For Strip Residents, the 2026 Grand Prix Runs From Aug. 31 to Dec. 23

The cars race on three nights, Nov. 19 through 21. For anyone who lives in a tower off Koval Lane or drives Harmon Avenue to get home, the Grand Prix has a much longer calendar. The organizers' build period opened Aug. 31 and runs to Nov. 15. Dismantling the track runs from Nov. 23 to Dec. 23. That puts the street-level part of the race at close to four months. When Clark County extended the event through 2037 this spring, shortening that calendar was the condition commissioners attached to the deal.

The full 2026 calendar, in order

Here is the season as it reaches the streets around the circuit, starting from this week:

1. Nov. 2 to 13. Lane work on Sands Avenue resumes. Earlier phases ran from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. with one lane open each way.
2. Nov. 5 to 9. Overnight work on the temporary pedestrian bridges continues. This follows a first window that ran Nov. 2 to 4.
3. Nov. 7. The F1 Hub opens inside The Venetian Resort and runs through Nov. 29. It's closed on Thanksgiving, Nov. 26.
4. Nov. 15. The build period ends.
5. Nov. 16 to 22. MGM Resorts runs race-week events at Bellagio, ARIA, The Cosmopolitan and Park MGM.
6. Nov. 17 to 25. RTC detours on the Deuce and Routes 119, 202 and 203. The Las Vegas Monorail runs nonstop from 7 a.m. Nov. 17 until 3 a.m. Nov. 23.
7. Nov. 19 to 21. Race weekend.
8. Nov. 23 to Dec. 23. The track comes down. The seven Route 119 stops on Koval stay closed through Dec. 18.

Race weekend sits near the end of that list. Most of the disruption around it is overnight lane work and closed bus stops, which matter most to people who live and drive here every day of the season.

Where the build stands this week

By early November, the October work is finished. The Koval Lane and Flamingo Road intersection reopened after a round-the-clock closure from 9 p.m. Oct. 11 to 9 p.m. Oct. 16, while crews installed the temporary vehicle bridge. News 3 reported partial sidewalk closures during that work as well. The overnight closures of three southbound lanes on Las Vegas Boulevard, from midnight to 9 a.m. on weekdays, were scheduled to end Oct. 30.

Sands Avenue is the street to watch this week. FOX5 reported that Sands work resumes Nov. 2 and runs through Nov. 13. The organizers' preliminary plan for Nov. 2 through 8 calls for overnight track installation with one lane open each way during some closures. That plan flags the Koval Lane corridor near Rochelle Avenue and Westchester Drive.

The stretch in front of Bellagio has two different end dates in print. The organizers' weekly plan lists two southbound lanes and the sidewalk around the Bellagio Fountain Club closed 24 hours a day through Nov. 9. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the Fountain Club build-out keeps two Strip lanes and that sidewalk closed around the clock through late December. If you walk that block regularly, plan as though the later date is the one that holds.

The organizers post weekly construction updates, printable build and dismantle schedules and an interactive map on the Las Vegas Grand Prix transportation site. You can also text F1LV to 31996 for weekly SMS alerts. For race week itself, the site's race-week page says daily planners will carry the updates. Clark County's circuit-impacts page currently shows the 2025 race-week schedule, so its closure times don't apply this year.

Race week runs on Pacific time

The official schedule lists every session in Pacific time. That's the clock residents will plan errands around:

• Thursday, Nov. 19. Formula 1 Practice 1 runs 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. and Practice 2 runs 8 to 9 p.m. F1 Academy free practice and qualifying fill the gaps between them.
• Friday, Nov. 20. Practice 3 runs 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., an F1 Academy race runs 6:15 to 6:50 p.m., and qualifying runs 8 to 9 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 21. The F1 Academy feature race starts at 4:20 p.m. and the Grand Prix starts at 8 p.m.

Some international listings show other times, but the race starts at 8 p.m. local time.

