A pale yellow Porsche 356 Speedster and a red Triumph TR6 parked along a tree-lined street in Downtown Wake Forest during the Cars & Carnivores car show

Cars & Carnivores Street Festival · Saturday, June 5, 2027

The Wake Forest car show

Name: Cars & Carnivores Street Festival
Start: 2027-06-05T08:00:00-04:00
End: 2027-06-05T17:00:00-04:00
Location: Downtown Wake Forest

100+ classics, muscle cars, and exotics lining Brooks and Owens Streets. Register your ride or just come drool.

When: Saturday, June 5, 2027: load-in at 6:30 AM, show from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM, awards at 2:00 PM
Where: Brooks and Owens Streets, Downtown Wake Forest
Judged categories: Twelve awards: Overall Best in Show, People's Choice, Pre-1960, 1960s, 1970s, 1980 to 2010, Post-2010, Specials, Most Car Club Members in the Show, Best Engine, Best Paint, and Best Interior
Entry fee: $25.00 per vehicle; the field is capped at 150 cars, first come, first served
Registration: Register online ahead of the show. Day-of entries are taken only if spots remain after online registration, and there are no refunds for inclement weather or non-participation
Rules: Vehicles need current registration and insurance and must run under their own power; no outside alcohol, dogs on leash only, and participants agree to promotional photos and assume the risks of showing

A street full of steel in downtown Wake Forest

For one Saturday every June, the Cars & Carnivores car show turns Brooks and Owens Streets into an open-air garage: more than 100 classics, muscle cars, trucks, and exotics, polished and parked bumper to bumper through the heart of downtown Wake Forest, North Carolina. Walking the show is free, and every $25 entry goes to work in the community through the Rotary Club's scholarships, Launch small-business programs, and medical debt relief for local families.

Make a day of it: the SCA steak cook-off fires its grills at 8:00 AM, the cornhole tournament throws first bags at 9:00 AM, and food trucks and vendors line the route all day. Car show awards wrap at 2:00 PM, so plan to arrive in the morning while every hood is up.

A row of show cars with their hoods raised, led by a red Chevrolet Nova pro-street build, as spectators walk the field

Hoods up from 8:00 AM; awards at 2:00 PM

Last year's Best in Show

The 2026 Overall Best in Show, a Pontiac GTO, held court on Brooks Street all day. Twelve trophies are up for grabs in 2027; one of them could ride home with you.

Festival-goers admiring the 2026 Best in Show winner, a maroon Pontiac GTO with its hood raised, in Downtown Wake Forest

2026 Overall Best in Show

Front three-quarter view of the maroon Pontiac GTO, hood raised over a modern crate engine

Register ahead to save your spot. Shown with us before? Enter your email or phone and we fill in your details. Day-of entries only if spots remain.