The 2026 Las Vegas Grand Prix Just Got Bigger: Backstreet Boys Afterparty at Sphere, Single-Day Tickets Are Back

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2026 — The Las Vegas Grand Prix has never been just a race, and this year it's doubling down on that. The Formula 1 Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix announced a slate of new 2026 experiences this week: the debut F1 Afterparty at Sphere with the Backstreet Boys as the official post-race show, three nights of big-name music on the T-Mobile Stage, the return of single-day tickets starting at $81, and new hospitality packages that lean all the way into the Vegas part of the weekend. The race runs Nov. 19–21 on the 3.8-mile Strip Circuit — and for the first time, the night doesn't end when the checkered flag waves.

The afterpartyBackstreet Boys at Sphere, official post-race show

On Saturday, Nov. 21, the Backstreet Boys will headline the first-ever F1 Afterparty at Sphere — the official post-race show of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, according to the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix's official announcement this week, as covered by Fabulous Nevada. It's a one-night-only performance: the checkered flag drops, and then thousands of fans file into Sphere to swap roaring engines for massive singalongs.

"Las Vegas is the only place in the world where Formula 1, the Backstreet Boys and Sphere can come together for one unforgettable night," Emily Prazer, president and CEO of Las Vegas Grand Prix, Inc., said in the announcement statement. "F1 Afterparty reflects what makes the Las Vegas Grand Prix so distinctive," she added. Sphere's Jen Koester, the venue's president and COO, said the band's sold-out Sphere shows exemplify "our commitment to bringing iconic artists together with groundbreaking technology to create experiences only Sphere can deliver."

Getting in works like this, per the official F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix site: race-plus-afterparty bundles start at $925 for T-Mobile General Admission, $1,560 for T-Mobile Grandstands, and $2,062 per person for a Venetian hotel package through Vibee (the Venetian is the only resort directly connected to Sphere). Already holding a race ticket? Vegas 411 reports the afterparty add-on starts at $116 for eligible T-Mobile Zone ticketholders, with standalone access from $162. Access to the late-night concert is sold through race ticket packages or as an add-on for race ticket-holders, per Fabulous Nevada.

The musicThree nights on the T-Mobile Stage

Outside Sphere, the T-Mobile Zone will run three nights of live music across race weekend, per Fabulous Nevada. Sean Paul, Disclosure, and Two Friends are the headliners, with Natasha Bedingfield, Gorgon City, Ja Rule, Collect 200, DJ Mandy, and others rounding out the bill. Vegas 411's night-by-night breakdown has Two Friends and Ja Rule opening Thursday, Disclosure and Gorgon City on Friday, and Sean Paul with Natasha Bedingfield closing it out Saturday — the same night as the race and the Sphere afterparty, so Saturday is a genuinely long day for anyone doing it all. The surrounding zone also gets interactive fan installations and race viewing.

The ticketsSingle-day tickets are back — from $81

One of the most fan-friendly moves: single-day tickets return for 2026, available for each day of race weekend across general admission, grandstand seating, and — for the first time — select single-day hospitality experiences. General admission starts at $81, grandstands at $102, and hospitality at $382, per Fabulous Nevada. That's a meaningful reset from the sky-high full-weekend-only pricing that defined the early years of the race.

New packages include the Lewis Hamilton Grandstand Package in the West Harmon Zone — a reserved seat, a limited-edition Lewis Hamilton +44 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2026 T-shirt, Heineken Stage access, fan activations, and admission to the West Harmon, East Harmon, and Koval zones. The Heineken Silver Main Grandstand offers views of the start and finish line, pre-race ceremonies, pit lane, and team garages. And the Trackside Tavern by Paramount+ adds an all-inclusive food and beverage component with a Pit Lane Walk and first-come, first-served Paddock and track tours.

The weekIt starts before the engines do

Race-week programming now begins days before cars hit the Strip Circuit. On Nov. 17, the Grand Prix will stage a special "Collaboration Knight" with the Vegas Golden Knights as the team hosts the Dallas Stars at T-Mobile Arena — hockey meets F1, only in Vegas. On Nov. 19, the F1 Business Summit returns to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, hosted by comedian Heather McMahan, bringing together executives and figures from sports, business, technology, and entertainment.

And for fans who want F1 year-round, Grand Prix Plaza — the 39-acre Formula 1 attraction with F1 X, F1 DRIVE, F1 HUB, and F1 SIMULATORS — stays open to the public through Oct. 4, per Fabulous Nevada, before it closes to become the beating heart of the race weekend itself.

The big pictureThrough 2037

The 2026 race is the fourth edition of the Strip Circuit event — Max Verstappen won in 2023 and again in 2025, with George Russell taking 2024 — and earlier this year Formula 1 locked in the race through at least 2037 on a 10-year contract extension, per Reuters. Formula 1 says the grand prix has delivered $3.2 billion in cumulative economic impact for Southern Nevada since the debut, with all three races to date sold out and 300,000 fans attending across three days last year. The 50-lap night race still sends drivers past the Bellagio, Caesars, Wynn, and the Venetian at speeds north of 215 mph — the only race on the calendar where the circuit is the destination. Sports has the full Friday guide here, and the Vegas Daily roundup covers the rest of today's city news. See you at the flag.