Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional 2026

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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…

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.

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.

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.

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).

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

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

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.