Highlands Motoring Festival is an annual automobile related event spanning four days during the second week of June that showcases some of the most collectible and concours caliber cars in the world. Founded in 2008, the Highlands Motoring Festival has become one of the premier automotive events in the South. Participants and Visitors will experience Highlands beauty and unique mountain character at a “cool” 4118 feet of elevation. The motto of Highlands Motoring Festival is “A Festival with an Altitude.”
Several traditional events anchor the four days of Highlands Motoring Festival’s celebration of the automobile.
“Classics in the Park” the cornerstone event held every year on Saturday, is free to the public but donations to our local charities are appreciated. Every automobile is selected because it is rare or has an interesting story. Over the years “Classics in the Park” has featured Porsche, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Cars of Italy, British Cars, Vintage Race Cars and the cars of Carrol Shelby to name a few. The 2024 Highlands Motoring Festival featured a field of pre-war classics. 2025 will showcase The Cars of Enzo Ferrari. Participation is by invitation only; however, the selection committee welcomes requests from car owners who believe their car may qualify.
“One Lap of the Mountains” driving tours on Thursday and Friday are extremely popular. These drives provide an opportunity for a driving adventure along the surrounding curvy and winding backroads. Registration for One Lap tours open in January and sell out early.
Interest in the Friday night “Main Street Parade” through downtown Highlands now rivals the Highlands Christmas Parade and Halloween Celebration. The sidewalks are lined with spectators as the fun begins to roll through town. Parade participants have as much fun as the people watching!
Saturday evening’s “Horsepower Gala” includes dinner, beverages, a charity auction and a presentation by a very special guest, well known in car collector circles. Recent honored guests include Bill Warner, author, photographer, and Founder of the Amelia Island Concours de Elegance, Miles Collier, author, collector of historically significant automobiles and founder of Revs Institute in Naples, Florida, Brian Redman, famous driver and winner in multiple classes of international racing competition and Jack May, winner of the first Cannonball Run.
Sunday morning the “High-Octane” event best described as a giant “cars & coffee” is open to interesting cars of any age, no registration required. This event has grown out of a regular gathering of local car enthusiasts who meet every Saturday morning, weather permitting, on Main Street in downtown Highlands.
The Motoring Festival is the operational element of the Highlands Motoring Foundation, a 501 (c) (3). The core missions of Highlands Motoring Foundation are to contribute much needed funding to local, human needs charities, to support the Highlands business community and to educate the public about magnificent automobiles they might never experience. The Highlands Motoring Festival is an all-volunteer organization and all profits from the event are divided equally between three local human needs charities: The Community Care Clinic of Highlands, The Literacy and Learning Center and REACH.
