The roar of car engines will be clearly heard across Greater Moncton this weekend.
The 26th annual Atlantic Nationals Extravaganza got underway on Wednesday and runs until Sunday.
Chairman Bill Doherty expects over 1600 vehicles from across Canada, the United States and beyond.
“It’s going to be a great show. Lots of things on the go, great concerts downtown, music every day. On Friday, we close down Main Street at 6 am, load all our vendors and merchants, and that sort of thing, and around 7 am and 8 am, the cars roll in. So we’ve got a static display car show on Main Street from Lutes all the way to Mechanic Street. The concert starts on the main stage in front of City Hall, and we’ve got four acts this year, including Sass Jordan,” Doherty explained.
Saturday and Sunday are what Doherty calls the meat and potatoes of the event. The vehicles all park at Centennial Park. That’s where visitors see up to 2000 cars. This year, they’re also hosting the New Brunswick Museum with a mobile museum.
Following the Centennial Park show, they have a downtown cruise, and Doherty says they have a new route this year, “We have a new route that goes around Vaughn Harvey, to John to Highfield, back down to Main Street.”
Over the past 25 years, the show has welcomed cars from all ten provinces, two territories, 28 US states, and the Grand Cayman. Spectators have come from across Canada and the United States and beyond.
“We had a couple come here from Belgium, on their honeymoon. We had Tony Hawk, the famous skateboarder. I was reading the Facebook posts, and some people were coming to the show. They had some great conversation going on, and somebody said, ‘Where are you coming from?’ They said, Northern Germany,” Doherty said.
Registered vehicles this year are from British Columbia, Alberta, a large number from Ontario and Quebec, and across Atlantic Canada, just to name a few.
We asked Doherty what it is about cars that people love so much. “There’s a joke that you see every once in a while, and a fellow’s first purchase gave him a lifelong addiction, and his mom bought him the little Hot Wheels. I think it also comes back to a simpler time and an easier day when we all had that particular car. Not everyone loves the same car, and some shows are all Mustangs, all Camaros, all Corvettes, or Fords, Chevys, or whatever. The Atlantic Nationals is open to everything,” Doherty explained.
He added that it reminds people that my uncle had one of those, and my grandfather drove one of those.
Doherty also emphasized that Atlantic Nationals is not just a car show, but it’s a community-based festival.
“We’re all volunteers, every one of us. We do a lot of charitable giving, but our main focus is the economic spinoff for the region,” Doherty said.
More details can be found on the Atlantic Nationals Facebook page or website.
Street closures for Atlantic Nationals:
Location:
- Main Street, between Mechanic Street and Lutz Street
- Canada Street, between Main Street and the Indigo parking lot
- Botsford Street, between Main Street and Queen Street
- Downing Street, between Main Street and Assomption Boulevard
- Westmorland Street, between Main Street and the entrance of the Moncton Market
- Main Street, between Cameron Street and Bonaccord Street
Date and time: Thursday, July 16 at 10:30 a.m. until Sunday, July 19 at 1 a.m.
Traffic impact:
- From 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 16 to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 18:
- Full closure of Main Street from Mechanic Street to Botsford Street for stage delivery and installation.
- From 6 a.m. on Friday, July 17 to 4 a.m. on Saturday, July 18:
- Full closure of Main Street from Mechanic Street to Lutz Street.
- Full closure of Westmorland Street from Main Street to just past the entrance of the Moncton Market.
- Full closure of Botsford Street from Main Street to Queen Street.
- Full closure of Downing Street from Main Street to Assomption Boulevard.
- From 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 18 to 1 a.m. on Sunday, July 19:
- Full closure of Canada Street from Main Street to entrance of Indigo Parking Lot
- Full closure of Main Street from Cameron Street to Bonaccord Street.
