Naples' biggest one-day car show is scheduled to leave Fifth Avenue South after 21 years. The official schedule now lists "Naples Bayshore Drive" as the site of the Cars on 5th Concours on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2027, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with more than 750 rare, exotic and classic cars and proceeds going to the Patty Baker Humane Society of Naples. The plan for that Saturday closes only the northbound lanes and keeps the southbound lanes open. Before then, Bayshore has three months of its own events, a rebuilt waterfront venue and a new breakfast on the same stretch of road.
Why the show left downtown
The dispute was about crowds. Gulfshore Business reported that the show had become one of the two biggest annual draws on Fifth Avenue South, along with Christmas Week. It brought in some 700 to 750 cars and 14,000 paying customers. Gate crashers pushed the total crowd to an estimated 35,000, which caused parking and security problems around downtown.
This summer the City of Naples made admission limits of fewer than 4,000 entries a condition of the permit. That number is less than a third of the show's past paid attendance. Organizer Tom O'Riordan told the outlet that the cap would make the show a money loser and could not be enforced unless Fifth Avenue's sidewalks were closed to everyone without a ticket. Several council members said they would not support closing the avenue for the six-hour show, so the organizers started looking at other sites.
Collier County then made an offer. The invitation to consider a county venue came through Commission Chairman Dan Kowal. Bayshore Drive is part of the Bayshore-Gateway Triangle Community Redevelopment Agency, and the county commissioners act as the CRA's executive committee and have final say.
The Bayshore layout fixes the problem downtown couldn't
On Fifth Avenue, keeping out people without tickets meant closing a whole downtown street. Bayshore Drive is a divided road, so half of it can close. As planned, the show would take only the northbound side, behind French barricades meant to keep out gate crashers. Neighborhood traffic and emergency vehicles would keep using the southbound lanes. Naples Press ran a photo showing the two northbound lanes that would hold the cars.
| Fifth Avenue South, through 2026 | Bayshore Drive, planned for Feb. 6, 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Street closure | Full avenue was at issue; council members opposed closing access | Northbound lanes only; southbound open to local and emergency traffic |
| Crowd control | Estimated 35,000 total crowd vs. about 14,000 paid | French barricades around the show area |
| City or county condition | City cap of fewer than 4,000 entries | Permit decision rests with county commissioners |
| Extras | Food from surrounding restaurants | Larger VIP area; a planned food court that may include Fifth Avenue restaurants |
| Getting there | Downtown parking | Free parking and shuttles, including the county government center and the USOP National Pickleball Center at Thomasson Park |
The parking plan helps residents most. O'Riordan said the free parking and shuttle options had grown to include the National Pickleball Center in Thomasson Park and the county government center. Show traffic is meant to park away from Bayshore instead of looking for spaces in the side streets. An unofficial fan guide, Cars on Bayshore, says organizers told it in writing that the display corridor runs from Weeks Avenue to Thomasson Drive. The same guide lists Sugden Park and the AC Hotel as more parking and shuttle sites. Its drop-off points are Weeks Avenue at Bayshore Drive and Del's Corner. No official route map has been published, so treat these details as planning information.
The permit was the open question in late summer. In August, county redevelopment director Mike McNees said organizers had not yet filed permit applications. O'Riordan described the application as "in the pipeline." He told Gulfshore Business that county commissioners, the sheriff and the fire department had been supportive, saying the county "has been just amazing to talk through the thing." The organizer has since put the Bayshore show on sale. Ticket sales are not a county permit, so Feb. 6 should be read as the organizer's scheduled date.
The rest of the weekend happens somewhere else. The official schedule puts the Jay Leno Charity Comedy Night at Hertz Arena on Thursday, Feb. 4. The Jetport Reception is Friday, Feb. 5, at the Northern Jet Hangar, with food by Vincenzo Betulia. The Rally for Heroes is Sunday, Feb. 7. Saturday is the only day that touches Bayshore.
