• Disney is racing into Las Vegas after partnering with F1 for a race-themed, multiday experience
• “Fuel the Magic” will feature Disney characters, live performances, and merch
• The campaign will take place during next month’s Las Vegas F1 race 

The Walt Disney Company’s first major branded presence in Las Vegas will debut next month during the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Mouse House has partnered with Formula 1 to launch “Fuel the Magic,” a multiday entertainment campaign blending Disney characters, live performances, and exclusive merchandise.

AI renders a photo of Mickey Mouse fighting for points in the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. (Image: GROK)

As part of the collaboration, Disney’s Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Pluto characters will appear throughout race week. The festivities will culminate on race day, November 22, with a performance of the national anthem by the Disneyland Band, followed by “Maestro Mickey” starring in a Disney Live Entertainment production staged in front of the Fountains of Bellagio.

Selected main grandstand ticket holders will enjoy a pit-lane walk with the characters ahead of the qualifying session.

Now fans can look forward to seeing Mickey & Friends in the high-speed world of Formula 1 through experiences, content, and merchandise around the globe,” Disney said in a press release on Wednesday, which coincided with this Disney-posted Instagram video of F1 racecars using skid marks to draw Mickey’s head and mouse ears.

The “Fuel the Magic” collaboration includes two race-viewing packages in the East Harmon Zone by Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Starting at $2,250, both the Main Grandstand and Skybox packages include a three-day ticket with assigned seating, pit-lane walk access, and a view of the Heineken Silver Stage.

Radical Course Change

Despite the persistent myths about Disney opening a resort on the Strip, the company hasn’t dipped more than a toe into Sin City with its annual “Disney on Ice” stops at the Thomas & Mack Center and an immersive installation of Disney animation that ran at The Shops at Crystals from 2023 through this past March.

“I don’t see the Walt Disney Company … getting involved in the business of gambling, in effect, by facilitating gambling in any way,” Disney CEO Bob Iger told CNBC in February 2019.

Traditionally, Disney:

• Banned casinos from its popular cruise ships, defying industry norms
• Refused to renew its licensing agreements for “Star Wars” slot machines following its acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, and did the same with Marvel-themed slots after acquiring that company in 2009
• Lobbied against the expansion of gambling near Walt Disney World
• Helped block 21st Century Fox’s 2019 plan to build a theme park at the Resorts World Genting casino resort in Malaysia

But companies that want to remain successful in a changing world learn to break with tradition. For Disney, this shift began in 2023, when its ESPN subsidiary launched ESPN BET, making its first foray into sports wagering.

Now, apparently, all bets about Disney avoiding Las Vegas are off.

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