Going to Formula 1 weekend October 21-23 at Circuit of The Americas? If so, you're in for a heck of a good time with Green Day, Ed Sheeran, and even famed fictional NASCAR superstar Ricky Bobby all set to appear.
But stars won't be the only thing competing for your attention. To help Circuit of The Americas celebrate its 10th year of Formula 1 at the track, fans can indulge in free birthday cake and take a dip in the Museum of Ice Cream’s 50-foot sprinkle pool.
There's also plenty of off-track entertainment, ranging from live ice sculpting to axe throwing to lucha libre wrestling. Pick out a temporary (or permanent!) tattoo before posing for pics with such famous cars as the Batmobile, Bumblebee, a DeLorean, and Ghostbusters' Ecto-1.
If that all sounds great, remember that hundreds of thousands of other folks think so too. Be smart and plan your race weekend transportation now.
Unless you already have a parking pass, shuttles are the quickest and easiest way to get to and from COTA.
Shuttle buses will conveniently pick up guests from various spots throughout Austin and drop them off at dedicated areas at COTA reserved exclusively for buses.
Tickets for the three different shuttle options start at $35 and are on sale now, though space is limited. Pick up locations include:
- Downtown (Trinity St./Waterloo Park)
- Travis County Expo Center
- Barton Creek Square Mall
Downtown
Round-trip price: $130 for a three-day weekend pass or $45 a day with advance purchase
Same-day: $55 per person, per day
Get the party started and roll right up to the Grand Plaza in style. Primarily comprised of luxury motor coaches, this shuttle route is the closest available drop-off point to the Circuit entrance. The Waterloo Park shuttle hub is the only shuttle with direct drop-off and pick-up at the Grand Plaza Gates. Park your car for $20 a day at the garages between Trinity and San Jacinto.
Travis County Expo Center
Round-trip price: $100 for a three-day weekend pass or $35 a day with advance purchase
Same-day: $45 per person, per day
Located near the intersections of Hwy. 290/US 183 and the 130 Tollway, the Travis County Expo Center shuttle hub is a free parking lot with service in primarily air-conditioned school buses. Please enter and exit this facility at Gate 1, located off Decker Lane.
Barton Creek Square Mall (Saturday and Sunday only)
Round trip price: $45 per day with advance purchase
Same-day: $55 per person, per day
Located near the intersection of Loop 1 and Hwy. 360 (Capital of Texas Highway), the Barton Creek Square Mall shuttle hub is a free parking lot with a mix of air-conditioned school buses and motor coaches. Shuttle pick-up and drop-off is located near JCPenny. This hub is not available on Friday of race weekend.
Rideshare
If Uber or Lyft is your plan, be prepared. Rideshare patrons will be dropped off and picked up at Del Valle High School, where they will then take a shuttle to the McAngus Lot. The walk to the rideshare lot is approximately 15-20 minutes and wait times can be very long. Surge pricing tends to be exceptionally high.
Photo courtesy of COTA
Keep the driving on the track.
For more information on shuttles and to book your tickets, click here.
To ensure the safety of its guests, COTA suggests buying shuttle passes directly from its site instead of purchasing a parking pass for an unauthorized parking lot near the race track.
