How crowded does the city get for F1 Grand Prix? (Austin: hotels, live)

[Canamlian]

Some friends and I are looking to do a mini-reunion the weekend of Oct 19-21. We're spread out all over the country and looking for somewhere central and fun, and Austin is one of the main options we're talking about. It seemed like a good weekend because Texas isn't playing, but we just noticed the F1 Grand Prix is being held that weekend.

How crowded does the city get when the F1 is in town? Will restaurants, bars/music venues be bursting at the seams? What kind of crowds does the race bring?

I see the racetrack is on the outskirts of the city, so I'm hoping that helps.

[FalconheadWest]

The city holds pre-race events, so there will be activities going on in the city. Hotels near the airport and East will fill up as that's the more central location to stay. They also have concerts at the venue, so that brings a lot of traffic for people only going to hear the music.

[Westerner92]

I don't recall F1 weekend ever being all that crowded. A couple streets downtown might close down for concerts or events, but usually it's only the bland high-end hotels and bars that get crowded by the wealthy crowds that come to town. If hotel rates aren't inflated, I wouldn't worry about any crowds really.

[cBach]

It's not that crowded but the hotels charge a premium and will be booked solid. You need to book the hotel rooms now if you haven't already done so.

One thing to note is that there is limited parking at COTA so you'll need to take the shuttle that departs near the Convention Center and will drop you off at the front gate of COTA.

F1 is a blast and I've been many years. Any advice on seating let me know. There are some better areas to sit that have better vistas.

[centralaustinite]

F1 is my FAVORITE Austin event because it has so little impact on my daily life. SXSW disrupts my daily life for three weeks, ACL is fun but I definitely feel it (extra traffic, extra hassle, hard to get to place I go regularly) but it is just two wekeends. F1 is short and aside from some events downtown, I can still live my regular life with almost no disruptions.

BUT you definitely feel it at the airport, F1 weekend is one of the very busiest years. Flights are pricey, the airport is jammed. Hotels are all priced higher. The W, JW Marriot, and Fairfield will be jammed along with their bars, but restaurants and bar outside that zone are still great and often less crowded than usual as locals are more wary.

There is no UT game that week and now that Mexico has its own F1 the next week, I think that reduces the crowds too.

[eqshadimar]

I agree with the above posts. In the city it is not so bad but you will definitely feel the impact of the race at the airport.

[vfacundo]

Usually the hotels are reserved in "blocks" to give the appearance of booked to capacity. This allows them to charge more even though the blocks are reserved and may never get occupied. Attendance has declined since the beginning so although the event is in town, it will be mostly local attendees.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Originally Posted by Canamlian

Some friends and I are looking to do a mini-reunion the weekend of Oct 19-21. We're spread out all over the country and looking for somewhere central and fun, and Austin is one of the main options we're talking about. It seemed like a good weekend because Texas isn't playing, but we just noticed the F1 Grand Prix is being held that weekend.

How crowded does the city get when the F1 is in town? Will restaurants, bars/music venues be bursting at the seams? What kind of crowds does the race bring?

I see the racetrack is on the outskirts of the city, so I'm hoping that helps.

Seems to me, Austin F1 weekend doesn't seem as crowded as SXSW, ACL Fest, and ROT weekend. Every weekend is crowded In Austin, even if there's not any big events going on. Most every weekend in Austin is busy as if it's 5:00 rush hour all day long. If you're planning on coming to Austin F1 weekend, you might wanna go on and make a hotel reservation now, if not sooner.

F1 brings a relatively wealthy crowd, from all over the world, who seem to think nothing of spending 400$$ a night for a fancy hotel room in Downtown Austin.