Silverstone plans a four day festival of entertainment at Formula 1 2018 Rolex British Grand Prix to celebrate 70th anniversary
Silverstone is expecting a great crowd and fantastic racing at this year’s Formula 1 Rolex British Grand Prix (05 – 08 July), and the Circuit is putting on a superb line-up of entertainment to celebrate its 70th anniversary. This entertainment will include historic parades, driver appearances and autograph sessions, live music concerts, themed entertainment zones and aerobatic displays and give Silverstone a true festival atmosphere across the four days.
70th Anniversary Parades
70th anniversary parades will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the event and will feature a host of cars and drivers that have played a key part in the history of Silverstone and Formula 1 with seven decades of motorsport represented from 1948 through to modern day. Cars confirmed to date include:-
- 1948 ERA
- 1948 Maserati 4CLT
- 1955 Lancia D50
- 1958 Ferrari 246 Dino F1
- 1969 British Grand Prix Winning Matra MS80-02 driven by Sir Jackie Stewart
- 1969 Lotus 49B ex Graham Hill
- 1987 Arrows A10 BMW
- 2010 British Grand Prix winning Red Bull RB6
- 2013 F1 W04 V8 and 2016 F1 W07 BGP winning Mercedes
Live Music Concerts
Showcasing music from across the decades to mark its 70th anniversary live acts and bands will be performing on the Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday of this year’s British Grand Prix, on the main stage in the F1 Fan Zone.
On Thursday 5 July, the opening night of the British Grand Prix weekend, Sara Cox presents Just Can’t Get Enough 80’s and will be joined on stage with guests from the era including Katrina from Katrina and the Waves and Go West.
Moving forward a decade and to Friday 6 July Jo Whiley brings her love of Indie music to the Silverstone crowd as she presents 90’s Indie Anthems alongside Dodgy and Heather Small.
Rounding off the theme, Ministry of Sound, will take us to the noughties on Saturday 7 July and will be supported by Sonique and Brandon Block.
Sunday evening’s live music entertainment will be provided by Mel C who will perform at the post-race British Grand Prix After Party, playing some of her best loved hits for the Silverstone fans.
F1 Driver Appearances
Formula 1, the teams and the drivers are working closely with Silverstone to get fans closer to their heroes and F1 driver appearances will take place throughout the weekend.
Sky F1 will be broadcasting live from the International Pits Straight on Thursday and fans will be able to watch the show, which includes driver interviews, live from the grandstands. On Saturday the F1 Fans Forum will take place on the main stage alongside the F1 Fan Zone and spectators in this area will have the chance to see their favourite drivers interviewed ahead of the race.
On Sunday, firmly established as part of the British Grand Prix tradition, the Grand Prix Party will take place after the last race of the day on the main stage with current F1 drivers appearing on stage to chat to fans.
Themed Entertainment Zones
The F1 Fanzone is next to the main stage and the largest entertainment area on site over the weekend. Featuring a variety of activities including interactive F1 themed entertainment, Giant Observation Wheel, Army and Navy Displays, Climbing Wall and Segways.
A Sportzone, for those active fans in the crowd, is situated at Stowe corner and includes activities such as Table Tennis, giant chess, croquet and badminton.
The Family Zone is on the outside of National Pits Straight in the Silverstone UTC and has both an indoor and outdoor area catering for the younger fans and will include the Bloodhound project, London Karting, Action Wheels and a Build-Zone.
Back by popular demand is the Street Zone which can be found on the outside of Becketts and features street food stalls and street performers.
Inner Track pass holders can get close to the cars from the 70th anniversary parade by visiting the heritage paddock which also features a bandstand and live music taking spectators back to yesteryear.
Air Displays
In 2018 the Tigers Parachute Display Team will grace the Silverstone skies on the Friday of the event, while on Saturday, the crowd will be wowed by a spectacular display from the Chinook Helicopter. As is tradition, The Red Arrows will perform another stunning display on race day as part of the official grid ceremony.