The FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN SILVER LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX Opening Ceremony presented by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) has unveiled the creative team behind the star-studded event taking place on Wednesday, Nov. 15. Created and executive produced by Brian Burke Creative, along with stage architects STUFISH Entertainment Architects and lighting designer Tom Sutherland, the opening ceremony will be the first of its kind, with a level of creative and technical sophistication never seen before.
In the grand tradition of Las Vegas spectacles, the opening ceremony will kick off Grand Prix™ weekend with large-scale performances by more than eight legendary musical artists. All 20 participating F1 drivers will be featured alongside iconic award-winning global superstars in the music industry, includingAndra Day, Bishop Briggs, J Balvin, Journey, Keith Urban, Steve Aoki, Thirty Seconds to Mars, will.i.am, and more.
With over 20 years of ground-breaking Las Vegas spectacles, international music tours and global television events, the creative trio have used their combined experience to create a show that encompasses the world’s sports and entertainment capital and welcomes Formula 1® to Las Vegas. Set against the backdrop of the iconic Las Vegas Strip, the starting grid will transform into an awe-inspiring visual spectacle with dancers and chart-topping artists performing atop seven high-tech mobile LED stages. With a field play equivalent of three American football fields long, the opening ceremony will be the biggest of its kind. To create the show, the creative team drew inspiration from Las Vegas’ rich entertainment history and the clever use of stagecraft, technology, and scale Las Vegas provides; the team has raised the bar to help redefine the landscape of F1® entertainment.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix tapped entertainment visionary Brian Burke from Brian Burke Creative to bring the opening ceremony to life. An International Emmy Nominated TV producer and a Las Vegas entertainment veteran, Brian’s Las Vegas creative work spans 20 years of original “Best Of Las Vegas” production shows, music events and residencies, including Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, Pitbull, Keith Urban, Mat Franco, The Latin Grammy Awards, The World Music Awards, America’s Got Talent Superstars and Celestia. Le Reve – The Dream won “Best Production Show” for nine consecutive years. Celine Dion – A New Day remains the highest-grossing Las Vegas residency of all time.
To pull off the state-of-the-art production, Brian Burke enlisted the expertise of STUFISH Entertainment Architects to create and design the staging for the opening ceremony at the brand-new Las Vegas Grand Prix Pit Building. No strangers to the Las Vegas Strip, STUFISH have been responsible for creating some of the biggest residencies in Las Vegas, including Adele’s ‘Weekend with Adele’ and U2’s brand-new pioneering show, U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere. STUFISH also boasts a long working history with Cirque de Soleil in Las Vegas, with shows like KÀ, Believe and Viva Elvis.
With a lighting design that spans 1,000 feet long, Tom Sutherland from DX7 Design was tasked with the mammoth job of lighting the event. Over 1,200 lighting fixtures and 100 lasers are to be used throughout the show, making this opening ceremony one of the most technical track shows ever produced. Founded in the early 2000s, DX7 Design has quickly become a top player in the industry, and its portfolio of projects includes the MTV VMAs, America’s Got Talent and The BRIT Awards.
“I have been extremely fortunate to be a part of the Las Vegas entertainment community for over 20 years and to create a show that not only celebrates the sports and entertainment capital of the world, but also welcomes Formula 1 in Las Vegas, is a true honor.” – Brian Burke, Brian Burke Creative
The opening ceremony will be a spectacular show that blends the incredible entertainment value that Las Vegas has with the speed and thrill of F1. Drawing from Las Vegas’ amazing history of entertainment, the creative team under the leadership of Brian Burke set the bar very high for this show, and it gave us so much inspiration to create something unique for this event” – Ray Winkler, CEO STUFISH Entertainment Architects
“There has never been a show like the Las Vegas Grand Prix Opening Ceremony that has this level of creative and technical craft, and the Las Vegas Strip gives us an amazing launch pad to take this show to the next level. It is a great privilege to be part of the team that welcomes F1 to Las Vegas, and I can’t wait for audiences across the world to see it” – Tom Sutherland, DX7 Design
The opening ceremony will begin at 7:30 p.m. PT and is expected to garner an in-person crowd of nearly 30,000 attendees, who will enjoy these performances from the Wynn Grid Club™, Paddock Club™, Skybox or Heineken® Silver Main Grandstands. The show will kick off with an immersive display celebrating the arrival of Formula 1 in Las Vegas, followed by each artist’s performance that pays tribute to Las Vegas’ rich history in entertainment, and culminating with team and driver introductions. ESPN2 is set to broadcast the ceremony nationally, and it will stream on the F1 YouTube channel globally.
The inaugural FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN SILVER LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX will be one of the biggest sporting events of the year and will further cement Las Vegas’ position as the Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World. To celebrate this remarkable achievement, music and motorsport fans will join at the opening ceremony to enjoy memorable performances by multi-award-winning musicians.
Author: Adam Parry
Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.
