Don’t miss the Scottsdale Car Shows at Talking Stick Pavilions every Saturday, year-round. There are no set hours for the event, but vehicles usually start rumbling in around 10 am. By 4 or 5 pm, the parking lot is usually stocked with hundreds of cars, from vintage classics to modern-day imports with coffee-can exhaust tips. Clusters of make/model and year form naturally. Cars come and go throughout the evening, and people start to head home around 9 pm.
The McDonald’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Car Show is the longest consistently run car show. The Rock and Roll McDonald’s Classic Car Show started over 25 years ago. It all began when two McDonald’s employees were driving through Mesa when they noticed a group of classic cars parked outside a Carl’s Jr. Curious, they stopped to investigate. A friendly conversation with the car owners revealed that they were about to lose their parking lot privileges at the Carl‘s Jr.
The two Mcdonald’s employees convinced the car owners that the Scottsdale, Rock and Roll McDonalds, would be the perfect new destination for their classic cars. From that time on a Valley tradition was born. On the very first Saturday night at the McDonalds, there were 10 or 12 cars. The second week, there were 20 cars. By the fifth Saturday, there were a hundred cars. Now an average night brings in anywhere from 250 to 500 cars and up to 150 motorcycles.
The Pavilion’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Car Show is known internationally, attracting visitors from all over the world. The show even has a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest continuously running weekly car show. The show welcomes all car enthusiasts every Saturday evening from 4pm to 8pm on the northeast side of the property.
