Honda Indy is in Markham this year. Here's what GTA buyers and families actually pay.

Honda Indy is moving out of Exhibition Place. The 2026 race is now the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham, and the ticket page is live. Most buyers in Vaughan and the GTA are not asking "should I become a motorsport fan." They are asking two simpler questions: Is the trip worth it for my family? and What does it actually cost? This is the buyer-side read of the official ticket page, with the numbers laid out and a few things the marketing copy skips.

For the brand story behind the move, I covered that yesterday in Why Honda still races at Indy. This piece is the practical one: tickets, paddock, kids, and what to budget.

The 2026 grandstand tiers, at a glance

There are three grandstand tiers — Gold, Silver, Bronze — plus General Admission. The easy way to read them: Gold = top rows, Silver = mid, Bronze = lower. View improves as you go up, but closeness to the action improves as you go down. Pick your trade-off.

All prices include tax. New for 2026: ticket fees have been removed. Single-day tickets for Silver, Bronze, and GA are listed as "Coming Soon" at the time of writing — check the official page for the current status.

The gotcha most people miss: only the Gold grandstand includes a Paddock Pass. If you want paddock access and you don't want Gold, you have to add a separate Paddock or Pit & Paddock Pass.

Paddock and pit passes, priced separately

If you want to be in the area where the cars, crews, and drivers work, you need a pass on top of your grandstand ticket (unless you're in Gold). Three options from the official page:

• Pit & Paddock Pass — 3-Day: $230. Adds pit lane to paddock access across the full weekend. For hardcore fans only.
• Paddock Pass — Weekend: $85. NTT IndyCar Series paddock access for the whole weekend. This is the "see the cars up close" tier.
• Paddock Pass — Single Day: $60. Listed as "Coming Soon."

For a family of four doing one day, the cheapest combo is: Bronze Saturday ($75 each) + four single-day paddock passes (when available) is roughly $135 a person. Or skip the paddock and use the savings for parking and food on site.

Free Fan Friday is the real deal for families

This is the part I would tell any neighbour in Vaughan about first. Free Fan Friday is presented by Ontario Honda Dealers and is not a ticketed day. Show up, find a seat (first-come, first-served), and you are in. Children 12 and under get free general admission AND free NTT IndyCar Series paddock access when they are with a ticketed adult. The festival site, the food, the fan zone, and the practice-day atmosphere are all open.

If you have never been to a Honda Indy weekend, Friday is the cheapest way to see if your family likes the experience before committing to a Saturday or Sunday ticket. Pair it with a Unionville GO trip and dinner on Main Street Markham, and you have a full free-to-cheap day out.

Which grandstand actually fits your group

The race runs on a new downtown Markham street circuit. Four grandstand locations are listed on the official page:

• Pit Lane Grandstand. Inside the Unionville GO parking lot. Views the unique double-sided pit lane and the final run to the checkered flag. The premium location.
• Turn 3 Grandstand. Central to the festival site. Watch the field charge from Turn 2 into a 90-degree left-hander. Good for a first-timer who wants a single spot to settle into.
• Remington Turn 5 Grandstand. Sits at a hairpin with late braking and passing, then the long back straight. Good for racing purists.
• Turn 8 Grandstand. Vantage on a technical left-hander that feeds into the sweeping right of Turn 9.

For a family with younger kids who lose interest, I'd lean Turn 3 for sight lines and proximity to the festival area. For someone who wants the actual finish, Pit Lane in any tier is the move. Bronze is only available in Pit Lane and Turn 3 — the lower rows are not offered at Turn 5 or Turn 8.

The honest cost math, family of four

Skip the GA, since it doesn't include a grandstand seat on Saturday and Sunday. A realistic family plan looks like this:

• Budget day out: Free Fan Friday + kids 12 and under free with a ticketed adult + your own snacks = essentially free. Add GO train fare and dinner.
• One-day grandstand: Four Bronze Saturday tickets at $75 each = $300, plus a single-day Paddock Pass for whoever wants it at $60. About $360 before parking and food.
• Two-day grandstand: Four Silver 2-Day tickets at $180 each = $720. Skip the paddock and use the savings on a nicer dinner.
• Premium experience: Four Gold 2-Day at $240 = $960, but each ticket already includes a Paddock Pass, so you save $85 × 4 = $340 on passes. Real cost: about $620 per person all-in.

What to bring and what to skip

From the official page and the 2026 changes:

• Card or phone wallet. All gate sales are cashless in 2026.
• Sunscreen and a refillable bottle. August in Markham is hot. There is usually a price on parking and on most food and drink.
• Ear protection for kids. IndyCars are loud, especially at Turn 3 and Pit Lane.
• Skip: don't bother buying a separate Paddock Pass for kids 12 and under on Friday — they already get in free with a ticketed adult. Don't buy from resellers; go direct to the official ticket page.

My take for Vaughan and Markham buyers

The race is on your doorstep this year, and that changes the math. For the cost of a family dinner out, Free Fan Friday gets four people through the gate, the kids into the paddock, and a real look at the experience. If it goes well, you can upgrade to a Saturday or Sunday seat without feeling like you overpaid on year one.

If you are the type who wants the full weekend and the paddock, the Gold 2-Day at $240 is the only tier where the pass is included. That detail is buried on the ticket page — most people don't notice it until checkout.

The race is also a low-stakes way to put a weekend on the calendar with your family that doesn't involve a highway drive. Unionville GO is right there, Main Street Markham is walkable, and the brand on the ticket is one you already trust with your daily driver.

For the deeper "why is Honda doing this" read, see yesterday's article on Honda's Indy commitment. For tickets, schedules, and festival map, the official Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham ticket page is the only source that matters.