The Avignon Motor Festival started out as a small car show in the Avignon Exhibition Center. The event grew steadily each year, becoming the huge gathering that it is today, fifteen years after the first event. Classic car owners and sports car enthusiasts alike flock to this event to sell, buy, bid on, or simply admire cars from many eras. From classic cars to sports cars, rugged trucks to racing speedsters, car enthusiasts of all kinds will find something at Avignon Motor Festival.
Venue
The motor festival takes its name from the city that hosts it, Avignon. The town is located in the Vaucluse region of France and is 400 kilometers in radius. Avignon is nestled between between Bordeaux, Toulouse and Perpignan to the west; to Nice and Monaco to the east; Dijon to the north and Marseilles to the south. The location is easy to travel to and within a reasonable distance of many major European cities. Most European flights here take less than two hours to arrive in the City of the Popes.
The festival itself covers 50,000 square meters, with 27,500 square meters located indoors. Avignon Motor Festival offers a whopping number of 12 exhibition halls, with more than 400 exhibitors. With over 140 motor clubs in attendance and 2,500 collector vehicles on display, this is one of the premier motor shows to be at. This year the show was held from March 23 to the 25th. It will return in March of 2019.
Attendance
The Avignon Motor Festival is based on a unique French concept: bring together the entire automotive family from past to present. The merging of vehicles from the past, present, and the future is what draws in such a large and eclectic crowd. The event is estimated to bring in over 500,000 visitors over the three days that it is in operation. Attendees come from all over the world. The inclusion of planes, boats, and tractors with the standard vehicle models at car shows makes this event even more unique. The family friendly event offers a variety of activities for all ages and interests.
According to the official event website, the daily entry fee is 13 euro per person. Attendees under the age of 12 enter for free. Children between the ages of 12-16 pay 10 euro per day to enter. Three days passes are available for those who do not want to miss a day of the festival at a charge of 26 euro. Special parking is available for attendees who bring their own classic or sports car to the event. Numerous cafés, restaurants, food trucks, and terraces provide a variety of places where visitors can relax and chat between exhibits and events.
Exhibits
Instead of asking which exhibits are to be seen at the Avignon Motor Festival, a better question might be “what will not be there?” Here are a few of the exhibits that attendees can enjoy at the three day show.
- Automotive Clubs
- New vehicles
- Motorcycles
- Sports Cars
- Competition Cars
- Historic exhibitions
- Miniature collectible cars
- ARTMOBILE art gallery
- Three classic car parks
- Vintage trucks and tractors
- Military vehicles
- Util’Avi Rally
- Legend cars and go karts
Other Attractions
In addition to the automotive exhibits, there are many other attractions to enjoy at the Avignon Motor Festival. An auction hall offers enthusiasts the opportunity to bid on and bring home a piece of history. Shoppers can also visit the large garage sale area. There is a parts and model car fair for hobbyists. A parade of elegance, an aerial stunt plane show, and a stunt show offer thrills to those in attendance. For the fashion conscious, the AMF offers the opportunity to attend a fashion show and enjoy a gala evening. It is well worth it to buy the three day pass to enjoy everything the Avignon Motor Festival has to offer.
While this year’s event has concluded, you can start planning now for Avignon Motor Festival 2019. To see what other automotive shows will take place in 2018, visit our list of automotive shows to watch in 2018.
