AG Production Services and The Activity joined forces on a project celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States, using Elation lighting to transform Hoover Dam into a stunning visual tribute that highlighted the scale of the dam and canyon while evoking a strong sense of national pride.
Hoover Dam was illuminated in red, white, and blue over Memorial Day weekend, featuring a massive 150 x 300 ft (45 x 91 m) American flag draped across the structure ahead of the America 250 celebrations. The installation coincided with a Memorial Day ceremony honoring fallen service members while also launching Southern Nevada’s summer celebrations leading up to the nation’s 250th anniversary. The patriotic display will remain illuminated nightly through July 4.
A visually monumental project
AG Production Services was contacted by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to create a patriotic lighting installation for Hoover Dam. Andrew Gumper was asked whether the company could illuminate the landmark in a way that would create a true “wow” effect. Within hours, Gumper was on site conducting a technical assessment, and by the following morning, the project had been approved.
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With only six days available before load-in, Gumper immediately brought in The Activity to support the design and execution phases.
It was clear from the beginning that this project had to be approached with precision and speed. Once I saw the scale of the dam, I knew we needed a lighting strategy that was both technically accurate and visually monumental. Patrick and The Activity were the obvious choice, said Gumper.
The Activity and AG Production Services
Patrick Dierson of The Activity led the initial design support, lighting direction, and onsite programming services. Once the project was confirmed, The Activity rapidly generated 3D scans of the dam and surrounding topography, which were imported into Vectorworks for design development and later into Syncronorm Depence R4 for proof-of-concept rendering and design refinements. Dierson directly supervised the onsite implementation.
AG Production Services handled most of the design work, relying on traditional photometric calculations.
“We had a range of tools and equipment available, and ultimately the best photometrics won the day”, explained Dierson. “We needed extremely high output levels delivered from very specific distances to execute the project properly”.
More than 500 lighting fixtures
AG drew from its extensive Elation inventory, selecting 72 Paladin fixtures, 84 Proteus Excalibur units, 36 Proteus Maximus fixtures, and 84 SixPar 200 IP luminaires, along with beam fixtures and ADJ Hydro Spot 2 units from Elation’s sister company, ADJ.
More than 500 lighting fixtures were transported and installed across the site in just two days, moving through tunnels, stairways, elevators, and restricted-access areas. Rigging presented significant challenges, including technicians rappelling down the face of the dam and suspended truss structures supporting the giant American flag.
None of this would have been possible without the support of Hoover Dam personnel. Their cooperation with site access, power infrastructure, staffing, and onsite coordination was essential to completing a project of this scale safely and efficiently, noted Gumper.
Lighting positions
The hydroelectric power generated by the dam itself provided ample electrical supply, although fixture placement options were limited.
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At the base of the dam, a row of Elation Paladin fixtures delivered broad and intense blue and red uplighting across the lower 30 meters of the structure. These were complemented by Proteus Maximus fixtures providing cross-coverage for the dam’s upper curved sections and surrounding rock formations.
Farther away, ADJ Hydro fixtures expanded the color washes across the canyon walls, extending illumination throughout the valley. Additional ADJ Hydro fixtures and Proteus Excalibur units were installed on the turbine station rooftops to continue the rock-face lighting treatment.
Dynamic lighting adjustments
The scale of the dam—726 feet (221 m) high and up to 1,244 feet (379 m) wide at the crest—combined with its curved, three-dimensional concrete surface, presented unique challenges in achieving uniform illumination. Subtle surface variations, including concave geometry and natural staining, required careful balancing of output levels and beam placement.
“With the American flag as the centerpiece of the installation, the Excalibur fixtures became the workhorses of the project, handling most of the dam’s color wash while allowing us to maintain independent control over illuminated areas”, explained Dierson. “This enabled us to divide the lighting grid and quickly adapt to unexpected changes involving the flag. Given the challenges faced by the rigging team—including debris on the dam face, increasing wind speeds, and other factors—we had to rapidly reconfigure the lighting on the day of the event and later update it again when the flag was removed and reinstalled at a different position on the dam”.
Lighting control was managed from three networked console positions, enabling coordinated real-time adjustments throughout the installation.
There are numerous rules governing proper U.S. flag etiquette, and one of the most important is ensuring that the flag is illuminated cleanly in white light, without color changes or projected patterns.
“The Excalibur fixtures gave us both the precision to make rapid adjustments and the power needed to make the flag look majestic while allowing the dam walls to stand out in rich colors”.
An impressive result
Despite the enormous scale of the project, the complexity of the dam structure, and environmental challenges including wind, dust, insects, and demanding rigging conditions, the result has been remarkable. According to project leaders, the client, the governors of Nevada and Arizona, and other dignitaries were delighted with the outcome. Public reaction has also been overwhelmingly positive.
“The initial concept rendering at the start of the project was already inspiring”, shared Dierson, “but what was achieved onsite exceeded expectations. Seeing the Stars and Stripes draped across one of America’s most iconic and ambitious infrastructure achievements, framed by vivid red and blue bands of light, is a truly breathtaking sight”.
The flag holds different meanings for different people, but for many of us who have saluted it, carried it, handled it in an official capacity, or even witnessed it draped over friends, colleagues, and loved ones during their final farewell, it represents unity and our shared identity. My hope is that this project helps Americans remember that before any differences or disagreements, we are united under that magnificent flag, he concluded.
