Why pay to go to a car show?

[mopar440]

I've seen a few flyers for small car shows, and quite a few last year. 20-30 bucks for your car to be in it, why? I don't see any cash prizes for most, trophy's at most
The one's I go to are free for the car,

What am I missing? People like those trophy's? Some of those entrance fees are high

 

[SGT FURY]

While I agree with you I imagine the answer would be something about insurance and fairground rental being very high

 

[LocuMob]

I go to a few shows I have to pay for, Carlisle is the most expensive, but I was there four days. It's $35-45 for the Mopars in the Park show in Stillwater, three days, tons of cars, and a big swap meet. Over 1,000 cars were registered in 2019, so it's not a little show. Another one is a one day $20 show, again a big swap, but it's full of anything and everything, you might see a kitchen sink, literally.

I used to go to see cars, now, I go to hang out with others from the F_BO sites, we have a good time and don't take ourselves seriously. Always find deals in the swap for projects I'm working on, I have parts being delivered there this year.

I don't give a crap about a trophy or money, it's about relaxing, having a good time with your buddies, meeting new people and making new connections, and driving my car the two plus hours to get to the show. I leave with a smile on my face, and a renewed attitude to get the cars in better condition.

I'll spend $100 for eight days of fun in the sun, that's $12.50 a day, reasonable to me.

I forgot to mention @sixpkrt's annual C body show he puts on. He puts it on by himself, because he loves these cars, and getting together with like minded individuals. That's worth the drive every time.

I also attend as many smaller free shows I can, any excuse to drive an old car!

 

[Big_John]

Car shows cost money to put on. There are trophies and dash plaques to buy. Then if it's a decent size show, you have to rent the venue.

Then you also need to know that they are often how clubs make their operating money for the year. Or the money goes to charity or it's a mixture of both.

But some are cheap or free too.

Go to the ones you want to and be a spectator at others. If you see one you like, go back next year with your car.

Honestly though, except for Carlise, which really is a bargain, most shows around here are $10 maybe $15. It probably depends a lot on venue rental cost.

 

[300rag]

Liability insurance costs for the sponsoring club are no longer cheap. For our club, the 120 car field makes a small profit each year, but if it weren't for corporate sponsors/donations, that would not be the case.

 

[mopar440]

So basically, you pay to keep the show going? That makes sense, I'm going to mopars in the park too, see ya there!

 

[King Hooter]

Car shows are very, very expressive to run. Rent and leases local and state permits and let's not forget millions of dollars in insurance. That all has to be taken care of even before anything else. A lot of the time local sponsorships only take care of awards and goodies. I should know for nearly 30 years my father was part of the Low Bucks Car Club in Albert Lea. At the height of our existence we had a 3 day event with 300 cars. Now that was expensive.
So don't really complain on entrance fees most locally range at $15. And most small shows are raising funds for a charity or non profits.

But with that being said I never even considered a national show due to the massive amount for registration.......but I caved in and opened up the wallet for a 1st time trip to Mopars in the Park.

 

[bluefury361]

If you don't like paying there are always local cruise in's and coffee runs that are free.

 

[mopar440]

If you don't like paying there are always local cruise in's and coffee runs that are free.

I dont mind paying for a bigger event, I was just wondering about the the small ones

 

[Mike Parker]

What pisses me off is when YOU have to pay to put your car in and the spectators pay nothing. You are the entertainment an you are paying. Bassakwards to me. You spend all this time and money on your car and you have to pay so some Pinto drivin jackass canpick it apart. Quit doin them a long time ago.

 

[rapidtrans]

Most smaller shows that charge an entrance fee around here are supporting a charity. A good right in town here is for Leader Dogs for the Blind every year. High School Bands and Cheer Squads are common so they can pay for travel to away games. To point out a few.
Charging the public to enter a show keeps the non-car people from wondering through with their dogs on chain leashes, kids on bikes, in strollers and all sorts of types that don’t respects the cars. My biggest complaint at free cruise-ins.

