The Guide to Charlotte Car Shows

If you’re a true car lover then you know there’s no better place to go than a local Charlotte Auto Show!

Charlotte Car Shows strives to provide you with the latest information on local car shows and cars of Charlotte. Our information includes car shows near Charlotte NC and ranges all the way to Asheville, Statesville, Columbia, Rockingham and the Triad. The shows we follow and have attended the past few years range from smaller, specialty events to larger, high-profile events. All of which have a common goal of bringing car enthusiasts together in one place.

If you’re new to attending car shows, feel free to browse our events calendar where you can plan shows in advance. 

Monthly Car Shows in the Charlotte Area


First Weekend Of The Month

Mint Hill “Hwy 51” Cruise-In

1st Friday Of The Month – 6:00pm – 9:00pm

Hosted by Classic Cruisers of Monroe, the Mint Hill “Hwy 51” Cruise-In is a community “informal car club.”

Mint Hill Festival Shopping Center
6908 Matthews-Mint Hill Rd
Charlotte, NC 28227

Come check out vintage cars, trucks and muscle cars. This event is FREE & is kid and family friendly!

Cars and Coffee Charlotte

1st Saturday Of The Month – 7:00am – 11:00am

Cars and Coffee is a casual gathering of auto enthusiasts who enjoy all things that spit, sputter, and roar!

At The Old Charlotte Coliseum
3545 Whitehall Park Dr.
Charlotte, NC 28273

Classics, exotics, hot rods, muscle cars, and motorcycles are all welcome at the Cars and Coffee events, including family members. Sponsors include Foreign Cars of Charlotte and EuroMpire.

Second Weekend Of The Month

Uptown Lexington Cruise In

2nd Tuesday Of The Month March – October | 5pm – 9pm

The Uptown Lexington Cruise-in is the best way to put to rest those early week blues.

Uptown Lexington
13 E 1st Ave
Lexington, NC 27292

This monthly cruise-in has hundreds of cars on display. Let’s have a good time and bring family and friends together!

Classic Car Cruise In – Monroe, NC

2nd Friday Of The Month April – October – 6:00pm – 9:00pm

Share time with family, friends and cars in Historic Downtown Monroe. Downtown Monroe blings with chrome and sparkle and showcases some of the finest paint jobs around during these Car Cruise-In events.

These events are open to all cars and offers FREE admission! It’s the perfect Friday night event where the entire family can stroll the streets of Downtown Monroe while checking out cool cars and chatting with other car enthusiasts.

Downtown Monroe (Main Street)
NC 28112

Food is available via restaurants, bars are open during Classic Car Cruise In, and Porta Jons are available. Handicap Accessibility. No smoking allowed. Be sure to come early to get a good spot!

Waterbean Cars And Coffee

2nd Saturday Of The Month – 8:00am – 11:00am

Hosted by Waterbean Coffee, they will open up their store at 7am to better serve guests. Please be sure to arrive at 7:30am if you want to park with other Queen City Corvette Club members.

Waterbean Coffee
19420 Jetton Rd #105
Cornelius, NC 28031

A regular Jaguar crowd also attends Waterbean Cars And Coffee event. This event has high-end cars ranging from Porsche’s, BMW’s, McClaren’s, etc. from the Lake Norman Community show up.

RK Motors Carolina Classic and Performance Cruise In

2nd Saturday Of The Month – 9:00am –  1:00pm
March – November

RK Motors Carolina Classic and Performance Cruise In is hosted by RK Motors at their Charlotte dealership. Browse hundreds of Classic & Performance cars in their world-class showroom, while enjoying food, activities, games, giveaways and a raffle! No fees to enter, winner of each class and best overall win gift cards.

RK Motors Charlotte
5527 Lakeview Road
Charlotte, NC 28269

Classes at the RK Motors Carolina Classic And Performance Cruise In event include: Best Muscle Car, Best Classic Car (pre-1960), Best Classic Car (post-1960), Best Late Model (2000 or newer), Best Import (any non-domestic), Best Custom, Best Truck, Best Motorcycle, Best Paint, Best Wheels and Best in Show (overall favorite car). You need to be present to claim raffle and class prizes.

