"Bradley Cooper and I are haloed in Las Vegas neon, standing shoulder to shoulder on the Formula 1 grid walk, a glamorous, chaotic pre-race ritual. LED lights strobe across the paddock, and house beats ripple from the rooftop. Earlier I clocked Paris Hilton in a latex racing suit and watched Paul Mescal wind through the crowd. Elvises-plural-in rhinestones and sideburns are everywhere. When the drivers stride out, the grandstand leaps up. Phones shoot into the air."
"For three nights in late November, Vegas doesn't just host one of the most thrilling races on the calendar-it becomes the race. Steakhouses and hotel lobbies swell with A-listers; cars howl down the Strip; the Sphere flashes updates across 1.2 million LEDs. The thrill isn't merely competition but proximity to spectacle. The glittery capital of gambling and entertainment has always been a bit of a chameleon."
"Sports have long had a place here. Travelers flocked to boxing matches at Mandalay Bay or Caesars Palace even as major leagues avoided a city built on betting. Then came the shift. The Golden Knights arrived as the city's first pro hockey franchise in 2017 and in 2018, nationwide sports betting was legalized. That opened the floodgates: The WNBA's Aces followed, and the NFL's Raiders landed in 2020, giving locals something they'd been missing: teams to rally around."
Las Vegas has repositioned itself as a sports capital, turning major events into immersive spectacles that blend competition with celebrity and nightlife. A Formula 1 race transforms the Strip for three nights, with neon grid walks, A-list attendees, and the Sphere broadcasting updates across 1.2 million LEDs. The city shifted toward a PG-friendly, diversified visitor economy, aided by the 2018 legalization of nationwide sports betting and the arrival of major franchises: the Golden Knights (2017), the Raiders (2020), and the WNBA's Aces. By 2025 the Aces, three-time champions, became the first WNBA team to sell out consecutive seasons at Michelob Ultra Arena.
Read at Conde Nast Traveler
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