Eastside Cannery Hotel-Casino Imploded in Las Vegas

Spectators gather to witness the demolition of the shuttered casino along Boulder Highway.

Published on Mar. 5, 2026

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The Eastside Cannery Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas was imploded early Thursday morning, drawing a crowd of spectators who gathered across the street to watch the building come down. The Longhorn Casino hosted a demolition party, selling parking spaces and rooms to give guests a front-row view of the implosion. The Eastside Cannery had closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened. While some attendees expressed nostalgia for the casino, others welcomed the progress that will come with redeveloping the site.

Why it matters

The implosion of the Eastside Cannery marks the end of an era for the Las Vegas gaming and hospitality industry, as the city continues to evolve with new development. The event drew a mix of reactions, with some mourning the loss of a favorite casino and others embracing the potential for the site's future.

The details

Crews prepared to implode the Eastside Cannery Hotel-Casino, which was built in 2008 but closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened. The Longhorn Casino hosted a demolition party, selling parking spaces for $25 and rooms for $250 to give guests a front-row seat to the implosion. The event drew visitors from out of state as well as longtime Las Vegas locals, some of whom expressed fond memories of the Cannery's nightclub and happy hour.

  • The implosion was scheduled for 2 a.m. on Thursday, March 5, 2026.

The players

Eastside Cannery Hotel-Casino

A casino hotel that opened in 2008 but closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened, before being demolished.

Longhorn Casino

A neighboring casino that hosted a demolition party, selling parking spaces and rooms to give guests a view of the Eastside Cannery implosion.

Mark Carson

A retired carpenter who brought his guitar and secured a parking space across from the Eastside Cannery to watch the implosion, his first time witnessing a building demolition in real life.

Gus Biner

A San Diego resident who drove to Las Vegas to watch the Eastside Cannery implosion, as it was one of his favorite casinos.

Sue Jaszekowski

A Las Vegas local who had fond memories of the Eastside Cannery, including its nightclub and happy hour, and felt the demolition was personal despite having watched multiple implosions on the Strip.

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What they’re saying

“I want to watch it, I want to feel it. I'm a retired carpenter. I spent all my career building them. This will be the first time I watch it in real life, bring 'em down.”

— Mark Carson (fox5vegas.com)

“I'm from San Diego, and this is one of my favorite casinos. It's just I have never seen a building come down live, you always see it on the news but never live.”

— Gus Biner (fox5vegas.com)

“They had the best nightclub on top — and happy hour martini night on Friday nights was the best — we met so many great people over there.”

— Sue Jaszekowski (fox5vegas.com)

What’s next

Once the Eastside Cannery is demolished, housing is planned for the site, though reaction to that news was mixed among those gathered for the implosion.

The takeaway

The implosion of the Eastside Cannery Hotel-Casino marks the end of an era for Las Vegas, as the city continues to evolve with new development. While some attendees expressed nostalgia for the casino, the event also highlighted the mixed feelings the community has about the changes happening in the city.