Kannapolis Cruise In

2nd Saturday Of The Month April – November | 1:00pm – 7:00pm

If you’ve never been, it’s a great local event that you need to experience! Tons of beautiful classic and hot cars. This event always has some of the nicest cars in the area show up, and remember, this is Dale Earnhardt and NASCAR country so expect to see quality, American steel!

Downtown Kannapolis
201 N Main St
Kannapolis, NC 28081
(Cruise-In location will be at Laureate Way, on the concrete horseshoe)

It is not uncommon for this event to draw in over 500+ classics. Enjoy the camaraderie with fellow motor enthusiasts.

Taillights At Twilight

2nd Saturday Of The Month – 5:00pm – 8:00 pm

We want to see every car in Charlotte and it’s surrounding areas fill up the complex! Charlotte Auto Spa, SunTech Tinting, and Tire Medic specials ran during the event. Monte Carlo Garage suites will be available to offer tours of their garage as well.

Charlotte Auto Spa
8461 Possum Hollow Rd Unit A108-C
Indian Land, SC 29707

Early Henry Cruise-In

2nd Sunday Of The Month – 2:00pm – 6:00 pm
March – November 2020

Show off your Pre 72 classic!

Charcoal Bar & Grill, Ramada
1215 Garner Bagnal Blvd.
Statesville, North Carolina 28677

Third Weekend Of The Month

East Coast Cruisers Monthly Meeting

3rd Monday Of The Month – 7:30pm – 8:30pm
*Come early (6:00-6:30) to join us for dinner.

ECC monthly car club meeting is held on the 3rd Monday of every month. Anyone just interested in knowing about the club is welcomed to join us. We are always looking for new members

O’Charley’s Restaurant + Bar
1389 Concord Pkwy N
Concord, NC 28025

Among the cars of choice at East Coast Cruisers Cruise In are street rods, fat fender cars, shoe-box cars, muscle cars and trucks. Bring your car or truck and join in on the fun, or just come to browse around!

Hot Rods and Hops

3rd Friday Of The Month – 6:00pm-9:00pm
*Starting in April

A monthly gathering for car and motorcycle enthusiasts on the third Friday of each month.

Innovative Speed Shop
10228 Bailey Road Suite 206
Cornelius, NC 28031

In addition to cars and motorcycles, you will find Food Trucks, beer at the Microbrewery, and Music!

Cars and Coffee Concord

3rd Saturday Of The Month (Excluding May & October) – 8:00am – 10:00am

Cars & Coffee Concord brings together like-minded automotive enthusiasts to celebrate all things auto. Meets the third Saturday of each month from 8-10 a.m. at Charlotte Motor Speedway. All are welcome.

Charlotte Motor Speedway
5555 Concord Pkwy S
Concord, NC 28027

Charlotte Motor Speedway will host FREE monthly “cruise-in” style events. Cars and Coffee Concord cruise-ins take place on the 3rd Saturday of each month (excluding May and October) from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. The speedway’s Fan Zone will be transformed as car owners and enthusiasts gather to celebrate their shared passion for cars and showcase their prized classics, customs and hot rods.

Caffeine and Horsepower

3rd Saturday Of The Month – 7:00am – 10:00am

Do you enjoy coffee, donuts, networking with other car enthusiasts and viewing some of the hottest cars in the area? (Coffee & donuts compliments of Harris Teeter) Well, now you can all in one convenient spot in Weddington, NC. Every third Saturday of the month at Harris Heeter located at:

Weddington Corners Shopping Center
Harris Teeter
13639 Providence Rd
Weddington, NC 28104

Sponsors in attendance include: EuroMpire, GMP Performance, and Dynamic Auto Tune. Onsite demonstrations of ceramic coatings take place as well. Saturday, August 18th 2018 saw the biggest turnout yet with approximately 200 cars in attendance. Come join the fun at the next event!

Cars At The Cafe

3rd Saturday Of The Month – 8:00am – 11:00am

Come enjoy cool cars and great coffee! This event’s purpose is to bring the area automotive community together through conversation and support of local charities/community programs.

Community Matters Cafe
821 W. 1st St.
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202

The LKN Cars and Coffee Monthly Cruise-In group is a 100% non-profit car meet. An event in partnership with the Community Matters Cafe. A great location in Charlotte.

