A brand new automotive festival that started just four months before its launch attracted around 2,800 visitors to the Markham Fairgrounds, and its founder is already considering bringing it back next year.
The first-ever Rev Fest showcased custom cars, motorcycles, vendors, and automotive content creators for a seven-hour event on Aug. 29.
According to Rev Fest founder and CEO Joshua Thomas, the festival drew in over 1,500 general-admission guests, along with more than 430 motorcycles and 280 show cars.
“This far exceeded our expectations,” Thomas said.
The concept originated in April as a motorcycle festival aiming for 1,500 attendees before expanding into a wider automotive event, he explained. Over 30 vendors, five food trucks, and 45 social-media content creators were also part of the lineup.
Thomas mentioned that Markham was chosen partly due to its central location and easy highway access, making it reachable for car enthusiasts from all over the Greater Toronto Area. Some attendees even traveled from other parts of Canada and the United States.
The timing was also strategic.
Rev Fest was set for late August after the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy made its Markham debut earlier in the month. Thomas noted that this scheduling allowed car lovers another chance for a late-summer gathering without clashing directly with other major events in the GTA.
“Rev Fest gave that community a place to channel that momentum, serving as a late-summer capstone before the season winds down,” he said.
Thomas added that he and his team identified several changes they would implement if they host the festival again.
A last-minute influx of people who learned about Rev Fest via social media showed them that more space might be necessary moving forward.
He also wants to add more interactive experiences based on positive feedback about a simulated racing activity at this year’s event.
“Next year, we want Rev Fest to deliver more of a full-event experience, with something to see, do or be part of at every turn,” he said.
Thomas expressed his desire to make Rev Fest an annual affair but hasn’t announced a date or location for 2027 yet.
“We are going to pull over, take a well-deserved pit stop and figure out what the road map looks like for next year,” he said.
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