For racing fans in downtown Montreal checking out luxury cars and enjoying the celebrations around the return of the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend could not have come soon enough.

“It feels like 2019, coming back to normal,” said Alfredo Monsivais, a Montreal resident who was admiring a green Alfa Romeo on Peel Street Thursday afternoon ahead of Sunday’s race, which was the first Grand Prix in Montreal in three years after two pandemic-related cancellations.

The days around the race weekend have always been special, said Benoit Dessureault, co-owner of the Old Montreal restaurant Chez Delmo. After Montreal’s long winters, the race marks the return of summer activities.

“It’s almost like waking up after hibernation,” he said. “In comes this festive crowd, well-dressed, in a party mood, with money to spend saying, ‘Wake up Montreal, it’s time to party.”’

The race is also good for business, he said. On a typical night, his 60-seat restaurant would serve around 70 customers; on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the Grand Prix, he serves around 150 people a night.

“The average per-plate is higher, there’s more champagne, there’s more alcohol consumption, there’s more pricey products, wine, etc. It’s the second-biggest sales night after New Year’s Eve,” he said.

The return of the race, the only Canadian stop on the Formula One circuit, had the city’s hotel owners “very excited” after two very difficult years, said Jean-Sebastien Boudreault, head of the Hotel Association of Greater Montreal.

“There were months where we had occupancy rates around five per cent,” he said Thursday. “It was extremely difficult for our hoteliers.”

On the weekend, he said, hotel occupancy rates were around 96% – with prices averaging around $500 a night.

“The hotels are full, so I think the hoteliers are pleased,”” he said. “Everyone is happy to see that life is resuming, that the pandemic appears to be behind us.”

The Grand Prix is one of the busiest times for the hotel industry, alongside the first weekend of the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the Osheaga music festival.

Stephannie Urrutia, who was out on Crescent Street in downtown Montreal with her mother, Ingrid Estrada – both of them dressed in matching Ferrari racing team shirts – said she’s happy to see people out and to see the return of a sport they both enjoy.

“It’s really great to have this after a pandemic,” she said.