Mayberry Cool Cars and Rods Cruise In

3rd Saturday Of The Month June – October | 4:00pm – 8:00pm

Enjoy cruising, music, classic cars, unique shopping and dining, all in the Historic setting of “America’s Hometown” Downtown Mount Airy, NC!

Downtown Mount Airy
182 N. Main Street
Mount Airy, NC

This event usually has around 500 cars. Join in on the classic cars, great tunes, fantastic food, shopping and a whole lot of fun!

Fourth Weekend Of The Month

Oakboro Cruise In

4th Friday Of The Month – 5:00pm – 9:30pm (Burnout starts at 9pm)
The Oakboro Cruise In is the largest cruise-in held in a North Carolina downtown.

Downtown Oakboro
109 North Main Street
Oakboro, NC 28129

Join the fun and bring your camera and lawn chair to optimize your enjoyment of the great music, food, and cars!

Caffeine and Classics

4th Saturday Of The Month – 9:00am – 12:00pm

Hosted by Streetside Classics, you can find a premium car show a few miles from the famed Charlotte Motor Speedway and Concord Mills Outlet Mall.

Streetside Classic Cars – Charlotte
800 Derita Rd
Concord, NC 28027

Streetside Classic’s newly built showroom has more than 50,000 square feet and space for approximately 260 cars. The dealership also presents a springtime car show (usually in May) to benefit local charities.

Rides & Coffee

4th Sunday Of The Month – 9:00am – 11:00am

Rides & Coffee is hosted by Detail Garage, the USA’s fastest growing car care franchise.

Detail Garage
5109 South Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28217

Donuts and coffee are provided as well as raffles, music, and discounts on all chemicals. Don’t miss out on these fun events!

Matthews North End Cruise In

4th Sunday Of The Month – 1:00pm – 4:00 pm

This is a FREE event open on the last Sunday of the month (April-November unless otherwise noted). Join for some car-loving fellowship & family fun! You’ll see cars from old to new including trucks & motorcycles too! Door prizes at every event.

Matthews North End
930 Park Center Drive
Matthews, NC 28105

Receive discounts & specials from our sponsors at Jett’s Pizza & Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Bring your own chair and some friends to enjoy the music & classic environment!

Annual Car Shows in Charlotte


Charlotte AutoFair

Every April & September

The Hornets Nest Region which is a chartered region of the Antique Automobile Club of America produces the world-famous Charlotte AutoFair which welcomes more than 100,000 collector car enthusiasts to the Charlotte area. Vehicles of all descriptions are bought and sold, along with restoration parts and supplies. Its collector car Flea Market includes all things automotive, from tires and wheels to automotive toys and vintage signs.

The general goal of the Antique Automobile Club of America at both of these events that are held every April & September is to restore vehicles 25 years old or older to almost-new condition.

Charlotte Motor Speedway
5555 Concord Parkway South
Concord, NC 28027

During the fall show, Saturday events include the “Region Auto Show – Original to Custom,” in which competitors display modified and street rod vehicles and vie for awards. The fall event also includes a cruise-in component on Thursday and Friday.

The Hornet’s Nest Region holds the National AACA Southeastern Spring Meet Car Show as part of the April car show. Only vehicles that are pre-registered, original or restored to the original condition are allowed in this AACA Meet, which is open to the public.

Charlotte International Auto Show

November

For the past 26 years, ordinarily, in November, the Greater Charlotte Automobile Dealers Association hosts an automobile show featuring the latest auto technology and more than 300 vehicles. The 2018 show will fill the Charlotte Convention Center with nearly 280,000 square feet of exhibits and feature with the goal to present to the Show attendees a window to the automotive world that encompasses every automotive interest.

At this event, you will see hundreds of vehicles on display from over 30 manufacturers all in one place,  speak with product specialists, and compare the latest technology and new options that include advanced combustion of traditional and emerging fuels, gas-electric hybrids, electrics, fuel cells, and other innovations. The Charlotte International Auto Show aims to create a family show that is entertaining, focusing on the automotive selection process. Children under 12 are always free and ticket holders are given a chance to take a ride and drive (restrictions apply).

Charlotte Convention Center
501 S College St
Charlotte, NC 28202

Dates:
Thursday, November 15th – Sunday, November 18th

Thursday, November 15th – Friday, November 16
12:00pm – 9:00pm

Saturday, November 17th
10am-10pm

Sunday, November 18th
10am-6pm