Party in Long Beach this Weekend at the Toyota Grand Prix

Things are revving up for the biggest beach party of the year at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Friday has the advantage of being less crowded, you can sit in good seats cheap and there are the most drivers on the course - celebrities and pros. You can also meet the Champ Car drivers during the scheduled autograph session at 4:15 pm. The day ends with a live concert by "Los Enanitos Verdes".

Saturday after a few hours of warm ups and qualifying races for Sunday, there's the Celebrity Pro Race at 11:45 am, where this year five of eleven celebs are women. In the afternoon there is more champ car qualifying, the drifting challenge and the American Le Mans Series race. The day ends with more live music from the band "Taking Back Sunday", followed by the Miss Toyota Grand Prix Pageant.

Sunday is the biggest day at the races with the Champ Car World Series and the SCCA SPEED GT Championship Race. The place is packed, and it's hard to get through downtown Long Beach to get to the track. If you have general admission tickets, plan to get there early if you want to find a seat.

For tips on how to get the best of the event, visit the
Grand Prix Insider.
The Grand Prix 2007 Schedule and
This year's Grand Prix Celebrity Drivers.

For something to do downtown after the races, check out my guides to:
Long Beach Downtown Restaurants
Long Beach Downtown Nightlife.
Things to Do in Long Beach
Long Beach Shopping
Or even plan an early Sunday visit to the Long Beach Antique and Collectibles Market before the races if you don't party too late Saturday night - or if you're still up when they open at 5:30 am.

Photo by Jeff Lewis / Grand Prix Association of Long Beach