Bristol casino set for week of events, grand opening

BRISTOL, Va. — The grand opening of the temporary casino in Bristol is just a week away.The Bristol Casino Future Home of Hard Rock will celebrate with a grand opening on Friday, July 8. This week, project officials announced in a press release that the grand opening event will be held at 11 a.m. and the doors will officially open to the public at 2 p.m.The casino will also host a week full of invitation-only events such as a friends and family event, a team member rally and a community support event leading up to the July 8 grand opening. The release also said all gaming proceeds earned by the casino on July 5 and 7 will be donated to the United Way of Bristol, TN-VA.The temporary casino will offer approximately 30,000 square feet of casino space and approximately 870 gaming slots, 20 tables and a sportsbook for a variety of gaming options. It will be open to the public seven days a week and 24 hours a day.The release also said the temporary casino will also feature a store with Hard Rock merchandise and a display area showcasing the future Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Bristol that is currently under construction.The space will include a main casino floor as well as non-smoking and high limit gaming areas. Guests will also be able to enjoy a new restaurant, a grab-and-go food outlet and a sports bar and lounge with entertainment, along with an adjacent smoking sports lounge.The former Bristol Mall site will eventually transform into a two-story, 80,000- to 100,000-square-foot casino complete with 2,700 slot machines and 100 table games.The final project, which is expected to cost more than $300 million, will also include two hotel towers, a 3,200-seat Hard Rock Live venue, a 20,000-capacity outdoor entertainment venue along with multiple restaurants and bars, shops and convention space. The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Bristol site says the final casino is set to open in summer 2024.For more information go online to https://www.hardrockhotelcasinobristol.com/.