Downtown Container Park

The Downtown Container Park, in Las Vegas

The Downtown Container Park is an open-air shopping and leisure centre of Las Vegas, entirely built from shipping containers, guarded by a giant praying mantis spitting flames. The Las Vegas audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this original and creative village of Downtown, symbol of its renewal, where shops, restaurants and shows rub shoulders.

The praying mantis and the village of containers

Before crossing, cast an eye on your right: do you see this immense metallic praying mantis? About twelve metres high and capable of projecting flames up to six storeys, it marks the entrance of the Downtown Container Park. Nicknamed The Mantis, this monumental sculpture was first presented at the Burning Man festival, in the desert, in 2012, before being installed here permanently. Each evening, at sunset, a circle of drums forms at its feet, then the creature comes to life in a free fire show, accompanied by lights and music, that delights young and old. But beyond the mantis, the place itself is a curiosity: the Downtown Container Park is an open-air shopping and leisure centre entirely built from recycled shipping containers and colourful modular cubes, stacked to form a sort of urban and ecological village. You find there some thirty independent shops, restaurants and cafés, as well as a great play area for children, with a giant tree-slide in its centre, and a stage hosting concerts and shows. Opened in the 2010s within the revitalisation of Downtown, this project embodies the creative, sustainable and convivial spirit of the new Las Vegas, far from the casinos of the Strip. A village of containers and a creative place of life, the Downtown Container Park is a fine stop of the discovery of Las Vegas.

What to see

Here you discover an open-air shopping and leisure centre entirely built from recycled shipping containers and colourful cubes, guarded by a metallic praying mantis of twelve metres that spits flames each evening at sunset; you find there some thirty shops, restaurants and cafés, a play area with a tree-slide and a stage, symbol of the creative renewal of Downtown. The Downtown Container Park is an original place of life of Las Vegas. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Downtown Container Park lies in the Fremont East District, in the heart of Downtown Las Vegas, reachable on foot. It is an open-air centre freely accessible, lined with shops, restaurants and a play area, that follow their own hours; the mantis show takes place in the evening. It is best to enquire before coming.

What is the Downtown Container Park in Las Vegas?

An open-air shopping and leisure centre entirely built from recycled shipping containers and colourful cubes, guarded by a metallic praying mantis of twelve metres, The Mantis, that spits flames each evening; it brings together some thirty shops, restaurants and cafés, a play area and a stage, and embodies the creative and sustainable renewal of Downtown.

Where is the Downtown Container Park in Las Vegas?

In the Fremont East District, in the heart of Downtown Las Vegas, in the United States.