The 16th annual Renaissance Euro Fest expects to draw thousands of spectators this year to observe dozens of rare, exotic cars that some can only dream of being able to view with their own eyes.
Euro Fest founder Mike Marsh started the show in 2008, and said the lack of events or shows for European cars in the Ridgeland area is what sparked inspiration for the festival.
“We had no shows like Euro Fest back in the day, and I finally said that if I ever found a place that would be the right venue, I would start a European car show,” Marsh said. “Fortunately around that time, the Renaissance had just opened. What attracted me to it was its magnificent architecture, which is Mediterranean style, the European-style fountain, and green grass and flowers everywhere.”
Since then, Euro Fest, which features all-European automobiles and motorcycles, has continuously grown each year and has seen over 200,000 total spectators and over 1,200 car exhibits from various states in the Southeast, such as Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee.
This year, Euro Fest begins on Friday, Oct. 13, and runs through Saturday, Oct. 14. Registration for the festival is now open.
Marsh believes Euro Fest is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the beauty of British, Italian, German, and many other European vehicles and brands such as Rolls-Royce, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Land Rover, Alfa Romeo, Volkswagen, Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar, and Royal Enfield.
This year, cars are coming from those states and from various European countries, including England, Italy, Germany, France, Austria, and Sweden.
Recent entries for the festival this year include a 1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 Cabriolet, a 1958 MG MGA, a 1949 MG TC, a 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 NAS, and a 1981 Land Rover Defender 110.
The festivities begin on Oct. 13 at 3 p.m. with a big drive out to Livingston, where all participants and sponsors will enjoy an ice cream social before coming back to town and picking up their packets at Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry. Dinner is also available through reservations from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Enzo Osteria Italian Restaurant for $40, which includes tax and gratuities.
“Weather permitting, we’re expecting 15,000 people,” Marsh said. “The show starts at 10 a.m. on Oct. 14, but if you want to see the cars before the crowd gets there, come early in the morning. We’ll have a band in the prayer garden, wonderful barbecue out on the lawn, and a lot more going on. The show itself encompasses over four square blocks of the Renaissance.”
He said a big draw of the festival is people being able to view rare, exotic cars.
“A lot of people who come to this event will come and be able to see cars they’ve never seen before,” Marsh said. “We do not charge the owners for people to come look at their cars, nor do we charge spectators to look at the cars. It is free to everybody.”
Sponsors for Euro Fest include Renaissance, BMW of Jackson, European Engineering Southern Hospitality, and Visit Ridgeland.
For more information about Euro Fest, visit www.euro-fest.net/ridgeland, or call Marsh at (601) 946-1950.
