Nine Years After 1 October: A Sunrise Remembrance, a Blood Drive, and the Forever One Memorial Groundbreaking

by Ryan Rose

What Is Happening This Week

Clark County and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department host the annual 1 October Sunrise Remembrance on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 a.m. The ceremony takes place at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, in downtown Las Vegas. It runs about one hour. Admission is free, but seating is limited, so the county asks guests to bring their own lawn chairs.

Several community leaders are scheduled to speak. The county lists Gov. Joe Lombardo, Sheriff Kevin McMahill, and Clark County Commission Chairman Michael Naft on the program. Debby Allen, whose son Christopher Roybal was killed on 1 October, will also speak. Roybal's brother, Jayson Williams, will perform the song "Scars in Heaven." For many families, hearing a mother and a brother share their story in person is the heart of the morning.

If you cannot make it downtown that early, you can still watch. Clark County plans to stream the ceremony live on its YouTube, Facebook, and X accounts. That makes it easy to pause for a few minutes from your kitchen table, your office, or your car before school drop-off.

There is also a quieter way to reflect all week long. A "Remembering 1 October" exhibit is on display in the Government Center Rotunda Gallery from Monday, Sept. 28, through Thursday, Oct. 8. The exhibit features items from the community memorials that appeared across the valley after the tragedy. It gives people a chance to walk through at their own pace, on their own schedule.

On the same Thursday, Oct. 1, the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation, Vitalant, and Downtown Summerlin host the annual 1 October Memorial Blood Drive. It runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in bloodmobiles parked in the lot north of City National Arena, 1550 S. Pavilion Center Drive in Summerlin. Donors are asked to park in the Las Vegas Ballpark lot and follow the signs. Appointments are available at vitalant.org/1october.

Then, on Friday, Oct. 2, the Forever One Memorial is expected to break ground. The permanent memorial site sits at the southwest corner of Reno Avenue and Giles Street, just east of the south end of the Strip. After nine years of planning, this is the moment when a promise starts to become a place.

Las Vegas city lights glowing under a soft twilight sky with mountains on the horizon, the kind of early light guests will see at the 7:30 a.m. Sunrise Remembrance

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

Almost everyone who lived here in 2017 remembers where they were when they heard the news. Many locals were at the festival. Many more knew someone who was. Nurses, doctors, police officers, firefighters, and ordinary neighbors all played a part in the hours and days that followed. The anniversary is not only about the people who were lost. It is also about the people who stepped up, and the ones who still carry the weight.

For newer residents, this week is a way to understand the valley they now call home. Las Vegas grows fast. Thousands of people have moved to Henderson, Summerlin, North Las Vegas, and the southwest since 2017. The "Vegas Strong" phrase you still see on bumper stickers and hockey jerseys came out of this moment. Going to the sunrise ceremony, or even watching it online, is one of the best ways to learn what that phrase means to the people who were here.

The blood drive matters in a very practical way. Blood cannot be made in a lab. Hospitals in Southern Nevada depend on local donors every single day, not just after a disaster. Vitalant's page for this drive shares the story of a survivor who needed several transfusions that night and credits unknown donors with saving her life. One donation in Summerlin on a Thursday morning becomes part of the supply that is ready for the next car crash, surgery, or emergency in our own neighborhoods.

Donors also get a small thank-you. According to Vitalant, everyone who gives receives a commemorative Vegas Strong ball cap and Golden Knights merchandise. Donors are also entered into a raffle for Golden Knights home game tickets. It is a kind touch, but most people who come to this drive will tell you they are there for a bigger reason.

The memorial groundbreaking matters because a permanent site changes how a city remembers. Temporary memorials fade. Flowers wilt, crosses get moved, and handwritten notes weather in the desert sun. A permanent memorial gives families a place to return to for decades. It gives schools a place to teach, and it gives visitors a reason to understand that Las Vegas is a real community, not just a destination.

This week can also be heavy for a lot of people. Survivors, family members, first responders, and hospital workers may feel the anniversary in ways that are hard to put into words. If that describes you, or someone in your home, it is okay to take part quietly or not at all. Remembrance does not have a right or wrong format. A moment of silence at home counts just as much as a seat at the amphitheater.

Background and History

On Oct. 1, 2017, a gunman opened fire on the crowd at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival near the south end of the Strip. It remains one of the darkest nights in the history of Southern Nevada. We will not go into details here. The families have heard them enough, and they are not what this week is about.

What came after is the part Las Vegas chose to write for itself. Lines of people wrapped around blood donation centers the next morning. Volunteers built the Community Healing Garden in downtown Las Vegas in a matter of days. Restaurants fed first responders for free. Strangers drove wounded people to hospitals in their own trucks. That spirit is where "Vegas Strong" came from.

Only a few days later, the Vegas Golden Knights played their first-ever home game at T-Mobile Arena. The brand-new team honored victims and first responders before the puck dropped, and the franchise has stayed tied to this anniversary ever since. That is why the VGK Foundation hosts the blood drive each year. According to the team, the foundation also gave $1 million to the Vegas Strong Fund last year. This year, the Golden Knights are also holding a closed practice for invited first responders as a thank-you.

