Caesars Palace Celebrates 40 Years of Grandeur on August 5, 2006; Colossal Toga Party, Motorcycle Backflip over the Fountains and Heavyweight Championship Boxing Highlight Year-Long Celebration.

LAS VEGAS -- A massive toga party hosted by actress Jenny McCarthy, a motorcycle backflip over towering fountains, world heavyweight championship boxing -- Caesars Palace in Las Vegas is celebrating its 40th anniversary -- Aug. 5, 2006 -- with a year of events and entertainment befitting the grandeur of Rome.

Honored among the premier luxury resorts in the world, Caesars Palace has lived up to this billing for four decades by hosting hundreds of signature events and offering its guests the best in entertainment, fine-dining, luxurious accommodations and world-class shopping. Celebrating this rich tradition, Caesars Palace has undertaken several special initiatives to mark its 40th anniversary year. On August 3, Caesars Palace hosted a colossal toga party hosted by Jenny McCarthy and featuring music by Otis Day and the Knights.

On May 4, 2006, Mike Metzger back flipped a motorcycle over the resort's iconic front fountains -- an achievement that recalled Evel Knievel's death-defying feat in 1967. This summer, Caesars has brought back its "Concerts Under the Stars" series to the outdoor Roman Plaza amphitheater featuring performances by Peter Frampton, Jon Secada, Melissa Etheridge and Sammy Hagar. GQ magazine has undertaken a nationwide Search for the Modern Day Caesar where one lucky man will spend a weekend at Caesars living the life of royalty. The public can vote online starting August 9.

Continuing its tradition as Home of Champions, boxing fans have enjoyed several Caesars-sponsored events this year including a bout featuring Floyd Mayweather, Jr., widely considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. On August 12, Caesars welcomes guests to the heavyweight championship battle featuring Hasim Rahman and Oleg Maskaev.

Beginning September 7, Caesars Palace and the AVP are teaming to bring AVP's elite male and female athletes to Las Vegas for a three-day tournament in the Caesars Palace Roman Plaza Amphitheater. This unique event will feature 12 of the AVP's top beach volleyball stars and will be broadcast nationally on Fox Sports Net. When Caesars Palace opened its doors on August 5, 1966 the standard of luxury and magnificence for the hotel and casino industry was changed forever. Its opulent Roman-Grecian world of fantasy captured international attention as the first deluxe themed resort casino of its kind, with imported marble statuary, cocktail servers costumed as "goddesses," a dining experience fit for royalty and nightly performances by the world's greatest entertainers. Caesars Palace, now a member of the Harrah's Entertainment family, immediately became the industry standard for the ultimate luxury resort experience.

Forty years later, Caesars Palace has expanded to almost five times its original capacity. The 85-acre resort features 3,340 guest rooms and suites, the largest poker room in the city, a world-class health and beauty salon and a 4.5 acre pool and garden complex, two dozen restaurants and the world renowned Forum Shops at Caesars. In March 2003 Caesars Palace opened its 4,100-seat Colosseum providing nightly entertainment spotlighting international performers Celine Dion, Elton John, and Jerry Seinfeld. The Roman Plaza, a 4,000-seat outdoor amphitheatre plays host to a variety of outdoor sporting events, concerts and private functions.

More information and high-resolution photos are available at media.harrahs.com