The Forever One Memorial Broke Ground Near the Route 91 Site, and the First Phase Could Open by Oct. 1, 2027

by Ryan Rose

What Happened at the Forever One Memorial Groundbreaking

On Friday afternoon, Oct. 2, shovels went into the ground on the site of the former festival grounds. The event was hosted by the Vegas Strong Fund, the nonprofit building the memorial. Tennille Pereira, the fund's executive director, opened the ceremony. She told the crowd she had to pinch herself because she could hardly believe the day had finally come.

"Today, we gather to begin building a permanent place of remembrance and healing for this community," Pereira said, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. She explained that the vision for the site came from years of listening. Survivors, the families of those who died, first responders, community members and thousands of others all shared ideas about what the memorial should be. Her message was simple: "this memorial belongs to this community."

Jan Jones Blackhurst, chair of the Vegas Strong Fund, also spoke. She described Oct. 1, 2017, as the day Las Vegas "grew up." She said a city long known for its lights showed it is also "a city of a great, big heart." She pointed to first responders, bystanders, concertgoers and local institutions who all stepped up when it mattered most.

Mary and Albert Rivera, parents who lost their 21-year-old daughter, shared what the memorial means to their family. Albert Rivera said the memorial "will be a sacred space where every life is honored, not how it ended, but for how beautifully it was lived." Mary Rivera said it will give their love a place to live, where every one of the 58 names stays visible and honored.

Kelly McMahill, the fund's treasurer and a retired Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department leader, gave an update on the money. According to the Review-Journal, $27.5 million of the $34 million goal has been raised so far. The Las Vegas Sun reported that roughly $6.5 million more is needed to build the memorial's centerpiece, the Tower of Light. Sheriff Kevin McMahill was also in attendance.

Pereira also explained why the work matters so much to the people who planned it. She called the site "sacred ground." She said the memorial is meant to honor the victims and also the community that banded together to support them. In other words, it is not only a place to remember a loss. It is a place to remember how Las Vegas responded.

Tennille Pereira, executive director of the Vegas Strong Fund, speaks at the Forever One Memorial groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 2, 2026

What the Memorial Will Include

The Forever One Memorial is designed around the number 58. Plans call for 58 pillars of light, a remembrance ring for the 58 lives, and a 58-foot Tower of Light. According to the memorial's website, as reported by the Review-Journal, the tower's glow is meant to be visible from anywhere along the Strip. Seen from above, the Sun reported, the whole memorial will look like an infinity sign.

The site will also have a community plaza, plenty of seating and greenery, and an angel wall. Educational programming is planned too. The goal is to help future generations understand what happened and how it shaped Las Vegas, including the changes Metro Police made to how it prepares for and responds to emergencies.

Organizers are building it in two phases. Here is how the two news reports describe the first phase:

The Remembrance Walk, a path lined with pavers
The Remembrance Ring
58 candles
An angel wall
A community plaza
Walking paths, benches, walls and desert landscaping
Parking

The Tower of Light and other features are planned for Phase 2. That is where the remaining fundraising comes in.

Building in phases is common for large public projects. It lets the most important pieces open on a meaningful date while the rest of the money is still being raised. In this case, it means families and survivors should have a finished place to gather for the 10th remembrance, even if the tallest feature is still on its way. The memorial's own tagline sums up the goal: "Forever Remembering and Healing as One."

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

Most people who live in Southern Nevada have some connection to 1 October. Maybe you knew someone who was there. Maybe you worked at a hospital, a hotel or a police station that night. Maybe you stood in a long line to give blood the next morning. Nine years later, the valley still does not have a finished, permanent place to gather. This groundbreaking changes that.

Pereira said the memorial will tell the story of Oct. 2 as much as Oct. 1. In her words, Oct. 2 was "Las Vegas' Vegas Strong moment." She described people lining up around the block to donate blood. She talked about so many pizzas being sent to hospital workers that hospitals had to start turning delivery drivers away. She mentioned people simply dropping off water at the family assistance center. Those are the moments locals remember, and they will now be part of a lasting public space.

For families who live here, the memorial also gives parents a way to explain this chapter of our city's history to kids who were too young to remember it. Some of today's high school students were in elementary school in 2017. A place with educational programs, a quiet plaza and names that stay visible can help the next generation understand why "Vegas Strong" means so much to this town.

It matters for the Strip corridor, too. The site sits on two acres of the former festival grounds near Reno Avenue and Giles Street. Pereira described the project as a way for the community to reclaim that land. Once it opens, it becomes a calm, green public space at the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard that belongs to residents first.

There is also a bigger civic point here. A lot of the public spaces on the Strip are built for visitors. This one was shaped by local voices from the start, through a county-led public process. When it is finished, locals will have a place on the Boulevard that was designed around their memories, their input and their need to heal. That is rare, and it is worth noticing.

Design rendering of the Forever One Memorial at dusk, showing glowing light pillars, benches, desert plants and a wall with words like angel, friend and family

Background and History

The work to build a permanent memorial started not long after 2017. Clark County led the campaign and created a seven-member committee to guide the public process. That committee spent years collecting input from survivors, families, first responders and the wider community about what a memorial should look like and feel like.

