The FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN SILVER LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX Opening Ceremony took place with a star-studded event on Wednesday, Nov. 15. Created and executive produced by Brian Burke Creative, along with stage architects STUFISH Entertainment Architects and lighting designer Tom Sutherland of DX7, the opening ceremony was the first of its kind for Formula 1. In the grand tradition of Las Vegas spectacles, the opening ceremony kicked off Grand Prix™ weekend with an enormous production. Along with the 20 participating F1 drivers, the show included Andra Day, Bishop Briggs, J Balvin, Journey, Keith Urban, Steve Aoki, Thirty Seconds to Mars, will.i.am, and Kylie Minogue.
Set against the backdrop of the iconic Las Vegas Strip, the race’s starting grid, next to the brand-new Las Vegas Grand Prix Pit Building, was transformed into a visual spectacle with performances atop seven high-tech mobile LED stages, that included lifts, lighting and video technology. The show stretched across the equivalent of three football fields long. 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. For the lighting design that spans 1,000 feet long, Tom Sutherland from DX7 Design was tasked with the mammoth job.
Prior to the event the creative team made the following comments. “I have been extremely fortunate to be a part of the Las Vegas entertainment community for over 20 years,” said Brian Burke, Brian Burke Creative, “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.”
Ray Winkler, CEO STUFISH Entertainment Architects, noted, “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.” And Tom Sutherland of DX7 Design concluded, “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.”
