The Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix Opening Ceremony has unveiled the creative team behind the event due to take place on 15 November 2023. Created and executive produced by Brian Burke Creative, along with stage architects STUFISH Entertainment Architects and Lighting Designer Tom Sutherland.
The opening ceremony will kick off Grand Prix weekend with large-scale performances by more than eight musical artists. All 20 participating F1 drivers will be featured alongside stars in the music industry, including Andra Day, Bishop Briggs, J Balvin, Journey, Keith Urban, Steve Aoki, Thirty Seconds to Mars, will.i.am, and more.
Set against the backdrop of the iconic Las Vegas Strip, the starting grid will transform into a visual spectacle with dancers and chart-topping artists performing atop seven high-tech mobile LED stages. The creative team drew inspiration from Las Vegas’ entertainment history and the clever use of stagecraft, technology, and scale Las Vegas provides.
Brian Burke, 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 Celestia. Le Reve, The Dream which won “Best Production Show” for nine consecutive years.
Brian Burke enlisted STUFISH Entertainment Architects to create and design the staging for the opening ceremony at the brand-new Las Vegas Grand Prix Pit Building.
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 with over 1,200 lighting fixtures and 100 lasers to be used throughout the show.
“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 honour,” commented Burke.
“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,” noted 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,” enthused Sutherland.
The show will kick off with a display celebrating the arrival of Formula 1 in Las Vegas, followed by each artist’s performance that pays tribute to Las Vegas’ history in entertainment, and culminating with team and driver introductions.
