Treasure Island originally intended to attract families with whimsical pirate features and icons such as the skull-and-crossbones strip marquee, a large video arcade, and staged pirate battles nightly in "Buccaneer Bay" in front of the casino entrance on the Strip.

In 2003, the hotel largely abandoned its pirate theme for a more contemporary resort feel in efforts to focus more on adults. The original arcade and kid-friendly pool areas were replaced with an adult-friendly hot tub, contemporary nightclub and party bar. The famous skull-and-crossbones sign at the Strip entrance was replaced by one reading simply "TI" that is also a large LCD video screen.

At his time, the "Buccaneer Bay" was changed to "Sirens' Cove", which is now the site of "The Sirens of TI". This live, free show is designed to appeal more to adults by including singing, dancing, audio-visual effects, bare chested pirates and attractive women in the large outdoor production produced by Kenny Ortega. Six times a night, a crowd assembles on the street to watch a battle between two pirate ships all in an effort to save the Sirens of TI. A wonderfully loud and visually stimulating attraction, it causes traffic and pedestrians to stop and wonder why, why put that many people on the street instead of in the casino? Well of course the idea is that it will act as a magnet and draw crowds into the Casino at th end of the free show, A concept first tried with the famous Volcano at the Mirage and most spectacularly with the Lake fountains at Bellagio.

TI is also home to Cirque du Soleil's Mystère, which revolutionized production shows on the Las Vegas Strip and introduced the entertainment style of Franco Dragone. The show opened in 1993 as the first permanent Cirque du Soleil production in Las Vegas. The idea for Mystere started around 1990. It was originally planned for Caesars Palace with the theme based on Greek and Roman Mythology. The plan, however, was scrapped by the casino execs, thinking the project would be too risky. Mystere was very different from the typical material they were used to in a Las Vegas show. According to Michael Crete, a set designer for Cirque du Soleil, "Las Vegas was still very influenced by Folies Bergere, with the feather boas, etc. There was a European culture already in place, oddly enough, not an American one. The people who opened the door for something new were Siegfried and Roy. They were the first to move away from the Folies / Lido thing."

Treasure Island eventually picked up the show. This opportunity offered some new creative territory for Cirque Du Soleil. Mystere was their first show that would have its own theater. All previous shows became successful by going on tour and performing in temporary tents. Mystere would have a permanent base in Las Vegas. It was also the first time they would work with a major financial partner - Mirage Casino-Hotel - to produce a show. With Mystere, they no longer had uninhibited creative power and, on occasion, had to contend with the more conservative tastes of their client.
Mystere broke new ground for the Quebec based production company and, despite some initial skepticism, has enjoyed a highly successful and profitable run. It's still a top draw on the Las Vegas Strip with most shows nearly selling out the 1600 seat Mystere Theater.

If you have any information about the history of entertainment at this property please do contact us, we aim to update this section of the site as frequently as possible so that we can ensure as accurate as possible correct historic information.