout the winter — rain or shine. Pena said the weather won’t force a closure unless it became inclement enough to pose a safety risk to guests.
The pools feature what Circa calls “state-of-the-art ultraviolet light sanitation system and water-recirculation patterns.”
Pool goers — Stadium Swim boasts a capacity of 4,000 people — will be able to watch major sporting events on the LED screen and bet on games on the Circa mobile app or at the kiosks in the amphitheater. The screen is flanked by an array of 30 loudspeakers. Other speakers are positioned around the venue. Pena said a guest who stood in the grassy area in the middle of the amphitheater would feel like he or she was on the 50-yard line at a football game. Sound and video will be controlled by the casino’s entertainment and active content teams.
“It’s similar to what you’d see at a concert,” Pena said. “We have a front-of-house team on a mixing board.”
There are two swim-up bars on the lower deck. Kitchen offerings poolside include fare such as lobster corndogs and fruit nachos. Table service will be speedy through the use of mobile tablets that transmit food orders to the kitchen.
Clearly, Stadium Swim aims to be the ultimate pool party.
“Derek Stevens’ vision for this place was to create an unparalleled sports-watching experience for guests, where they can come out and marry the two things they like most: sports and the pool,” Pena said. “Guests can come out, have drinks, have fun in the sun, listen to a DJ and dance. They can also watch their favorite team play and bet on the Circa sports app or one of the kiosks in the venue.”
The amphitheater will be open to the public 365 days a year — aside from private events — with 115 staff members. Guests ages 21 and over at Circa’s downtown sister properties, the D Las Vegas and the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, can gain entry to Stadium Swim for free.
“It’s going to be pretty wild — and sports-forward,” said Pena.