Music and Motors: How COTA Turned the 2025 United States Grand Prix into a Weekend Festival
October 19, 2025 — Circuit of the Americas, Austin, TX
Tens of thousands of race fans — many sporting cowboy hats — flocked to Austin for the 2025 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Organizers expanded the weekend into a full-scale festival, blending high-octane racing with headline music performances that drew crowds onto the infield and into the amphitheater.
Friday Night Lights and Saturday Classics
Norwegian DJ Kygo kicked off the musical program on Friday, October 17, minutes after the initial sprint race, which Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won. Kygo’s set married pulsing EDM with bright lasers and pyrotechnics, reworking familiar songs into buoyant, dance-ready versions that energized the audience gathered on the circuit.
The following evening brought a stylistic shift: country superstar Garth Brooks closed out Saturday with a show that leaned on his catalog of favorites and included a heartfelt cover of Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page.” In a memorable moment, Brooks handed his guitar off to a child in the front rows — a spontaneous exchange that left a young fan with an unforgettable keepsake.
Grid Gigs Debuts and Sunday’s Finale
New this year was Grid Gigs, a pre-race concert series staged on the track. Texas native Drake Milligan headlined the first Grid Gigs performance just before Sunday’s main event, telling Billboard that playing at an F1 weekend in his home state was a special moment. Milligan, who is set to release his album Tumbleweed on November 7, 2025, said he hoped to introduce more race fans to country music during the global event.
Sunday, October 19, belonged to the racing. After a tense, two-hour Grand Prix, Max Verstappen crossed the line first with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounding out the podium in second and third. To cap the weekend’s entertainment, roots outfit Turnpike Troubadours delivered a lively set in the COTA amphitheater, entertaining fans who stuck around after the final checkered flag.
Artists, Drivers and a Festival Mindset
The Las Vegas Grand Prix — returning in November — will continue the festival-style approach with Grid Gigs programming that includes Zedd, Machine Gun Kelly and T-Pain among the scheduled performers. Miami hosted the season’s first U.S. race back in May, making Austin the middle stop of three American events on the 2025 calendar.
Drivers welcomed the growing emphasis on music and entertainment. Visa Cash App Racing’s Liam Lawson, who finished 11th on Sunday, said that opportunities to see live artists are rare during the packed race season, so adding concerts helps broaden the appeal and enhances the spectator experience. Williams Racing’s Alex Albon, who placed 14th, echoed that sentiment, noting that big-name acts turn race weekends into full spectacles that offer more than just on-track action.
As Formula 1 continues to lean into cultural programming across its U.S. stops, race weekends are increasingly doubling as music festivals — a strategy that amplifies fan engagement and introduces motorsport to new audiences.
Related: see more about the Grid Gigs series and future lineups as F1 expands festival-style offerings across its calendar.
Watch the moment Garth Brooks handed his guitar to a fan on Instagram.
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