Boston, MA F1 Arcade, the world’s first official Formula 1 simulator racing experience to put socializing at its core, is opening its first U.S. location in the Seaport in March 2024. Combining social gaming with the excitement, glamour and thrills of Formula1 , as well as food and drink offerings, the unique hospitality concept for fans and non-fans has set ambitious U.S. expansion plans following the success of its flagship London venue which opened late 2022.
F1 Arcade will join the Seaport with new art installations and experiences. Upon opening, the Seaport will be the first to experience the F1 Arcade with full motion racing simulators. It signifies the first of an ambitious plan mapped out across the U.S., targeting more than 20 permanent venue locations in the next five years.
Spanning 16,000 s/f, the venue will consist of 69 bespoke, full-motion racing simulators designed in conjunction with F1; an enormous cocktail bar featuring curated offerings from the multi award-winning Peter Vestinos and a set of high-end private rooms which can be combined to achieve capacity for up to 200 guests. The globally inspired food menu will be developed by an accomplished chef team, focused on using fresh, local ingredients from a scratch kitchen with refined dishes such as Seabass Ceviche and Wagyu Beef Burgers.
Boston Seaport will be the first to bring the excitement of F1 Arcade across the Atlantic. The F1 Arcade founder Adam Breeden, is widely regarded internationally as the pioneer of ‘competitive entertainment’ having previously co-founded some of the world’s most successful ventures in the sector, including Bounce, Hijingo and AceBounce as well as Puttshack and Flight Club, both of which are also located in Boston Seaport. F1 Arcade is set to open March 2024 located at 87 Pier 4 Blvd.
The state-side expansion of the first F1 Arcade in the U.S. comes as it continues to be one of the markets where F1 has seen the most rapid growth, with one in two fans starting to follow the sport in the last four years. These new fans, both in the U.S. and other markets, are changing the profile of the sport’s growing fan-base with most of them being under 35, with a higher percentage of females compared to the established fan-base. The U.S. has also become the leading market for followers on F1’s social media channels, overtaking the United Kingdom and Brazil, with a year-on-year increase of 45% from 2022.
Design features include several imposing F1 circuit inspired ceiling chandeliers, vibrant race-themed telemetry neon’s, and luxurious finishes with glowing warm lighting to create a unique setting.
As part of the F1 Arcade experience, guests will experience the thrill of being behind the wheel of an F1 car and race a variety of Grand Prix tracks. Featuring four separate game modes allowing guests to race in team-based groups, individually, or as part of an all-venue racing format, the custom made F1 Arcade game makes the racing accessible for all by offering a range of skill settings, from rookie to elite which cater for all ages and abilities.
The increasing demand continues at track too, with over 270,000 fans in attendance last weekend at the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix 2023, an increase of 30,000 on the inaugural race. This followed the Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix in October which saw the highest attendance of the 2022 F1 season as 440,000 fans visited the Circuit of the Americas, up 10% from the event in 2021. There is also huge excitement building around the inaugural Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix in November later this year.
Breeden said, “Opening our first US location in Boston marks the beginning of our U.S. roll out. Formula 1’s success globally and particularly in the U.S. paves the way for F1 Arcade to continue to thrill fans and importantly, also non-fans with our unique racing experience in a beautiful, high-energy environment with the very best hospitality and service.”
Stefano Domenicali, president & CEO of Formula 1 said, “Formula 1 is enjoying significant growth globally, and we are constantly innovating to ensure that we are bringing the highest quality of sport and entertainment to new and diverse audiences. F1 Arcade does exactly this by putting our fans behind the wheel of bespoke racing simulators, so they can feel the thrill of an F1 car first hand, coupled with a premium hospitality offering to match our world-renowned paddock. The success of the London venue so far has been incredible, and we are excited to see the F1 Arcade project continue to grow as it hits the US, starting in Boston.”