Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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where the champagne flows During Formula One, consumption of bubbly is at an all-time high. 04 05 3. Grand Plaza: It is "party central," where we have fun festival elements programmed (music, themed interactive zones for kids and adults, and lots of food and drink options) and great views of Turn 1, Turns 16 to 19, and leading into Turn 20. How would you like to get Austinites more engaged in the F1 US Grand Prix experience? For those Austinites who have not joined us in the past, I invite them to come this year. They don't have to be a motorsports fan to have a great time. We program the weekend activities to be entertain- ing for the entire family… We want to continue to grow this into one of the best sports experiences in the world. We are consistently ranked in the top three in Formula One experiences. We were named "Sports Event of the Year" in 2013 and a finalist for "Sports Facility of the Year" in 2014 by Sports Business Journal, so we are off to a great start, but we need Austinites' support to continue to grow. What makes the Austin edition different than other F1 experiences? Our phenomenal racing circuit, with its iconic Turn 1 and unparalleled views of the track—along with our award-winning venue (Austin360 Amphitheater) and the festival elements we program—combine beautifully with Texas's reputation of big hospitality and Austin's love of music. It makes for an authentic, uniquely Austin and American experience. We also boast one of the most active and friendly cities in the world in which to host our free Fan Fest. It is held downtown, Friday through Sunday race weekend, providing another incredible opportu- nity for us to introduce F1 fans to Austin and Austin to F1. ➻ g.h. mumm is the official Champagne of Formula One and is used to douse the winning drivers during their celebration on the podium. ➻ Blu at the w went through about 25 cases (or 300 bottles) of the premium bubbly last year. ➻ amBer lounge opened more than 600 bottles over the weekend in 2013. ➻ my yacht cluB consumed approximately $300,000 worth of Champagne last year at Ballet Austin. ➻ at Ballet austin this year, you can win a limited-edition Comte de Mazeray 24k gold-leaf-wrapped Methuselah—six liters of Champagne, valued at $20,000 —by participating in the My Yacht Club party's Halloween costume contest. The Music eleMenT legends of pop, rock, and hip-hop will entertain Austin crowds on F1 weekend. Now in its third year, Formula One has quickly become ingrained into the fabric of Austin. Naturally, the Live Music Capital of the World had to inject some music into this inter- national racing event and make it the city's own. Some of the musical highlights this year include '80s British pop legends Duran Duran (ab ove le ft); American hip-hop trio De La Soul; rock, blues, and rap megastar Kid Rock; and the queen of rock 'n' roll herself, Joan Jett, and the Blackhearts (ab ove right). "I've always had a great time in Austin—and remember, I've played in Austin since the Runaways, in the '70s," Jett says. "It's always a great show in Austin because the people are so into the music scene in general." (Read our exclusive interview with Joan Jett at austinway.com.) Jett headlines COTA's Fan Fest at Republic Square Park downtown, which is free and open to the pub- lic all weekend and includes additional performances from Bobby Patterson & The Disciples, Texas Tornadoes, Grupo Fantasma, Black Joe Lewis, and more. Duran Duran, part of COTA's Fan Fest VIP Experience, plays at ACL Live at the Moody Theater on Saturday night. Tickets start at $325. And finally: Kid Rock caps off the weekend by perform- ing Sunday night post-race at COTA's adjacent Austin360 Amphitheater—the concert is included in the cost of admission. circuitoftheamericas.com/cotafanfest 04 AUSTINWAY.com 93