Bally’s Atlantic City Taps Into New Life This Memorial Day Weekend

Written By Bill Gelman on May 6, 2022
Bally's Beach Bar

Bally’s Atlantic City is just about ready for its big reveal. On Thursday, May 26, the property located at Park Place and the Boardwalk will host what is being billed as a “grand opening celebration,”  complete with ribbon cuttings, fireworks, entertainment, giveaways and more.

That’s right, just in time for Memorial Day Weekend 2022.

Play NJ has been covering the Bally’s makeover extensively since Bally’s Corp. (formerly Twin Rivers Worldwide Holdings) purchased the property from Caesars Entertainment in 2020. All of the newest amenities will be open to the public the day of the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The projects that are part of the May 26 grand-opening are:

  • The all-new Bally’s Tower featuring 750 newly renovated rooms
  • New hotel lobby
  • Carousel Bar
  • The Yard
  • Bally’s Legends VIP beach

What to expect Memorial Day weekend at Bally’s Atlantic City

Technically, Memorial Day weekend starts May 27.

But is anybody going to complain about a longer holiday weekend?

Here’s a rundown of the May 26 festivities.

The official ribbon-cutting ceremony of Bally’s Hotel lobby and Carousel Bar will take place at 11:30 a.m. and be open to the public.

The newly designed lobby will feature a “complete refresh of the space from carpet to walls.” Additionally, there is a reimagined front desk with new finishes “transforming the arrival experience.”

Call it aligning the appearance with the 750 renovated hotel rooms in the Bally’s Tower. That’s the one you can see from miles away when arriving via the Atlantic City Expressway.

The Lobby Bar is gone. It’s being replaced by the one-of-a-kind, at least for Atlantic City, Carousel Bar.  It will be open 24/7.

For those who haven’t heard about it, the space is an elevated 24-seat rotating bar reminiscent of a carousel. The 360-degree rotating bar includes changing light displays and a modern glass rail.  Like the casino floor, guests must be 21.

The indoor portion of The Yard will open at noon the same day. Once this space is completely open, expect it to generate some serious buzz.

What could be bad about an indoor/outdoor beer garden-style venue featuring a gastro-pub menu. Remember, the Bally’s courtyard sits smack dab in the center of the Boardwalk.

Play NJ has not seen the menu yet. What we do know is The Yard will be home of  Bally’s Signature Pale Ale, an exclusive ale that is  a collaboration between New Jersey’s own Spellbound Brewing and Bally’s Atlantic City.

Once finished, there will be 90’s themed arcade games, lounge-style seating, and an indoor and outdoor stage for live entertainment.

What is Bally’s Legends VIP Beach?

The Bally’s Beach Bar is getting a revamp just in time for the summer season.

And the grand-opening festivities will include a special preview of Bally’s Legends VIP Beach. This will open at 1 p.m.

This area, separate from the main Bally’s Beach Bar, will be reserved for Bally’s Rewards Legend members. The upscale experience will include:

  • Lounge seating
  • Beachside butler service (including towels)
  • Specialty passed amenities
  • Cool towels
  • Beach massages
  • Security
  • Private food and beverage offerings and service

Bally’s Legend VIP Beach will be open Friday through Sunday starting Memorial Day Weekend. Legend members must contact their casino host to gain entry.

Fireworks and live entertainment

Of course, the grand-opening celebration needs fireworks. The Bally’s fireworks show by Grucci will take place Sunday, May 29 at 9 p.m. In terms of where to watch, The Boardwalk, Bally’s Beach Bar, The Yard or Johnny Rockets are all great options.

The festivities get started at 6 p.m. with DJ Dave Mass spinning until midnight.

Call it the highlight of the Memorial Day weekend entertainment lineup. Here is a rundown of other entertainment offerings:

Bally’s Beach Bar

  • May 27: Priceless, 2 p.m.-6 p.m.; Don’t Call Me Francis, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
  • May 28: Big House Band, 2 p.m.-6p.m.; Cheers The Band, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
  • May 29 and 30: Live DJs 1 p.m.-midnight

The Yard 

  • May 27 and 28: Live acoustic music 8 p.m.-midnight

Carousel Bar

  • May 27-29: Live DJs 8 p.m.-1 a.m.

Bally’s Atlantic City has come a long way since ownership change

Slowly but surely, Bally’s Corp. is  pumping new life into Bally’s AC.

Besides taking over in the middle of a pandemic, the aging property (turning 43 this year) was lacking in several key areas.

By neighboring Caesars Atlantic City keeping the Wild Wild West casino floor, gamblers didn’t have a retail sportsbook to place bets.

Now there is a FanDuel Sportsbook right off the casino floor.

Mobile NJ sports betting, however, still remains a work in progress. Expect that to change sometime this year when Sporttrade and Bally Bet launches. Timelines are TBD.

And in early going, Bally’s was sitting on the NJ online casino sidelines. Now they have three skins with PointsBets Casino, Bally Casino and Virgin online casino live. Virgin previously operated under the Tropicana AC license.

Add in new food and beverage offerings like Water Dog and Jerry Longo’s Meatballs and Martinis along with a new high limits tables games area, and Bally’s is coming back to life.

Photo by Bally’s Atlantic City
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Bill Gelman

Bill Gelman has been reporting on the NJ gambling market since 2018, right around when the Garden State launched sports betting. Bill transitioned from lead writer for Play NJ and NJ Gambling Sites to his current role as managing editor in 2020. Besides offering in-depth analysis on NJ gambling market trends and news, Bill regularly sits down with Atlantic City casino industry executives to offer readers exclusive interviews and comprehensive coverage. Bill received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ithaca College. He has contributed to other Catena Media sites including The Lines, Legal Sports Report, PlayPennsylvania and PlayCanada.

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