Las Vegas is set to take a major step toward a permanent 1 October memorial today. The Vegas Strong Fund is scheduled to break ground on the Forever One Memorial at 4 p.m. Friday, October 2, at the former Route 91 Harvest festival site. The project is intended to honor the 58 people killed in the 2017 shooting and recognize survivors, families, first responders and others affected by the tragedy. Organizers are aiming to open the memorial by October 2027, the 10th remembrance.
The groundbreaking is a construction milestone, not an opening. The memorial still has to be built, and organizers are continuing to raise money for the project. For Las Vegas, the news moves a long-running community effort from plans toward a physical place for remembrance. The work now begins where the tragedy happened.
What is happening at the site
The ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the memorial site near Reno Avenue and Giles Street. The announced groundbreaking marks the start of construction after years of planning, community engagement and fundraising. A separate event listing from the Resiliency & Justice Center gives the location as 3901 S. Las Vegas Boulevard.
The permanent memorial will occupy two acres of the festival grounds. Clark County’s project information says the site is in the northeast corner of the grounds, off Reno Avenue and Giles Street. The County Commission approved the Forever One concept in 2023 and, in April 2024, designated the Vegas Strong Fund to oversee fundraising, design and construction. The Commission later approved a $1 million startup grant for the work.
The Vegas Strong Fund is the organization responsible for delivering the project. Its Forever One Memorial site describes the memorial as a place for reflection and healing, shaped through community input. Clark County’s 1 October Memorial project page documents the public process and the County’s role.
A design built around remembrance
The selected concept includes a Remembrance Ring with 58 vertical pillars of light, one for each person killed in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. The plans also include a Tower of Light and a community plaza. These are design elements for the memorial under construction, not features that visitors can see at the site today.
The project is intended to recognize the broader circle of people affected, too. That includes survivors, families, emergency responders and community members. Recent local coverage of the project reported that the memorial plans also include a tribute to two people who died in the years after the attack from injuries they sustained that night.
What happens next, and what remains open
Construction is the next stage, with organizers targeting completion and public opening by the 10th remembrance in October 2027. That is a goal, not a guarantee that the memorial will open on a specific day. Construction has only just been scheduled to begin, so the public should look for further updates from the project’s organizers as work advances.
Funding remains part of the work ahead. In a September 29 report, News 3 Las Vegas said organizers were still seeking $6.5 million to reach their fundraising goal. The fundraising figure is a snapshot reported before the scheduled groundbreaking, not a final project cost or an assurance that every remaining dollar has been secured.
The groundbreaking announcement does not, by itself, establish changes to nearby roads, visitor access or Strip operations. No construction detours or travel impacts are included in the event information cited here. People planning to attend should check the organizers’ latest event details rather than assume the site will be open for general visits during construction.
A long-awaited step, not the finish line
The memorial effort has moved through public input, design selection, County approval and fundraising. Breaking ground turns that sequence into visible work. It also makes the 2027 target more concrete, while leaving the schedule and final build dependent on construction progress and funding.
For families and survivors, the project is about more than a new landmark near the Strip. It is meant to create a lasting place to remember those lost and acknowledge the people who continue to carry the effects of that night. Las Vegas can build a place for that memory. The next test is delivering it with care.
