2009 Las Vegas New Years Eve Fireworks "Closer to the People!"

"The issue with us changing the location was the new regulations that were put on firing the show from the rooftops," said Michael Mack, director of marketing for Las Vegas Events.

Because of a regulatory change sparked by a fire at the Monte Carlo resort earlier this year, the massive New Year's fireworks show will be launched from parking lots and parking garages, not the roofs of towering casino-resorts on the Strip. In January, workers using a torch to cut corrugated steel started a fire on the roof of the Monte Carlo resort that ignited a type of decorative foam found on several other Strip casinos. The fire forced the evacuation of the hotel's guests and damaged rooms on the hotel's top five floors.

Clark County officials "took another look at our policies and procedures to make sure everything was as it should be," county spokesman Dan Kulin said. That resulted in a new rule: "To have a fireworks launching site on a rooftop, they would have to hire a fire safety engineering firm to inspect the area," he said. "It still is allowed. There's just another step that they have to take."

Event organizers did not mention the regulatory change at an event announcing New Year's Eve plans Tuesday. Instead, they played up the fact that the fireworks will be closer to the audience. "If you're on the Strip in the right locations, you're going to get a much better view of the individual fireworks than you have in the past," said Pat Christenson, president of Las Vegas Events.

Felix J. Grucci, vice president and chief financial officer of Fireworks by Grucci, put it this way: "When they're on top of the roofs, they're spectacular and it's a wonderful panoramic view. ... But this year we said, 'Maybe it's time we brought the fireworks closer to the people so that we can make it part of the Strip, part of where the action is happening.'"

About 250,000 people are expected to ring in the New Year on the Strip, with another 30,000 flocking to Fremont Street's stages and light shows. Admission is free for people 21 and older with a valid Nevada ID. Otherwise, tickets are $20.

The firing locations include (from the south, heading north):

Mandalay Bay - Convention Center Lot (corner of Russell and Las Vegas

Blvd.)

Luxor - Parking Lot (across Las Vegas Blvd. on the corner of Mandalay

Bay Road)

MGM Grand - Parking Garage

Caesars Palace - Parking Garage

Treasure Island (TI)/Mirage - Valet Parking Garage

Las Vegas Convention Center - Gold Parking Lot

Stratosphere - Parking Garage

Fremont Street Experience - Under the canopy