The sign that once blazed over the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023 is about to glow again — this time inside The Neon Museum's Neon Boneyard. The museum will relight the F1 sign on October 26 during a ceremony that caps off four days of celebrating Las Vegas history, architecture and design.
The relighting marks the finale of Duck Duck Shed, a four-day celebration running from October 23 to 26, according to FOX5 Las Vegas. The event starts at 6 p.m., with tickets priced at $35 per person, and guests attending the relighting ceremony can also view a Formula One show car on site. The festival operates as a citywide educational conference spread across multiple historic Las Vegas venues, as Travel Weekly reports.
A Name Rooted in Architectural Theory
A Name Rooted in Architectural Theory Duck Duck Shed takes its name from the 1972 architectural text Learning from Las Vegas, which categorized buildings as either “ducks” — structures whose physical shape reflects their function — or “decorated sheds,” generic buildings that lean on applied signage to communicate meaning, per the same Travel Weekly report. The festival is rooted in that seminal design text by Robert Venturi, according to the Duck Duck Shed website. This year's lineup extends well beyond the F1 relighting: the schedule includes an Elvis Presley stage wardrobe presentation, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
Why a Racing Sign Belongs in the Boneyard
Why a Racing Sign Belongs in the Boneyard The F1 sign commemorates the sport’s arrival in Las Vegas. Neon Museum Executive Director Aaron Berger has said the museum employs a dedicated research team to verify original colors, metalwork, tubing and electrical components, ensuring that signs added to the collection are restored to historically accurate conditions. Hoodline also reported on Vegas Vic's stalled waving arm, quoting Berger advocating a thorough restoration.
The museum's footprint extends beyond its own 2.27-acre campus, which is anchored by the Neon Boneyard and a Visitors' Center housed in the former La Concha Motel lobby, designed by architect Paul Revere Williams, according to Culture Type. Fifteen restored historic neon signs are displayed as public art, per Travel Weekly.
The Race Behind the Sign
The sign being relit traces back to the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, the first edition of a race that has since become a fixture on Formula One's calendar. Formula 1 and local Nevada officials signed a 10-year contract extension in June 2026, securing the race in Las Vegas through at least 2037. The event has also proven lucrative for the region: Formula 1 reported that the Grand Prix generated $3.2 billion in cumulative economic impact for Southern Nevada across its first three editions, with the 2025 race alone producing $43 million in state and local tax revenue.
The race has been described as a $500 million event, according to the Wisconsin Business Review. The inaugural race wasn't without its stumbles, either — in July 2026, Liberty Media agreed to a $3 million settlement resolving class-action litigation brought by spectators over a truncated initial practice session during that first 2023 event, per GrandPrix.com.
Neon's Long Relationship With Vegas Casinos and Motels
The sign's induction continues a pattern of local businesses entrusting their neon history to the museum. El Cortez donated its historic Prime Rib $19.95 sign to the collection in September 2024, a donation Hoodline covered alongside the hotel's decision to name a new steakhouse after owner's late daughter. El Cortez's donation is one example of a business entrusting its neon history to the museum.
Las Vegas' relationship with Formula One hasn't been without friction, particularly for residents during months of race preparation. But with the contract extension now running through 2037 and billions in documented economic impact, the Grand Prix's place in the city's identity looks increasingly permanent — permanent enough, apparently, to earn a spot in the Boneyard alongside the casino marquees that have long defined Las Vegas' skyline.
