Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional

Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional 2025

Step into automotive history with us on 26th July at Grimsthorpe Castle for a celebration of the delightfully unremarkable.

When and where

26th July 2025
7:30 am – 5 pm
Location
Grimsthorpe Castle, Grimsthorpe, Bourne PE10 0LY
Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional
A classic car show like no other. Are you ready to celebrate automotive quirks from the 70s to the 2000s? This year sees the cars eligible for the Concours de L’Ordinaire cross in to the 21st century, as cars from 1970 to 2000 can now apply.
Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional

Save and win with our early bird tickets

Early bird tickets are on sale now for both Classic and Unexceptional vehicles as well as those with more modern motors.

Plus, you’ll be entered into our competition to win the ultimate FOTU experience which includes:

  • An overnight stay at a local hotel
  • Hagerty Drivers Club (HDC) bundle worth £200 including annual membership
  • Special meet & greets on the day
  • Access to the HDC Members Area on the day for you and a friend
  • A C64 Mini games console worth over £120

Our early bird rates only last 2 weeks so you have until 30th March to take advantage. 

Terms and conditions for the competition can be found here.

Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional

Tickets

Tickets start at £20 per person. Additional passengers in your vehicle will require their own ticket. Kids under 15 go free at FOTU!

  • Car & Driver (Classics & Unexceptional or Modern Car)
    • Early bird £20, General Sale £25
  • Passenger (per person)
    • Early bird £20, General Sale £25
  • Child Pasenger (under 15s)
    • Free
  • FOTU For Sale (access for car and driver only)
    • Early bird £30, General Sale £35
Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional

Concours de l’Ordinaire

Think your car embodies the spirit of the unexceptional? Enter the Concours de L’Ordinaire! Share photos and tell us why your vehicle deserves the spotlight. Our judges are looking for the quirkiest, most charming examples of everyday classics. Enter your vehicle here.

Want to get a feel for the types of vehicles you could be up against? Read our article on last year’s winning vehicle, a 1982 Toyota Hilux or our ultimate guide to entering the concours!

Enter your vehicle

Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional

What’s going on?

Our ever popular live stage is making a comeback plus Jonny Smith and Richard Porter return to this year’s Festival with their unique brand of motoring humour. Stay tuned to our websitesign up for our newsletter and follow us across our social media channels for news on Smith and Sniff’s plans for FOTU 2025.

Have an unexceptional car that you’re looking to sell? Then choose our FOTU for Sale ticket to book a space in our new area. There’s no better place to sell your mundane motor than FOTU.

New to FOTU? Explore our 2024 photo gallery to catch a glimpse of the event’s unique charm and atmosphere!

Get your tickets now

Gallery

FAQs

How much do tickets cost?

Tickets start at £20 per person. Additional passengers in your vehicle will require their own ticket. Kids under 15 go free at FOTU!

  • Car & Driver (Classics & Unexceptional or Modern Car)
    • Early bird £20, General Sale £25
  • Passenger (per person)
    • Early bird £20, General Sale £25
  • Child Pasenger (under 15s)
    • Free
  • FOTU For Sale (access for car and driver only)
    • Early bird £30, General Sale £35

What cars are eligible for the Festival of the Unexceptional Concours?

If you’ve been to the Festival before, then you’ll have a pretty good idea of what we like to see, but as a general rule we’re looking for ‘unexceptional’ cars registered between 1970 and 2000.

Judges will place an emphasis on originality and ordinary, less ‘exotic’ versions of cars. We prefer Ls to SRis, Populars to Cosworths, and Renaults to Rolls-Royces. Judges also like to learn about the story behind the car, as this can make the difference when having to choose between a number of the same make and model. Really sell your car to us when you submit it for entry to the Concours!

To help us narrow down the dozens of entries, good photographs are also very useful in your submission – two or three clear exterior shots (front and rear three-quarter shots are always useful), plus a good, clear shot of the interior. Make sure you show off those base-spec cloth seats…

I entered the Festival of the Unexceptional before. Does that mean I can automatically take part again?

No. You’ll know from personal experience how popular the event is – and how competitive it is too. So we require anyone wishing to enter the concours competition to submit a new entry for each year’s Festival.

If my car is a prime example of an ‘Unexceptional’ car, can I just turn up and put my car on show in the Concours?

No, afraid not. We’d be delighted to see you and may even direct you to parking where your car will be in good company with other marvellously mundane motor cars, but you’ll need to apply for the Concours in advance like other entrants.

Are children welcome?

Absolutely. The Festival of the Unexceptional is very much a family event, and a great opportunity to show your kids prime examples of the kind of real-world cars that used to roam our roads.

Will there be food at the event?

Yes! We’re laying on food stalls, but you’re equally welcome to bring a picnic or packed lunch too (and there’s usually plenty of space around the cars to put on a spread).

Will there be a bar?

Yes. (That’s all you wanted to know, right? We won’t go into the cocktail or mocktail list here…)

Can I bring my dog?

Dogs are welcome but the venue stipulates that they must be kept on a lead.

Can we camp overnight?

There is no camping available, though if you’ve got an unexceptional camper van we’d love to see it at the Festival. And if the excitement all gets a bit too much, it’d be a fine place to nap too.

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