Mayor Mike Duggan said that this weekend’s Grand Prix is a test for how Detroit will handle future big-attendance events in downtown Detroit, like the 2024 NFL Draft scheduled for April 25 through April 27 at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza.
This year’s Grand Prix will be the first to be held in the downtown area since 1991. The Prix consists of six races over three days. Over the last decade the race was held in Belle Isle, but the Prix organizers said the race was “exclusive.”
The free event is expected to draw 100,000 to 200,000 people to the downtown area—which is the point, according to Duggan. “The new location will draw more people downtown,” Duggan said in an interview, “and help them feel connected to Detroit.”
That many people also means the city will be stepping up its security, according to Police Chief James White. There will be a “significant law enforcement presence, including undercover officers,” he said in an interview.
