Your Weekend Plans

Supercharge your weekend as COTA’s F1 Grand Prix race + concerts return to Austin

The pinnacle of motorsports, the 11th Formula 1 Lenovo United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas, is racing into Austin October 20-22.

Recently named the No. 1 race to attend in 2023 by Forbes, the weekend-long extravaganza of speed and sound has more power than ever before with three days of racing, epic concerts, and so much more — all for one ticket.

The right formula
Circuit of The Americas is the only permanent, purpose-built Formula 1 track in the United States and the home of the U.S. Grand Prix.

It will be put to good use in October with this year’s event, bringing back fan favorites and introducing new experiences, such as the F1 Sprint Race.

All in all, the Grand Prix is ushering in more than 36 hours of premier entertainment.

Besides the can’t-look-away motorsports racing and 30-plus live music acts, explore immersive villages where you can find a Wild West comedy show, lucha libre wrestling, tattoo artists, shopping, photo opps, Austin’s best barbecue pit masters, and more.

The speed of sound
All that F1 action could only be matched by two equally high-octane music headliners that are nothing short of rock band royalty: The Killers and Queen + Adam Lambert on the Germania Insurance Super Stage.

On Friday, October 20, global superstars The Killers will play their biggest hits from their collective eight albums.

On Saturday, October 21, Queen will rock the track with epic anthems that couldn’t be better suited for race day, from “We Are the Champions” to “We Will Rock You,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” and so many more.

Original Queen band members Brian May and Roger Taylor, along with resident frontman Adam Lambert, will be performing.

ESPN Presents Tiësto Post-Race Celebration, available to all Sunday ticket-holders, will kick off after the winner of the 2023 USGP is decided in the Germania Insurance Amphitheater in the center of the track.

One-day, two-day, and three-day Grounds Passes are available at TheCircuit.com, along with options for concert upgrades, reserved seating, and hospitality packages.

Stay up to date on events, news, and stories at the track by following Circuit of The Americas on social media: Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter.

Photo courtesy of Circuit of The Americas

The Formula 1 Lenovo United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas is October 20-22.

races concerts promoted

Reexamining Don Draper

Jon Hamm, Henry Winkler, and more headed to Austin for TV festival

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Jon Hamm is coming to Austin to talk about Don Draper.

From May 29 to June 1, 2025, the ATX TV Festival will take over downtown Austin, and this year Jon Hamm will be joining the festival for the first time.

Hamm will be here for an event called A Mad Men Retrospective, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the show's finale. In this panel (the moderator of which is not yet announced), Hamm will reflect on his Emmy-winning performance as Mad Men's Don Draper, the uniqueness of the character in the TV canon, and the show's influence 10 years after it ended.

Jon Hamm may be best known as Draper, but he's also given celebrated performances in several movies and other shows like Fargo, Black Mirror, and — fun fact! — Gilmore Girls.

Celebrating TV is what the ATX TV Festival is all about. This annual summer event is put on by ATX TV and consists of screenings, Q&As, and panel conversations; plus all sorts of parties, live music, happy hours, and other events. It's known for reunions of classic series and cult hits, and according to the website, it's like "TV camp for grownups."

Jon Hamm isn't the only heavy-hitter in this year's lineup.

Programming also includes an acting class and Q&A with Henry Winkler himself, a live script reading of classic episodes from The Golden Girls and Designing Women (guest actors to be announced), a reunion of the creatives and cast of the HBO hit series The Leftovers, a live recording of the podcast Sidebar: A Suits Watch Podcast with Suits stars and co-hosts Sarah Rafferty and Patrick J. Adams, and much more.

Additionally, the festival's annual Pitch Competition is still accepting open pitch submissions through January 17. This gives creatives in Austin a chance to pitch their show idea in front of some of the industry's biggest showrunners and executives. Those in the top 10 will receive a year of support to make the next steps in their TV careers.

Festival badges and passes ($150-535) are on sale now.

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