The Irish Fall Festival is one of the largest festivals of its kind in the entire country. People come from all over to celebrate their heritage, join in the bar crawl that includes almost two dozen establishments and listen to some of the Irish bands that come to perform for the crowds.
While hundreds of thousands people descend on Wildwood for Irish Weekend 2015 festivities, another group of people – who are just as passionate about their event – come to the area for another reason: The Annual Boardwalk Classic Car Show.
This event, which is put on by Thunder Motor Sports, started in 1993 and has become a favorite. Car lovers will find it easy to understand why. Hundreds of cars line the boardwalk making it easy for spectators to take their time examining each one.
The owners typically stay by their prized vehicles and are happy to answer questions and chat about their cars and the work that they have done themselves or had done by professionals. Even those who do not fancy themselves “car people” enjoy this car show simply because of the type of cars that are featured.
Unlike some other car shows that allow any car to participate, the Annual Boardwalk Classic Car Show only allows cars that are pre-1985. That means that the late model “tuner” cars are out. Instead, the boardwalk is graced with classic beauties that even non car buffs tend to find charming.
There is no fee for those who want to peruse the car show, look at cars and chat with vendors. The only people that need to pay a fee are those who wish to enter a car in the show. There are several categories of classic cars that will be judged. Trophies will be awarded to the winners and there will be other types of giveaways for participants as well.
To register to enter a classic car, visit www.thundermoto.com. Registration is $45 before September 10th and $55 thereafter. The fee includes trophies, giveaways and access to the Thursday night street festival. The first 500 people to register a car will receive a free t-shirt.
While looking at hundreds of classic cars while walking along the boardwalk is a great time, some find that it is at night the real fun begins. Because this car show takes place during the Irish Weekend, there are more than 250,000 people milling about.
At night, the area erupts into one huge party. The area is packed with people and all of those classic cars that have been lined up so nicely for the show now take to the streets. Each car owner wants to show that their cars are more than just a pretty face and the sound of burnouts and the smell of burning rubber fill the air.
It is quite a sight to watch a string of classic cars as far as the eye can see and hear them all revving their motors as they slowly make their way down the street, pausing long enough to chat with pedestrians or fellow car owners.
Some who have attended the Annual Boardwalk Classic Car Show in the past have said that the area looks just as it probably did in the 1950’s and 1960’s when muscle cars were new and young guys took to the streets every Friday and Saturday night to look for girls and prove that there car was the best on the strip.
Some would say the main event of the weekend is the Annual Boardwalk Classic Car Show. Others would argue that the Irish Festival is the main event. Happily, the two merge in a seamless way. Even those who came for one end up celebrating along with those who came for the other.
For those who come to Wildwood for the Irish Weekend 2015, the car show is a happy addition to the festivities. The chance to see hundreds of classic cars just adds to the fun of the whole experience.
For those who come to Wildwood for the car show it is a chance to show off their prized possessions to an extra 250,000 people who might otherwise not attend a car show. Either way, it is a win-win.