Alton Midwest Nationals F1 Powerboat Championships Returning From 2025-2027
ALTON – It’s official: the Alton Midwest Nationals Formula 1 (F1) Powerboat Championship races are returning to the Alton riverfront not only next year, but for the next three years.
Alton City Council members on Wednesday approved an agreement for the city to host the races in 2025, 2026, and 2027. The second annual installment will be held next summer during the weekend of Friday, July 18 to Sunday, July 20, 2025.
“The F1 Powerboat Championship is coming back to Riverfront Park for the 2nd Annual Alton Midwest Nationals Powerboat Championships,” a press release for the event states. “This event is going to be epic, with fast boats racing on the Mississippi River and tons of fun activities for everyone to enjoy.”
In addition to “some of the best powerboat racers in North America,” the second annual event will also feature “vendor displays, free viewing areas, a VIP Experience, music, food, and more.”
The weekend will be jam-packed with a variety of events, including meet-and-greets with the racers on Friday, races throughout Saturday and Sunday, and much more. A tentative schedule of events contained in Monday’s meeting documents can be seen at the bottom of this story.
Tim Seebold of Seebold Sports Inc., the company producing the race, announced earlier this week that going forward, there will be some notable changes from the first Alton Midwest Nationals.
While there will still be about 2,100 free bleacher seats on a “first-come, first-serve” basis, the main viewing area will now be fenced off and general admission will cost $15. However, general admission tickets will now include access to the previously sectioned-off live music area for attendees to enjoy after the races on Saturday.
Seebold added they may offer discounted tickets for children and would reach out to those who bought tickets to last year’s race for a chance to get discounted tickets for 2025. He also said the food and display vendor areas would be moved to create a clear entry point and “funnel” for attendees to move past the vendors into the main event area.
Another notable change going forward are the dates. While the first annual event was held in June, Seebold said future races will be held in July as the higher water levels give racers more stability on the water. With next year’s races set for the weekend of July 18, 2025, the third annual event will span July 17-19, 2026, while the fourth spans July 16-18, 2027.
Among the many reasons Seebold gave for the agreement’s three-year term were greater stability in planning and retaining volunteers, as well as securing better advertising rates, saving money on materials, and much more.
City Council members voted 6-0 to pass the agreement. Alderwoman Stephanie Elliott was absent.
For more about the 2025-2027 Alton Midwest Nationals, see our previous coverage on Riverbender.com. A full recording of the Dec. 18, 2024 Alton City Council meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
To see the complete Riverbender press release please visit …