In 2021, MGM Resorts International donated two acres of the festival grounds for the memorial site, according to the Las Vegas Sun. Since then, the Vegas Strong Fund has worked on the design and the fundraising. The memorial's own website says every dollar given to the fund supports its main mission: building the permanent memorial by the 10th remembrance in 2027.

Big public and private partners have stepped up. According to the Sun, the funding so far includes:

Clark County: $10 million, approved in a unanimous vote in January
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority: $5 million
MGM Resorts International: $5 million
Live Nation Entertainment: $5 million
Vegas Golden Knights Foundation: $1 million
Individual donations and paver sales: more than $1 million

The memorial's website also notes how the valley has changed since 2017. It says the police department strengthened its practices, and that the community now has a permanent Resiliency and Justice Center where victims of violent crime can find support. The Forever One Memorial is meant to add one more piece: a place where everyone touched by 1 October can connect, grieve and heal together.

The planning team brings real experience to the project. McMahill, who now serves as treasurer, led the after-action review of 1 October before she retired from Metro, according to the Review-Journal. Pereira has led the Vegas Strong Fund through the long public process and the fundraising push. Together with county leaders and the committee, they have carried the project from an idea to a construction site.

What Happens Next

Now that ground is broken, construction on Phase 1 moves forward. The target is clear. Organizers expect the first phase to open in time for the 10th remembrance on Oct. 1, 2027. That would mean the Remembrance Walk, the Remembrance Ring, the 58 candles, the angel wall and the community plaza could all be in place a year from now.

The bigger open question is Phase 2. The Tower of Light is the feature that will be visible along the Strip, and it still needs roughly $6.5 million, according to the Sun. How fast that gap closes will likely depend on more donations, more paver sales and possibly more support from local businesses and organizations. The groundbreaking coverage did not give a firm completion date for the tower, so that is the item to watch over the next year.

Expect more updates as the 10th remembrance gets closer. Organizers share news through the Forever One Memorial website and email list. Details on the 2027 remembrance ceremony, such as times and public access, have not been announced yet. When they are, we will share them here.

Here is a simple timeline to keep in mind:

Oct. 2, 2026: Groundbreaking and start of Phase 1 construction
Now through 2027: Fundraising continues toward the $34 million goal, with about $6.5 million still needed for the Tower of Light
Oct. 1, 2027: Target opening of Phase 1 for the 10th remembrance
After that: Phase 2, including the Tower of Light, as funding allows

Attendees hold hands during the Forever One Memorial groundbreaking ceremony at Reno Avenue and Giles Street in Las Vegas

Ryan's Take

I help people buy and sell homes all over the valley, and one question I hear all the time from people moving here is, "What is Las Vegas really like for the people who live there?" The honest answer is that this is a much tighter community than most outsiders expect. The days after 1 October showed that better than anything I could say. People lined up to give blood, fed hospital workers and showed up for strangers. That is the Las Vegas my clients end up falling in love with once they are here.

A finished memorial gives that story a home. Great cities have places that remind residents who they are, and this will be one of ours. I am glad it is being built with so much input from the families and survivors, and I am glad it will be a quiet, green space for locals, not just a stop for visitors. If you live in the southwest valley, Spring Valley, Enterprise or anywhere near the south Strip, it will be close by. I think a lot of us will find ourselves stopping there more than we expect.

Design rendering of a shaded walkway at the Forever One Memorial with families walking beneath a canopy of colored panels

What You Can Do

If you want to help finish the memorial, the most direct step is a donation to the Vegas Strong Fund through the official site at foreveronememorial.org/support. You can also mail a check made payable to the Vegas Strong Fund at 10000 W. Charleston Blvd., Ste. 165, Las Vegas, NV 89135. The fund publishes its IRS determination letter and its most recent Form 990 on the donation page, so you can see how the money is handled.

If you own or work for a local business, consider asking whether your company has a giving program or a matching gift policy. Large gifts from groups like Clark County, the LVCVA and the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation got the project this far, and smaller local businesses can help close the final gap. Schools, churches, youth teams and neighborhood groups can also pool small donations together.

Another option is buying a paver for the Remembrance Walk. Paver sales are already part of the more than $1 million raised from individuals, and the memorial's site has a dedicated pavers page. A paver is a meaningful way for a family, a business, a school group or a neighborhood to leave a lasting mark. You can also join the memorial's email list on its website to get updates on construction and on plans for the 10th remembrance.

Finally, you can carry the spirit of Oct. 2 forward in your own way. Give blood at a local drive. Check on a neighbor. Share this story with someone who moved here after 2017 so they understand what "Vegas Strong" means to the people who call this place home. And if this anniversary week is hard for you, reach out for support. You do not have to carry it alone.

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

Ryan Rose | Real Broker, LLC | 702-747-5921 | ryan@rosehomeslv.com | rosehomeslv.com