Carlisle, Cars and Collectors

Carlisle, Pennsylvania located in Cumberland County just a short distance from Harrisburg has a long history dating back to the American Revolution.  Now home to Dickinson University, Penn State Dickinson School of Law, and the National War College, Carlisle is best known as Pennsylvania's "car capital".  

Since 1974, Carlisle Events, one of the largest collector car and truck entertainment presenters worldwide, has been producing annual car, truck, and motorcycle events on the 150-acre Carlisle Fairgrounds.

Carlisle Events began because there was no venue for collectors of older vehicles that did not fall into the "antique" class. Carlisle Events has transformed the 150-acre Carlisle Fairgrounds to suit the needs of car show participants and visitors - paved roads, manicured landscaping, and more than 10 permanent buildings. And, to serve the larger crowds, Carlisle Events plugged in consumer-friendly services like on-site bank financing, notary/title service, and a buffet of varied dining options. Centrally located, the fairgrounds are accessible by major highways, provide extensive parking options, and invite trailers and camping with support facilities.

To bring comfort to vendors and attendees, a non-denominational church service is held in the grandstand on Sunday mornings. There are security services and protection, a retail store for souvenirs and promotional items, and a buy/sell corral and auction. Vendors get top level support, and swap meets are well organized and heavily promoted. You can sponsor a midway space, form and compete as a club, or participate in programs such as that for teen hot rodders.

Today, Carlisle Events presents 14 events in their annual schedule with 11 events held at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds.  Other locations include the Allentown Fairgrounds in Allentown, Pennsylvania, two shows at Festival Park in Zephyrhills, Florida and one event at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.

 Specialty events include:

• Carlisle Performance & Style, May 10 – 11, 2014, Carlisle, PA
• Carlisle Import & Kit Nationals, May 16 – 18, 2014, Carlisle, PA
• Carlisle Ford Nationals, June 6 – 8, 2014, Carlisle, PA
• Carlisle GM Nationals, June 20 – 22, 2014, Carlisle, PA
• Carlisle Chrysler Nationals, July 11 – 13, 2014, Carlisle, PA
• Carlisle Truck Nationals, August 1 – 3, 2014, Carlisle, PA
• Bloomsburg Nationals, August 8 – 10, 2014, Bloomberg, PA
• Corvettes at Carlisle,  August 22 – 24, 2014, Carlisle, PA
• Carlisle Sports & Outdoor Show, September 5 – 7, 2014, Carlisle, PA

Carlisle Events also hosts five collector car swap meets and corral events with four of the five featuring collector car auctions.

These events are:

• Spring and Fall Carlisle – April 23 – 27, 2014/October 1 – 5, 2014, Carlisle, PA
• Zephyrhills Fall and Winter AutoFest – February 20 – 23, 2014/November 13 – 16, 2014, Zephyrhills, FL
• Allentown Auto Mania – January 17 – 19, 2014, Allentown, PA

The Carlisle-based automotive events generate approximately $98 million per year to the local economy.  More than 500,000 auto enthusiasts converge on the Carlisle area annually.