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The Grand Prix of Long Beach is getting a makeover

April 15, 2026

This year’s Grand Prix of Long Beach may look a little different.

That’s because the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, with help from the event’s new owner, Penske Entertainment, is taking steps to remodel and touch-up various aspects of the massive event concourse, ranging from replacing old grandstands to planting new flowers and everything in between.

But the many upgrades the Grand Prix’s organizers have in mind won’t happen all at once, according to association CEO and President Jim Liaw, who said in a Tuesday interview the changes are planned over several years.

“It’s not going to be an overnight renovation,” Liaw said. “Over the course of the next few years, we’re going to start to assess and address everything to make sure that our patrons are walking into a top-notch facility where they can enjoy the weekend or the day that they spend here.”

Penske acquired the Grand Prix of Long Beach in November 2024, just a few months before the 50th anniversary edition of the event was set to get underway in April 2025.

The company, at the time, announced its plans to help enhance the experience of the Long Beach race’s fans, but because planning for the 2025 event was nearly complete at the time of the Penske purchase, there was little opportunity for new additions to the three-day racing fest.

Worker dismantle grandstands along Shoreline Drive the day after the 50th Grand Prix of Long Beach in Long Beach, CA, on Monday, April 14, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Worker dismantle grandstands along Shoreline Drive the day after the 50th Grand Prix of Long Beach in Long Beach, CA, on Monday, April 14, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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The 2026 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, meanwhile, marks the first iteration of the event with full Penske involvement.

And this year, the company stuck to its promise of making upgrades to the event, some of which will be on display during the Grand Prix this weekend, Friday to Sunday.

“The Grand Prix in itself has operated for over 50 years and is foundationally quite solid,” Liaw said. “It’s a pretty well-oiled machine. But with that, I think the challenge becomes (how we can) enhance the look, the feel, the experience for eventgoers.”

To that end, work has already begun on a three-year plan to replace all of the Grand Prix’s grandstands. About a third, or around 10,000, of the grand stands have already been upgraded for this year’s event, and a new double-decker Pit Lane suite has been installed.

“It’s the first time we’ve done this particular structure, and we are doing the final touches on it from an operational standpoint and making sure we provide all the necessary things, like there’s an air conditioned climate-controlled area in the suite,” Liaw said, “and we have to make sure that we have (ADA) accessibility.”

The new suites, Liaw added, will provide racegoers with a new vantage point and a new way to experience the race.

Besides those changes, several other beautification efforts are already underway at the Grand Prix’s venue. Exposed scaffolding that makes up the many temporary structures around the concourse, for example, will be covered with scrim — a dense fabric — in an effort to make the event more aesthetically pleasing.

“We want to cover up a little bit of the rawness that’s been exposed in years past,” Liaw said of that effort.

But staffers are also working to employ other small changes aimed at making big visual differences at the event, including pressure washing walkways and other areas, planting fresh flowers and other flora, and repainting walls.

“(There are) a lot of nooks and crannies in this facility, so we’ll make sure that we are diligent in walking every part of the facility like a fan would,” Liaw said. “We have a team of people kind of going through and trying to just make it as immaculate as possible for that race fan that’s walking in Friday morning.”

Aside from those smaller-scale changes, this year’s Grand Prix also features various new murals throughout the venue, which were created in collaboration with the nonprofit Creative Class Collective in an effort to tell the story of the race’s history and Long Beach’s culture.

Something new this year includes murals ilike this one by artist, Jamiene "DLUX" Andreozzi walkimg next to her mural of a female racer in a pedestrian bridge on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) — Something new this year includes murals ilike this one by artist, Jamiene “DLUX” Andreozzi walkimg next to her mural of a female racer in a pedestrian bridge on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Liaw, meanwhile, said that since the 2026 Grand Prix marks the first year these changes are being implemented, there will be a bit of a learning curve.

“If we’ve missed (anything) this weekend, it’s something that we’re going to notate for our future,” Liaw said, “and we’ll address it with our internal team as well as our key partners to make sure that’s on the checklist for things to change or to fix for next year’s race.”

The Grand Prix of Long Beach is getting a makeover Orange County Register

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The Grand Prix of Long Beach is getting a makeover

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