Festival Fountain brings out the gods themselves
Visitors to the Festival Fountain shows in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace won't find furry mascots or Muppet-style characters — despite the use of animatronic figures. Instead, the Roman statue gang’s all there, toasting with their chalices filled with the fruits of the gods every hour on the hour, all day long.
That's one of two free shows at the Forum Shops. The other's a retelling of the myth of Atlantis. Kids, in particular, enjoy both shows.
At the Festival Fountain's depiction of a heavenly Bacchanal, drink in just how far technology can go when the deities come to life right before your eyes. Bacchus, the god of wine and merriment, wakes up and decides to throw a party for himself and Forum guests. He enlists the help of Apollo, god of music; Venus, the goddess of love, and Plutus, god of wealth. The party begins, and the statues talk and move, while other special effects, including lasers, add to the celebration.
The Lost City of Atlantis show, located in the Forum expansion that opened in 1997, features much more exciting special effects. In this version of the Atlantis myth, the greedy children of Atlantis' monarch, King Atlas, bring on the gods' wrath and the fall of Atlantis. Audiences will catch a 20-foot wingéd beast and spectacular special effects depicting fire and flood consuming ill-fated Atlantis. Huge flames, shooting water and steam are sure to delight audiences.
The Atlantis show operates exactly the same way as the Roman Bacchanal show. However, these statues not only have hydraulics controlling the valves, but they also have air valves that control the movement of all the facial features to produce more natural movement.
The figures are also taller and heavier due to more valves. And while the Festival of Fountains figures are rigid from the waist down, the Atlantis characters — Atlas, Alia and Gadrius — have more body movement. In fact, when Atlas is on his throne, he can stand up.
The Festival of Fountains debuted when the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace opened back in 1992. A computer controls the entire show — from animation to sound, water and lighting effects. All of the figures are hydraulic and have silicone skin and steel framework inside. They move via hydraulic valves connected to their joints. The computer tells each joint when to perform a movement; with, at times, several movements happening at once.
Each statue’s voice is a scripted recording done by actors and actresses in Los Angeles that runs on a cue list that “talks” to the computer. Each eight-minute show requires more than 700 cues.
Both productions are popular, so get there 10 minutes early for good seats. Unfortunately, both occur at the same time.
In between shows, you can head behind the fountain and enjoy a 50,000-gallon salt-water aquarium. A diver feeds the fishy inhabitants at 1:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.daily, while another employee on dry land answers questions.
The Forum Shops boasts 160 shops and boutiques and 13 restaurants.
- by Bobbie Katz, Las Vegas Reporter for HelloMetro
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