The Bellagio Fountains are spectacular, always leaving watchers in awe day and night with its special displays. However, there is more to what meets the eye, and here are five things most people don’t know about the famed water show:
1. Water Volume
The Bellagio lake holds more than 22 million gallons of water, with five million gallons filtered daily. It’s no small volume; it takes staff up to four days to turn over the water and filter it to remain as clean as possible. Usually, apart from usual debris, there are objects like coins that watchers throw into the fountains, which necessitates daily filtering.
2. Building Costs
The total cost of setting up the fountains was approximately $50 million. The initial plans differed; the cost estimate was under five million dollars. However, after the project started, there were some changes, including more features and more expensive materials used in the project that saw the numbers go up to fifty million. Thankfully, the result offered value for money, bringing thousands of tourists yearly to the fountains and the Bellagio Hotel.
3. Media Productions
The Bellagio Fountains are unique. The fountains are also beloved by filmmakers. Some legendary movies of all time have shot scenes at the fountains, with one of the most popular being Oceans Eleven.
4. The Batcave
The batcave is a special space where the staff running the fountains work. It also holds the equipment required to manage the fountains, including the underwater gear for the team. The Batcave is large enough to accommodate repair materials and holds barges the crew uses when heading into the water. The proximity to the fountains helps with prompt response in case of an issue.
5. Exceptional Experience to Pick out a Song
There used to be a unique opportunity for patrons to choose a song they liked for the show. For this, guests would pay $250,000. The fee included access to exclusive patio seating a champagne bottle for the toast, and the special button to start the show. It was an honor to have an opportunity to be the one to cue the show’s start. Unfortunately, this service is no longer accessible to the public.
