LAS VEGAS (AP) — Riding down the Las Vegas Strip in a pink low-rider with two showgirls at his side, Bruno Mars was declared the “new king of Las Vegas" on Friday.
The city honored Mars, who has become one of Sin City's iconic performers, with a parade and naming a street “Bruno Mars Drive." Officials declared Friday “Bruno Mars Day” for Mars, who is kicking off his global Romantic Tour in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium.
“It’s such a privilege, and I want to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for giving me this today," Mars said to a large crowd on the Las Vegas Strip.
Mars joins a select few who have a Las Vegas street in their name — Elvis and Rat Pack singers Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.
Bill Hornbuckle, CEO and president of MGM Resorts International, said Mars has shown he has the “legacy and legs” to perform in Las Vegas years from now.
The singer has played on Las Vegas stages for more than 15 years, with over 140 shows during his residency between 2016 and 2025. Two years ago, he opened The Pinky Ring, a cocktail lounge and nightclub at the Bellagio.
“I love this city so much,” Mars said.
The singer pledged to donate $1 million to the Las Vegas Children’s Hospital, with MGM Grand, his partner, matching his donation. The celebration ended with a brief performance by him and his band “The Hooligans,” a taste of what fans can expect at Allegiant Stadium later that night.
“My dream was to always have a block party and get everybody dancing,” Mars told the crowd.
Hundreds of people waited for hours see to the performer in hot temperatures. Las Vegas resident Deedee Jenkins was pumped to see Mars and loves that he is joining the ranks of Sinatra and Elvis.
“But they’re old school. This is new blood, and I’m ready for it with my old self,” Jenkins said.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
CA Is Burning said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.