Why Every Brand Wants In on Canadian Grand Prix Weekend

La Maison Tifosi Peroni Nastro Azzurro

In Montreal, nothing marks the beginning of the summer like the Canadian Grand Prix. Exotic cars everywhere, restaurant reservations become almost impossible, and suddenly the city turns into a playground for brand activations, pop-ups, and invite-only events. And beyond the parties and VIP guest lists, Grand Prix weekend has naturally become one of Montreal’s biggest experiential marketing opportunities.

If you take a look at Grand Prix weekend programming, you’ll see a variety of brand events, from Mercedes Benz hosting a pop up store on Sainte-Catherine featuring show cars on displays, esport simulators and merch for sale to Heineken and Patron collaborating more in the nightlife space and many more. But what has made brands love the Grand Prix?

For starters, Grand Prix is THE event for affluent consumers. It’s the place to be for any luxury travellers, executives, celebrities, influencers, and more. For luxury, automotive, hospitality, alcohol, and fashion brands, it’s one of the rare moments where this audience is concentrated in one city over a single weekend. This is also reflected in the type of brands that choose to activate during the weekend. For instance, Canadian luxury retailer Holt Renfrew has been known to tap into Grand Prix weekends through race themed events and shopping experiences. In 2025, they collaborated with McLaren Montréal on a pop-up boutique, McLaren supercar display on Sainte-Catherine, and exclusive race-week programming.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on race day

More importantly, this all comes with built-in foot traffic. Brands don’t need to convince people to leave their homes. During F1 weekend, Montreal already has a momentum where people are actively looking for things to do, places to be seen, and events worth attending without heavy campaigns pushed in their faces.

Whether it’s Crescent, Old Montreal, or hotel hotspots, thousands of people are already there and curious as to what activations the brands are providing. 

F1 has evolved beyond racing, it’s a lifestyle event. This is perhaps the biggest reason brands continue investing in the weekend. Today, it sits at the intersection of: luxury, nightlife, fashion, travel and entertainment. Netflix shows like Formula 1: Drive to Survive helped push F1 further into mainstream culture, introducing new audiences to the sport and making it feel aspirational. For brands, showing up during Grand Prix weekend signals cultural relevance. They’re aligning themselves with a lifestyle consumers aspire to be part of.

Home to the Canadian Grand Prix since 1978, Montreal offers something few cities can: a race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve just minutes from downtown, where the energy flows directly into nightlife, hospitality, and culture. Combined with its mix of European charm and North American accessibility, and a city that is built for summer events, Montreal creates a unique environment where the race extends far beyond the track, forming a full ecosystem for brand activations. And with so many brands looking to show up and be seen, you never know who might be behind the next Grand Prix event 👀

Written by: Gabrielle T.