 

[69CoronetRT]

What pisses me off is when YOU have to pay to put your car in and the spectators pay nothing. You are the entertainment an you are paying. Bassakwards to me. You spend all this time and money on your car and you have to pay so some Pinto drivin jackass canpick it apart. Quit doin them a long time ago.

To which I reply....why would I pay to see a bunch of hack job, cobbled together, 'I built what I want and to hell with the world', 'I call it a barn finds cause I'm to lazy to wash it', four door Impalas, 2007 Mustangs, x thousand post 1983 Corvettes, dis-respect my time, money, and taste cars?

(Unless there's free beer. And ribs. then I'm OK with it).

 

[King Hooter]

To which I reply.... see a bunch of hack job, cobbled together, 'I built what I want and to hell with the world', 'I call it a barn finds cause I'm to lazy to wash it', four door Impalas, 2007 Mustangs, x thousand post 1983 Corvettes, dis-respect my time, money, and taste cars?
.

This right here is my only true complaint with the small town festival shows. I don't mind giving to a booster organizations but again it's open season.
Case in point my Imperial isn't in the greatest condition. But to have some local know it all ask me "why" on my 40 year old ride. Just only to drool over that brand new Mustang with the dealer tags still on. And don't get me started on these kids with the jacked up diesels.

 

[69CoronetRT]

This right here is my only true complaint with the small town festival shows. I don't mind giving to a booster organizations but again it's open season... And don't get me started on these kids with the jacked up diesels.

I agree but that's the trade off to local charity shows. Good cause but some really lame cars.

I don't mind the jacked up diesels. That's just this generation's attempt at 'personalizing' a vehicle. There's not a lot of selection of cars to tweak so they go with trucks. I, at least, understand this one. And I live in the midwest so trucks are all around. (I don't know why you want to make it difficult for a girl to get INTO a vehicle but......)

 

[Big_John]

What pisses me off is when YOU have to pay to put your car in and the spectators pay nothing. You are the entertainment an you are paying. Bassakwards to me. You spend all this time and money on your car and you have to pay so some Pinto drivin jackass canpick it apart. Quit doin them a long time ago.

Those are the shows you don't go to... Simple as that.

Lot's of times it's impossible to charge spectators. To do that, you need people to run the spectator gate and collect $$. It's not a popular job, believe me. And, you have to have a spectator gate to begin with... Hard to do at a county park.

I do just a few local shows a year. Select shows... One at a local lake is fun. The big Mopar show (which got cancelled because of COVID again this year). Things like that. The local NAPA does one too... Free with entertainment 5 minutes from the house and it's on the grass, not the parking lot. I really like that one.

I don't do "black top" shows where the sun cooks me and I don't do shows where I don't have fun. I like to be able to see some different cars, talk to some old friends, meet some new people, and maybe get a hot dog. If it costs $20, I look at it as there's not much you can do in an afternoon for only $20.

 

[68PK21 440.6bbl]

(I don't know why you want to make it difficult for a girl to get INTO a vehicle but......)

There is the same for raising your truck but 'Upskirting' with your iPhone is illegal here in the state of Floriduh.

.

 

[3175375]

Those are the shows you don't go to... Simple as that.

Lot's of times it's impossible to charge spectators. To do that, you need people to run the spectator gate and collect $$. It's not a popular job, believe me. And, you have to have a spectator gate to begin with... Hard to do at a county park.

I do just a few local shows a year. Select shows... One at a local lake is fun. The big Mopar show (which got cancelled because of COVID again this year). Things like that. The local NAPA does one too... Free with entertainment 5 minutes from the house and it's on the grass, not the parking lot. I really like that one.

I don't do "black top" shows where the sun cooks me and I don't do shows where I don't have fun. I like to be able to see some different cars, talk to some old friends, meet some new people, and maybe get a hot dog. If it costs $20, I look at it as there's not much you can do in an afternoon for only $20.

