More than $22 million in donations are in hand now, about two-thirds of the revised $34 million budget, which means construction is finally starting on the Forever One Memorial. This is the permanent tribute to the 58 people killed and hundreds more injured in the Route 91 Harvest festival shooting in October 2017. The memorial will be built at the northwest corner of the Vegas Village site, a 2.3-acre piece of land that's been sitting mostly untouched since that night. If you drive down Giles Street near the Strip, you know the spot.
The design centers around a 58-foot glass tower called the Forever One Tower of Light, with paths connecting 58 individual memorial pillars. There's also a grove of trees representing each victim and a reflecting pool. It's meant to be a place you can visit, sit, and remember. The groundbreaking is set for October 1, 2025, the eighth anniversary of the shooting.
This has been a long time coming. Survivors, families, and first responders have waited years for something permanent to honor what happened that night. The original plans stalled over funding and logistics. This revised design brought in more community input and focused on something buildable, not just conceptual. MGM Resorts donated the land in 2023, which finally cleared a major hurdle.
Once it opens, the memorial will be free and accessible to anyone who wants to visit. If you want to follow along or support the effort, the Forever One Foundation website has updates on construction progress and ways to contribute. Whether you were there that night, knew someone who was, or just want to acknowledge what this community went through, it'll be there.