LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The inaugural Neon City Festival in Downtown Las Vegas promises locals and tourists free entertainment and a party during Formula One — without any road or lane closures.
“The locals are all going to be down here. It’s going to be an incredible weekend for them, and they’re going have access to some of the best musical performances,” said Plaza Hotel and Casino CEO Jonathan Jossel.
The bands for the Neon City Festival during November 22 to 24 already boast their own fan bases: the All-American Rejects, Neon Trees, Seven Lions and Alison Wonderland are among the headliners on the stages.
“We came to the realization that we needed to do something different: we weren’t anti-F1. We just need to be the alternative to F1. We wish F1 to be a huge success for the city, I think it will be, long-term…but for us, Downtown, we had to come up with an alternative plan,” Jossel said.
During last year’s race, while numerous businesses and some resorts on the Strip boasted record profits from the inaugural event, other large and small businesses reported few customers.
Jossel said Downtown Las Vegas was unusually slow, and tourists delayed their annual trips; tourists mistakenly feared that the F1 traffic more than five miles away would impact their visit.
“I think they were scared away for the wrong reasons,” Jossel said. “Hopefully that corrects itself over time, and hopefully people realize they can come Downtown completely free and clear of any hassle,” Jossel said.
Jossel said leaders from Downtown came up with the plan for the Neon City Festival, having already worked with the Life is Beautiful music festival for a stretch of ten years.
“You’re not going to have any of the encumbrances of the Strip or the delays or the street closures, and it’s going to be a wonderful free festival,” he said.
There will be fireworks every night of the festival at the Plaza at 9:45 p.m.
Jossel said, if the festival performs well, it has the potential of becoming an annual event for Downtown.
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