I don’t mind paying for attending a car show as a participant.
For several years in the early 2000’s, I attended the Fabulous Fords Forever show in the parking lot of Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA.
1800 vehicles. Each participant received a gift bag and they had some notable guests .
For years, the original owner of the first 55 Thunderbird brought his car to the show. Ford tried to buy the car but he wouldn’t sell. I saw him in 03 / 04 and he was in his 90’s.
He finally passed and Ford ended up getting the car and I think that it’s in the Ford Museum in Dearborn.

Also saw Carroll Shelby, Linda Vaughn and Jay Leno at the show over the years.

so, I don’t mind paying, if the show has value…

 

[patrick66]

Most local shows are $20 to enter a vehicle. Our meet, coming up on June 12, 2021, has a track entry facility fee of $15 per person (the track has to pay bills, right?), then to enter your car in the show is $20 more (to COMA). Racing is a separate fee (to SPMF). The payouts for the racing are pretty good! A killer day of showing, swapping and racing that is ALL MOPAR! We are the only all-Mopar event in Oklahoma.

www.okcmopars.com
www.southernplainsmoparfest.com

 

[sixpkrt]

$20 does not get you too much these days, but to be able to go to a car show and hang out with friends for a day is a bargain, unless it's gonna break the bank or your budget.
Soon after Wyatt @71Polara383 posted my 5th annual C Body show flyer on a few facebook pages, there was somebody on there soon afterwards bitching about the $20 fee. Well that guy who was complaining, received an overwhelming bashing from other FB responders who disagreed with his opinion. Who knows if that guy was real or just another troll on FB.

I forgot to mention @sixpkrt's annual C body show he puts on. He puts it on by himself, because he loves these cars, and getting together with like minded individuals. That's worth the drive every time.

Since sponsoring the annual C Body Show from the beginning, I have never charged a fee to enter or for the food that was being provided.
A lot of time goes into the planning aspect. Picking a place that will serve as a nice backdrop with more to do than just sit in a chair behind your car all day has always been part of the annual decision making process. Food, insurance, and other incurred expenses may not be realized by everyone, but as Scott mentioned above, I do this because it's fun and I want to keep it fun for everyone to enjoy.
Plus we usually wind up do something after the show, cause most of us don't want it to end.
The $20 fee being collected at the gate this year will be going to the Illinois Railway Museum to support their ongoing expenses that keep these types of venues open for all of us to enjoy.
I'm dollar conscience too. On the behalf of attendees, a negotiated single fee was made with IRM on a per car basis. If pulling onto the grounds with 4 or 5 people in your C Body, you'll be asked to fork over $20 bucks instead of paying a "per person" fee.
At the end of the day, if you reluctantly spend the $20, and still feel the same when the show is over, than I didn't do my job.

 

[patrick66]

The track entry fee is for ANY event at that track, so $15.00 per head isn't a bad deal at all. It's their track, their folks running the lights, concessions, etc. Our show fee of $20.00 actually went down from $25.00 from the past few years. Plus, we have to pay insurance for the event with a $1M liability policy, minimum. That is not cheap, either. This show is our Club's sole fund-raiser for the year, as well.

So, let's say you come to Noble, Oklahoma on June 12th to enjoy a day of racing, show, and get a good deal at the swap meet. Entry for two people, show fee, and a full day of actual QUARTER-MILE racing (none of this 1/8-mile silliness!)...fifty bucks and you're set! Get that kind of entertainment anywhere else for that money, you'd be hard-pressed!!!

This is COMAs 38th Annual Mopar event. We've literally been around the block a few times when it comes to shows. For the last couple of years, we had a meet-up, with an 80-mile cruise to a destination point, where we had a small show. This year, we had things come together nicely to be able to present a BIG event with racing, a show and a swap area; plus a live band, badass trophies, and an opportunity to meet up with more people outside the local area that we'd normally have. It's a win-win for all!