The Canadian Grand Prix is one of the most historic Formula 1 races on the calendar, and many people consider it to be the official North American race. Located 15 minutes from downtown Montreal, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has so much to offer, not only at the track but also off the track!
In previous years, I’ve attended the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and the Japanese Grand Prix and as a Canadian, I was ecstatic to see that Montreal had the best atmosphere that I’ve experienced in my F1 career. The vibe in the city was electric and it would have been hard to ignore that the Grand Prix was being held there. It felt as though every single person in the city was excited about the race (except maybe the policeman and security…) since nearly everyone was donning some form of merchandise and immersing themselves in all of the off track activities. If you aren’t a big fan before going to the GP, it is almost guaranteed that you leave Montreal as a superfan!
Before we get started! Planning also includes buying tickets to the actual race! Check out our Canada GP Seating Guide so you can best choose where to sit AND the on track experience from the FanAmp Team. AND when you’re ready, head over to P1 Travel to see what’s available!
In honor of the first year of their partnership with Scuderia Ferrari HP, Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% hosted a pop-up store on Rue de la Montagne in Montreal where guests could be immersed in a small Ferrari Fan Zone.
Once you enter the pop-up, you are greeted with a free sample of the Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%. We politely declined, but many people were walking around the city holding the cans, so it definitely was a popular drink and would be worth a try for the next time! The middle of the room was occupied by an older Ferrari Formula 1 car, which gave guests the opportunity for some close up pictures.
The line was fairly long for the pop-up and there wasn’t too much to see, but I would still recommend checking it out.
Normally the Formula Peel Street Party would rank higher than fifth, but Montreal was undergoing some major construction which put a damper on the accessibility of this festival. The city of Montreal is building a new metro line which will become helpful, but at the moment, it is quite an inconvenience!
That being said, the Formula Peel Street Party was still definitely worth checking out. Personally, I wouldn’t necessarily call it a street party or festival, but it was still very much a fun F1 atmosphere! There were luxurious cars lined up and down the street allowing car fanatics to ogle at their gorgeous liveries and sleek designs. Bar the construction, the street is usually packed with fans, race-goers and curious onlookers who enjoy looking at the luxurious show cars and listening to the live music.
There wasn’t live music this year (unless it was playing during the race sessions when I was at the track), and it was difficult for people to get around to see the restaurants and high-end boutiques. As I mentioned, this event would have been so much more enjoyable if the accessibility was better, but it was still 100% worth checking out and I would tell anybody heading to Montreal for the race that they need to check out the Formula Peel Street Party.
Montreal was home to some of the best pop-up stores I’ve seen for a Grand Prix weekend. They were organized, clean, and the prices for the merchandise was quite reasonable. In my personal opinion, Mercedes had the best pop-up store out of all the teams. The store was located on Saint Catherine street and when you walked in, you were immediately greeted by a life size version of their WhatsApp car emoji. This was a pleasant surprise and it added a fun element to just being a pop-up store.
The WhatsApp emoji car wasn’t the only element they included! Mercedes also incorporated a fake Pit Box where fans could sit and take pictures. My friends and I had a laugh as we pretended to be Toto Wolff and Bono chatting to George Russell and Lewis Hamilton on the radios. There was exclusive Mercedes merchandise all around the store as well as one of Russell and Hamilton’s real racing suits.
The last thing that Mercedes opted to include was a racing simulator where fans could line up to test their driving skills! Everything about this pop-up was exciting and engaging and I would recommend that anybody, Mercedes fan or not, check out the pop-up!
Red Bull, McLaren and Alpine all had pop-up stores located around the city as well, but they were fairly standard and only offered team merchandise. The McLaren store was selling McLaren buckets and cleaning spray… definitely a more practical type of racing merchandise! If you have time, I would check out those team pop-ups as well, but keep in mind that they weren’t as interactive or exciting as the Mercedes one.
The Williams Racing Meet-up is an event that I would recommend any race fan to attend! Unlike many of the other F1 events that begin on the Wednesday or Thursday before the race weekend, the Williams pop-up started on Monday June 3rd and ran until Sunday June 9th, giving fans all the time they needed to visit the Fan Zone.
It was located at Les Cours Mont-Royal, just off of Peel street, which made it the perfect location for anybody who was hoping to check out the other activities in the city as well. They offered an immersive experience with numerous activities that fans could engage in. Some of the favorites were the Batak reaction time machine where you got to test your reflexes like an F1 driver, the Komatsu Dump Truck Simulator, and the E-sports rig.
Another unique aspect to the Williams Fan Zone was that they offered an opportunity for fans to claim 15% off on selected merchandise and be entered in for a chance to win exclusive prizes and giveaways. All fans had to do was tap their phone on each of the interactive stations located around the Fan Zone.
Arguably the best part of the Fan Zone is that fans have an opportunity to see the Williams drivers and team principal live and in person. Alex Albon, Logan Sargeant and James Vowles all made appearances earlier in the week where they chatted with fans and had personal Meet and Greets. This was one of the best team pop ups that I have attended and I would recommend this to anybody attending the race in Montreal!
Keep an eye out for the other races that you can attend a Williams Fan Zone and Meet up. They currently have them planned for Spain, Great Britain, Singapore, Austin and lastly, Las Vegas.
The annual Crescent Street Grand Prix festival lives up to the hype and it is a MUST visit for any fan attending the race. That being said, it is worth checking out even if you aren’t a fan of Formula 1! The street is crowded with people and there are countless stands and vendors to check out. The festival is sponsored by lots of brands that have tents up along the street offering free samples or discount cards. If you’re not going for the F1 atmosphere, you may as well check it out for the free items!
The festival has been held every year since 1999 and there is absolutely no shortage of things to do and see. Besides the festival itself, exploring Crescent street was a lot of fun as it is home to numerous bars and restaurants, making it a very social place. Even the pouring rain didn’t stop the fun!
Alex Albon’s Williams car was on display for everyone to see and take pictures and there was live music playing all throughout the weekend. On Friday night, they had a live band on the concert stage which provided amazing entertainment late into the evening.
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