IN SUMMER, CAR PEOPLE COLLECT IN KUMEU

Hot cars, cool caravans, bikes, beards, and barbecues — the Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival is the place to be this summer.

The hottest of hot rod festivals is gearing up with new attractions, but it retains the magic that has made this show one of the country’s biggest car events for the past 26 years.

The Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival will take place on the weekend of 18 and 19 January at the Kumeu Showgrounds, north of Auckland.

The display sheds, swap and trade sites, and the chance to see hundreds of polished and primped classics, V8s and hot rods, and great bikes, will remain the heart of the show, but each year organizers also ring in the changes.

This year, they have allocated more space for classic car and caravan combos, which instantly evoke holiday nostalgia and have even made caravans cool again.

Also new is the Pedal Car Race and Inflatable Race — that is, a foot race wearing inflatables. There’s also a host of regular sideshows, including a display of drag racers, a retro fashion pageant, a best beard competition, the Strongman Comp, a cartoonist and airbrush artist at work, the Retro-o-rama Market, a prize-giving on Sunday for the various events, the People’s Choice award for best car, and of course, great live music and great food.

Show cars and drivers will get in free, passengers will pay $15 a head, while normal entry is $20. The event regularly brings together the best in cult car culture, and usually attracts around 30,000 over the two days. Organizers advise people travelling from Auckland to turn off the main highway early at Taupaki Road, before Kumeu village, to help reduce the usual traffic jam in the middle of Kumeu.

To book a trade site, visit kumeuhotrodfestival.co.nz or email inquiries@kumeuhotrodfestival.co.nz.