A quiet memorial garden with a still pond surrounded by blooming flowers, representing a peaceful place of remembrance like the planned Forever One Memorial

In the weeks after the tragedy, people left flowers, candles, crosses, stuffed animals, and handwritten notes at makeshift memorials all over the valley. Many of those items were saved and cared for over the years. The "Remembering 1 October" exhibit in the Government Center Rotunda Gallery draws from those community memorials, so visitors can see the kinds of messages Las Vegas left for the people it lost.

The Sunrise Remembrance has become the county's main public gathering each year. Holding it at dawn is intentional. The early hour gives people a calm, reflective start to a hard day, and the morning light is a symbol of hope that many families say they need.

The Forever One Memorial has been a long road. Clark County worked with families, survivors, and first responders over several years to shape what a permanent memorial should look like and where it should go. The name itself reflects a promise that the people lost will be remembered together, and forever. Reaching the groundbreaking stage after nine years is a real milestone for everyone who helped push it forward.

What Happens Next

The next few days are packed, so here is the simple order of events. The "Remembering 1 October" exhibit opens in the Government Center Rotunda Gallery on Monday, Sept. 28, and stays up through Thursday, Oct. 8. The Sunrise Remembrance starts at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1. The blood drive in Summerlin runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. that same day. The Forever One Memorial groundbreaking is expected on Friday, Oct. 2.

If you plan to go to both Thursday events, the timing works. The sunrise ceremony wraps up around 8:30 a.m. From downtown, the drive west to City National Arena in Summerlin is roughly 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic. That puts you at the blood drive shortly after it opens, before the midday rush. Just remember to park in the Las Vegas Ballpark lot, not near the arena doors.

A blood donor relaxing in a donation chair, similar to the setup at the 1 October Memorial Blood Drive bloodmobiles north of City National Arena in Summerlin

After the groundbreaking, the memorial moves into its construction phase. Timelines, design updates, and details about when the public can visit will come from Clark County. We will share verified updates as the county releases them. We are not reporting any cost or budget figures for the project in this post, because we have not been able to confirm them from an official source.

A few practical notes for the sunrise ceremony. Arrive early, since seating is limited and parking downtown fills up fast on a weekday morning. Early October mornings in Las Vegas are usually mild, but a light layer is a good idea while the sun comes up. Bring water, your lawn chair, and a little patience. This is a solemn event, so plan to silence your phone and keep conversation quiet once the program begins.

You may also see other remembrance events announced by local cities, churches, schools, and community groups during the week. We could only confirm the events listed in this article at the time of publishing. If you hear about another gathering, check the host's official website or social pages before you head out.

Ryan's Take

I help people buy and sell homes in this valley, and I talk to folks every week who are brand new to Las Vegas. One question I hear a lot is, "What are people here actually like?" My honest answer always goes back to October 2017. I watched neighbors line up for hours to give blood. I watched strangers feed first responders and total strangers drive the wounded to hospitals. That is the Las Vegas I want every new neighbor to know about.

A home is more than square footage and a zip code. It is the community around it. The Forever One Memorial will become part of the map of this city, a place that locals bring their kids and their out-of-town family to explain who we are. I think that matters. If you are new here, I would gently encourage you to go to the sunrise ceremony or give blood this Thursday. You will leave with a much deeper sense of what it means to live in Las Vegas. And if you have been here since 2017, thank you for everything you did then and for everything you still do.

Two hands held together with a red heart painted across them, symbolizing the Vegas Strong spirit of neighbors caring for neighbors

What You Can Do

Here are a few simple ways to take part this week:

Attend the Sunrise Remembrance. Thursday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 a.m., Clark County Government Center Amphitheater, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway. Free. Seating is limited, so bring a lawn chair. Plan for about one hour.
Watch from home. Clark County will stream the ceremony on its YouTube, Facebook, and X accounts.
Visit the exhibit. "Remembering 1 October" is in the Government Center Rotunda Gallery from Sept. 28 through Oct. 8.
Give blood. Thursday, Oct. 1, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the bloodmobiles north of City National Arena, 1550 S. Pavilion Center Drive. Park in the Las Vegas Ballpark lot. Book a time at vitalant.org/1october.
Mark the groundbreaking. The Forever One Memorial is expected to break ground Friday, Oct. 2, at Reno Avenue and Giles Street.

A few tips for blood donors. Eat a solid meal and drink plenty of water before you go. Bring a photo ID. If you have never donated before, or you are not sure if you qualify, Vitalant's site has eligibility information you can check ahead of time. Booking an appointment helps the staff plan and keeps your wait shorter.

If you have kids, this week can be a gentle chance to talk about community. Younger children do not need the details of what happened. You can simply explain that a lot of people in Las Vegas were hurt a long time ago, and that neighbors helped each other. Giving blood, visiting the exhibit together, or watching part of the ceremony online can show them what caring for your city looks like. Older kids and teens may have questions, and it is fine to answer them honestly and simply.

If you cannot make any of the events, there are still small ways to honor the day. Take a moment of quiet on Thursday morning. Reach out to a friend, coworker, or neighbor who you know was affected. Thank a nurse, a police officer, or a firefighter. Share this post with someone who might want to attend. Sometimes the most meaningful thing we can do is simply let people know they are not alone.

Have questions about how this affects your home or neighborhood? Reach out to Ryan Rose or text/call 702-747-5921 anytime.