Fifth Avenue will still get a car show. On Sept. 16, 2026, Naples City Council voted 6–1 to approve a new community car show proposed by the Fifth Avenue South Business Improvement District, according to the Naples Daily News. No date for that show has been published.
The stretch the show will line already changed this fall
The cars will park along a strip that has picked up new events since September.
Celebration Park on Haldeman Creek reopened Oct. 1 after a refresh. The Naples Daily News reported that the refresh included a revamped waterfront bar program, more entertainment and new food truck dining. It still has waterside seating, a bar and an entertainment stage.
Rebecca's Wine Bar, across the street, started serving breakfast in early October. The Naples Daily News reported that "The Morning Affair" is an all-you-can-eat European-style buffet served Thursday through Saturday from 8 to 11 a.m. It costs $39.99 per person, with $5 mimosas from a Veuve Clicquot cart. The menu includes French Quiche Lorraine, smoked salmon, fresh honeycomb and fresh carrot, apple and ginger juice. Feb. 6, 2027 is a Saturday, so the buffet's hours overlap the first hour of the car show. Rebecca Maddox, who owns Rebecca's and Celebration Park, also owns Three60 Wine and The Maddox, a private social club, both at 2955 Bayshore Drive.
The walk to Sugden Park is new this year too. The Bayshore Boardwalk opened with a ribbon cutting on Feb. 26, 2026. Marco News reported that it is a 15-foot-wide path for walkers and cyclists, with a 400-foot promenade and 1,350 feet of boardwalk running from Bayshore Drive to Sugden Park. The fan guide lists Sugden Park as a show-day parking and shuttle site, which would make the boardwalk the walking route between that lot and the cars.
The calendar between now and Feb. 6
These events are already scheduled on or near Bayshore before the cars arrive:
- Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.: DÃa de los Muertos at Naples Botanical Garden.
- Nov. 6, 5–8 p.m.: First Friday at TWiST Gallery, listed by the Bayshore Arts District.
- Nov. 8: Junior Makers from 11 a.m. to noon, then Sourdough 101 from 2 to 5 p.m.
- Nov. 14, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.: Second Saturdays at 3570 Bayshore Drive, Suite 103.
- Nov. 27, 2026–Jan. 3, 2027: Johnsonville Night Lights in the Garden, which adds a sunset tram tour this season.
- Jan. 22, 2027: The first Rhythm & Blooms concert at the Garden. The others are Feb. 26, March 12 and April 16.
- Feb. 5–7, 2027: The Garden's Annual Ikebana Exhibition, which runs the same weekend as the car show.
If you plan to see the Ikebana exhibition and want to skip the show crowds, Friday, Feb. 5, or Sunday, Feb. 7, are the days to go.
The county is planning a permanent venue nearby
Cars on 5th is a one-day event. Another plan nearby would bring events to Bayshore year after year. On Sept. 21, the Bayshore-Gateway advisory board voted to support starting negotiations with Opera Naples on three county-owned parcels totaling 6.39 acres at 4265 Bayshore Drive. Opera Naples was the only group to respond. Marco News reported that the site connects to Sugden Park by the same boardwalk.
The proposal, called Theater in the Garden, includes a 700-seat indoor theater and a 600-seat outdoor amphitheater. The amphitheater would be built first, and Opera Naples hopes to hold its Festival Under the Stars there in 2028 if the sale is approved and the work finishes in time. The land sale could go to county commissioners by December, with a purchase possible by January 2027. In that Sept. 29 report, the board's vote was advisory, and the final decision belongs to the commissioners.
Both the car show permit and the opera land sale go through the same board of county commissioners. The car show gives the county an early test of the half-closed-road layout, the barricades and the remote parking before any amphitheater opens.
To find out how the Bayshore changes affect your street, or to talk through timing a listing around a February event weekend, Brian Giacomello follows East Naples closely and is glad to help. Start Your Success Story.