Getting around changes for longer than the three nights. The Las Vegas Monorail runs nonstop from 7 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, until 3 a.m. Monday, Nov. 23. The RTC says the Deuce and Routes 119, 202 and 203 will run on major detours from Nov. 17 to 25, with many stops on and near the Strip closed. As of its Oct. 22 update, the RTC said detailed routes and stop lists would be posted before race week. Its construction notices also list the Sands and Spring Mountain stops as closed around the clock through Nov. 25. If you ride the bus, Route 119 has the longest closures. Its Koval stops stay closed for almost four weeks after the race ends.

The race-week offers inside the circuit that are open to residents

Most race-week programming is aimed at ticket holders. A few offers in MGM Resorts' Oct. 21 race-week announcement are free, open to the public or tied to a Nevada ID:

• Race to Taste at Wicked Spoon, The Cosmopolitan. Nevada residents get a two-for-one special Nov. 16 to 20 with a valid Nevada ID. The F1-inspired menu runs Nov. 20 and 21.
• Paddock Journal and Lytedust pop-up, Bellagio Promenade. Free and open to the public Nov. 19 to 22.
• TGR Haas F1 show car, The Cosmopolitan. On display at Level 2 of the Chelsea Tower Nov. 16 to 22, with a first-come team meet-and-greet on Nov. 18.
• Yellowtail at Bellagio. Patio seats facing the Fountains of Bellagio on all three race nights, with a $150 minimum spend per guest. The restaurant stays open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
• Employees Only at Reserve Bar, Park MGM. A pop-up from the New York cocktail bar runs Nov. 18 to 22, open to the public with reservations through SevenRooms.
• Superbueno at The Vault, Bellagio. Runs Nov. 19 to 21, from 5 p.m. to midnight Thursday and 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
• Pepsi Flavor Circuit, 3758 Las Vegas Boulevard, next to Park MGM. Open 1 to 8 p.m. Nov. 19 and noon to 8 p.m. Nov. 20 and 21.

These are operator announcements, so hours and terms can change before race week. The Wicked Spoon offer is the only one in the list limited to Nevada residents. It also ends on Nov. 20, the night before the race.

The 2037 extension came with a promise to shorten the season

On May 19, 2026, the Clark County Commission voted unanimously to keep the Grand Prix on the Strip through 2037, in its slot the week before Thanksgiving. According to the Las Vegas Sun, race organizers committed to smoother setup and teardown as part of the deal. County Manager Kevin Schiller listed the planned improvements: track lighting foundations, underground conduit for communications, and permanent gates to manage traffic. Commissioner Michael Naft told the Sun the extension had "got to come with very clear parameters that the purpose of more time is to condense the timeline."

The race has shortened parts of the work before. The Sun reported that in 2025, installing the track barriers took two weeks less than the year before. The two-lane vehicle bridge took five days to build in 2025, compared with 10 days in 2023. In July, FOX5 reported that the LVCVA board approved a $100 million sponsorship, paid at $10 million a year from 2028 through 2037. The LVCVA and F1 said permanent infrastructure would shorten setup and teardown and benefit nearby businesses and the community.

The 2026 calendar doesn't show those gains yet. The Sun reported that the 2025 project started Sept. 8, 2025, and that crews finished dismantling by Christmas. This year, the build period opened Aug. 31, about a week earlier, and dismantling is scheduled to end Dec. 23. In September, the Review-Journal described crews setting up the same 3.8-mile public-road circuit and reported that the permanent infrastructure meant to speed future setup and teardown was still being planned. Those permanent pieces aren't in place yet, so 2026 is likely the last year residents see the full four-month calendar before any shortening can take effect.

When the dismantle schedule is posted on the transportation site, the dates to watch are Dec. 18, when the Route 119 stops on Koval are set to reopen, and Dec. 23, when the last of the track is due to come down.

If you own on or near the Strip and are weighing whether to list, lease or buy in the next few months, the Grand Prix calendar affects showing times, access for buyers and how a building presents to them. Jennifer Debough can help you plan a sale or purchase around these dates. Schedule Your Complimentary Consultation.