Las Vegas has long been the land where everything is bigger than life. Nobody builds an intimate, subtle venue in Sin City and certainly not on the Las Vegas Strip where every resort casino seems designed to be more impressive than the last one.
Walking or driving down the Strip at night brings an assault of neon where it's almost hard to process everything you see. The mega-casinos operated by Caesars Entertainment (CZR) and MGM Resorts International (MGM) include a faux Eiffel Tower; a Statue of Liberty replica; Luxor, a casino/hotel shaped like an Egyptian pyramid; and the sheer grandeur of Caesars Palace.
There's a seemingly endless array of digital billboards and marquees touting everyone from Carrot Top and Donny Osmond to Lady Gaga and Boys II Men. The Las Vegas Strip offers everything from world-class magicians to the biggest-name DJs, Cirque du Soleil to classic showgirls and classic as well as modern burlesque shows.
The Strip has also hosted some fairly impressive attractions including the Fountains at Bellagio, the canals at the Venetian, and the now-defunct pirates show at Treasure Island. Another beloved attraction, the Volcano at Mirage will soon close to make way for the new owner of that property, Hard Rock International, to build a guitar-shaped hotel.
Las Vegas has embraced change but now a player in the city will be adding a top-tier permanent (well, as permanent as anything is in Sin City) attraction right on the heart of the Strip.
Image source:Daniel Kline/TheStreet
Formula 1 Makes a Big Las Vegas Move
Formula 1 (F1) has decided to plant its flag in Las Vegas in a large way. The racing series plans to bring a race, the Las Vegas Grand Prix, to the Las Vegas Strip in November 2023.
"The race will take place at night, on a Saturday in November, on the famous Las Vegas Strip with the track sweeping past some of the world’s most legendary landmarks, hotels and casinos. The incredible neon lights of Las Vegas will be the backdrop for Formula 1’s third race in the U.S. and highlights the huge enthusiasm and excitement in the U.S. for Formula 1 as the sport continues to grow its global fan base," the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority shared in a press release.
Formula 1 has committed to doing more than just having a race in Las Vegas. The organization also bought a $240 million 39-acre parcel of land on the northeast corner of Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane (an area that's just off the Las Vegas Strip).
The land will give F1 a permanent place in Las Vegas and some of the land will be used to build a "pit and paddock" area for the upcoming race," according to Greg Maffei, CEO of Formula 1's parent company, News 3 Las Vegas reported.
Now, however, more plans have been released for the site which should make anyone who ever wanted to feel what it's like to drive an F1 car happy.
Formula 1 Experience Coming to the Las Vegas Strip
"A permanent Formula 1 experience is expected to open near the Las Vegas Strip as a new tourist attraction sometime in early 2023 -- just in time for Vegas’ Grand Prix," Casino.org reported.
Few details have been released about exactly what the new attraction will involve, but it appears that F1 fans will get to take a turn behind the wheel of the famous race cars.
"Plans are still being finalized for the experience. But soon, racing and adrenaline fans alike will be able to strap in and go full-throttle in Formula 1 cars as they speed near one of Vegas’ most famous landmarks," the site reported. "The F1 experience will operate for 11 months each year on the site of the now-bulldozed Ice nightclub at Koval Lane and Harmon Avenue."
