OC Auto Show exits Anaheim with new event, venue coming in spring 2027

After 30 years at the Anaheim Convention Center, the Orange County Auto Show is moving its annual fall show to a different venue next spring, exiting its longtime home.

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The auto show’s backers this week said they are negotiating with another unidentified venue to move the event and expand the “car culture” experience with curators and a track to test drive everything from garden-variety gas-powered cars to hybrid- and electric-powered vehicles.

The OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa One is one potential venue.

“We are in talks with them. We’d be thrilled to have the event here. We’re still working out details,” said Terry Moore, spokeswoman at the fairgrounds.

The 150-acre fairgrounds site also hosts motorcycles at its Costa Mesa Speedway, another possible attraction for the OC Auto Show.

Last year’s Sept 25-28 auto show was the last to be held at the convention center digs, confirmed John Sackrison, executive director of the Orange County Auto Dealers Association, which hosts the show.

The event, which first launched at the convention center in 1996, went on hiatus in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. It returned to the center in September 2022.

The new show — which is still under development — is postponed until spring 2027 with a three-day weekend running from Friday to Sunday in mind, Sackrison said. “We’ve got some dates, but not final ones.”

He declined to say where the new show is headed, but added that an announcement is planned by the end of September.

Smaller show

For sure, the auto show has shrunk over the years, challenged by a younger and richer demographic that prefers shopping for cars online or at boutique-style showrooms.

Tesla and Irvine-based Rivian, both of which have different levers to pull for marketing, rely on showrooms in upscale settings where they can reach wealthier buyers.

“Many types of vehicles can be bought online these days, so I think they are watching that, and trying to figure out the best path forward,” said Mike Lyster, spokesman for Anaheim and its convention center. “We’ve seen it go from a very traditional auto show to more of a ‘go take test drives,’ literally, within the convention. We welcome the auto show and should they want to come back, we would entertain dates and proposals from them.”

Overall, the auto show doesn’t have the same draw as other events at the convention center.

The city of Anaheim pulled in $198,000 in rent for the three-day show in 2025, representing less than 1% of the convention center’s total facility rental revenue of roughly $20 million. Parking revenue generated by the auto show in 2025 was $276,100, about 2.7% of total parking revenues, according to figures provided by Lyster.

In context with other big events — such as the Natural Products Expo West held annually in March, the National Association of Music Merchants held in January, the D23 event for Disney fans held in August and this weekend’s BlizzCon, a gaming convention hosted by Blizzard Entertainment — the auto show doesn’t draw as many visitors who book hotel stays in Anaheim or generate crowd sizes of 60,000 to 80,000 attendees.

“The events (for all conferences) at the convention center generate about $30 million in hotel room revenue, so the biggest shows are the drivers of that,” Lyster said.

Sackrison said OCADA had been considering moving the auto show from the convention center venue for several years.

“The original plan was to host it on the same weekend as the auto show at the end of September this year. But when we were looking at the opportunities, we were like, ‘Well, hey, wait a minute. We can make this better,’ ” Sackrison said. “It’s not very often you get to start with a blank slate, taking what you know works, then create something completely new.”

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The auto show under development will have a “new format” and include experiential interactions and “a celebration of the Southern California automotive culture,” he explained.

“At our last auto show, we had over 20 brands where you could do a test drive. We looked at that, and said, ‘That’s fantastic.’ Now when you’re functioning out of a convention center, it’s tough to accommodate all that. The manufacturers are looking to engage with consumers. Let’s make this a richer experience. We’re still in development. We’ve identified a couple locations, and are finalizing dates as we speak.”

He explained that the move is a “strategic move” and not a reactionary change.

‘Car culture’ theme

Sackrison, who joined the auto dealers group in February 2002, hails from the Detroit, a region that has long been described as the car capital of the world.

“When I came out here, I quickly realized this is the car culture capital of the world. This is why we are delving into having a mix of some elements of cars and coffee gatherings. Our goal is to kind of bring the best of the best of those together where you can see many different cars, high-performance, unique vehicles that you don’t normally get to see. That, combined with the experience of being able to test drive all the vehicles, we think this is a winning formula.”

Cars and coffee events are casual, early-morning gatherings where enthusiasts meet to display their vehicles and drink coffee. These events, said Sackrison, show off cars separated by decades in age, ranging from a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, to a new Lamborghini, or a 2020 Dodge Challenger with 300 horsepower.

One of the biggest cars and coffee events in Southern California is South OC Cars and Coffee, which holds a weekly gathering at the Outlets in San Clemente where a few thousand visitors roll up with their pickups, hot rods and sports cars.

David Fortin, vice president of marketing for the Los Angeles Auto Show, which plans to hold its annual auto show Nov. 20-29 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, is eyeballing a date in late October or early November to attend the San Clemente gathering to pitch free tickets to his L.A. show.

“We’ve got a great bunch of brands this year. It’s a different type of event, which has 10-20% of my audience coming from Orange County, depending on the year,” Fortin said. “If I can get that up to maybe 20% or 25%, that’s great.”

Sackrison said the auto show’s new format next year will reflect curations on car culture firsts that originated in Southern California, like sunroofs and cars with bodywork made of structural wood.

“There have been so many things that have come out of Southern California — like high-performance muscle cars,” Sackrison said. “This is why there are so many design studios in Southern California, especially because the car culture here is so pronounced.”

Like previous years, Sackrison said that the new auto show will continue to show off a lineup of electric, hybrid and traditional models from automakers.

Off-road track

“We’re working on an off-road track portion of the show as well,” said Sackrison, who wouldn’t say if the new venue is somewhere inland or a beach car show to attract coastal elites. “We haven’t secured the venue yet, but it’s in an outdoor location that has hosted large events recently over the summer.”

Last year’s auto show featured 28 brands, offered test drives of dozens of 2026 models, while consumers kicked the tires on the growing off-road vehicle market.

The timing of last year’s auto show couldn’t have been better for what is considered one of the largest electric-vehicle markets in the nation, as the $7,500 tax credit to buy them expired Sept. 30, 2025.

Since landing in Orange County five years ago, Rivian has never attended the show. Neither has Tesla, though Sackrison told the Southern California News Group that the automaker is planning to display its cars at the new venue in 2027.

Plans are in the works to renew ties with Rivian, Sackrison added.

He did concede that these are challenging times for auto buyers.

California’s overall new car market fell 7.7% through the first six months of 2026, while hybrid sales boomed to a record 22.1% market share, according to data provided by the California New Car Dealers Association.

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