Rio Hotel’s Masquerade in the Sky in Las Vegas
Committed to applying the highest standards of safety for every job, PRG is well prepared to meet the rigorous codes for a public amusement park ride.
The Challenge: Produce a spectacular, motorized themed attraction that safely makes the public part of the show.
The Solution: Even by Las Vegas standards, the Rio Hotel’s Masquerade Show in the Sky is an extravaganza. Seven times a day, five ornate Mardi Gras floats set sail high above the crowd, suspended from a track that follows a figure-eight parade route above the casino floor. The display is magnificent, but guests aren’t limited to being spectators — they can ride the full-size floats, tossing beads and waving to the revelers below.
In realizing Rio owner Tony Marnell’s vision for the production, PRG made safety Job One: In addition to meeting building codes, the attraction had to pass Clark County, Nevada’s stringent amusement code for theme park rides. PRG engineers worked with the county building department and the general contractor to make sure the casino structure would support the massive weights involved — 30,000 pounds for each float and 5,000 pounds for each 22-foot section of track. Specially designed and fabricated solid-steel pins secure the tops of the floats to the track.
PRG’s proprietary Stage Command System® uses microwave and radio frequency technology to safely control each float’s progress along the track. Stage Command also links directly to the Rio’s fire control system — should an alarm go off, floats automatically are diverted to emergency docks where passengers can be easily evacuated. PRG also designed the maintenance criteria for the system, which receives daily, biweekly, monthly, quarterly and semi-annual inspections in addition to an annual licensing review.