Concours d'Elegance & Motoring Festival Events


The Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance and Motoring Festival, held annually on the second weekend of September, promises an unforgettable weekend filled with automotive celebration and community spirit. Kicking off with engaging activities and events, participants and spectators can enjoy scenic tours, educational seminars, and social gatherings that highlight the rich history of motoring.


The weekend culminates in the prestigious Concours d'Elegance on Sunday, where exquisite vintage and classic cars will be showcased against the breathtaking backdrop of Georgian Bay.


View a full list of the weekend's events below

Cobble Beach Concours d'Elegance |  Sunday

Welcome to the prestigious Cobble Beach Concours d'Elegance, a celebration of automotive elegance set against the stunning backdrop of Georgian Bay. 


Schedule of Events:

  • Dawn: Show field opens to participants for load-in
  • 8:00 am: Show field opens to VIP ticket holders
  • 9:00 am: Show field opens to all other ticket holders
  • 9:00 am: Judging commences
  • 1:45 pm: Opening ceremonies & welcome announcements
  • 2:15 pm: Awards presentation (concludes around 4:30 pm)
  • 5:15 pm: Afterglow Cocktail Reception


Join us for a day filled with exquisite cars, expert judging, and the thrill of automotive history come to life. Your attendance supports our charities, Sunnybrook and the Brightshores Health System Owen Sound Foundation, contributing to vital healthcare and community well-being.


This is a rain or shine event; no refunds or exchanges.

Tour d'Elegance (Participants' Tour) | Friday

Join us for a scenic tour of the Grey Bruce area at the Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance! Participants will explore the beautiful roads of Grey County, departing from Cobble Beach Golf Links Community in Kemble, Ontario, at 10:30 AM sharp on Friday. A mandatory drivers' meeting will be held at the Cobble Beach Events Pavilion before the tour. We encourage the local community to come out and witness these stunning vehicles in motion.


Important Note: Concours Show cars participating in the tour will receive a ribbon to display at the Concours. If there’s a tie in class competition, the vehicle that completed the tour will take precedence. Undercarriage dust from the tour won't impact overall scores. A "sweep" vehicle from Hagerty will be on hand for any mechanical issues that may arise.


Cars & Coffee |  Saturday

Cars & Coffee takes place in downtown Owen Sound's River District, on 2nd Ave East. Attendance is free for the public.


This event welcomes individuals with vintage, exotic, and collectible vehicles 25 years and older to participate in an extraordinary automotive weekend. Unlike Sunday’s Concours, which features a select group of vehicles with unique historical significance, Saturday’s Cars & Coffee showcases a diverse array of vehicles celebrating the spirit of automotive enthusiasts. Proud owners of stunning collectible cars will gather early, polish their prized automobiles, and connect over a cup of coffee.


Cars & Coffee is open to vehicles 25 years and older. All vehicles must be insured and driven into their parking position unaided. Vehicles will be parked in the order they enter the registration area. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate preferred, reserved, club, or specific parking.


Registration will open soon!

Concours d'Lemons presented by Hagerty | Saturday

The Concours d'Lemons takes place in downtown Owen Sound's River District, on 1st Ave West. Concours d'Lemons is free for the public to attend.


This tongue-in-cheek event celebrates the quirky, mundane, and truly unique aspects of the automotive world and is part of Hagerty's partnership with the Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance, held the following day.


The Concours d'Lemons honours aesthetic and technological underachievement, showcasing the oddball vehicles that automotive enthusiasts adore. We invite you to visit the River District to experience these wacky, weird, and wild automobiles!


Please note that cars accepted for the Sunday Concours are not eligible for the Concours d'Lemons on Saturday. Entries will be reviewed by a Vehicle Selection Committee in order of registration date. Late entries will be placed on a waiting list.


Registration will open soon!

Automotive Seminars | Saturday

Seminar 1 (1:00 PM)

From Grit to Gigabytes: The Early and Digital Eras of F1

 

Take a ride through the golden age and cutting edge of Formula One racing guided by a racing legend Lyn St. James, only the second woman to race in the Indianapolis 500 and the first woman to earn Indy 500 Rookie of the Year honors, and who has a 50 year history of racing at some of the most historic race tracks in the world as well as being celebrated with many awards and recognitions.


First, Luigi Chinetti Jr.—son of the legendary Luigi Chinetti Sr., who brought Ferrari to North America and founded the North American Racing Team (NART)—will open the vault on Ferrari’s earliest days in racing. A Ferrari driver himself (5th overall at Le Mans, class winner at Daytona), designer of several unique Ferraris, and guardian of the Chinetti legacy, Luigi will share rare, never-before-seen photographs and personal stories from the formative years of F1 and endurance racing. This is a rare opportunity to hear firsthand from one of the few remaining voices connected to Enzo Ferrari’s original circle.


Also joining us is Joann Villeneuve, La Grand Dame of Canadian Motorsports, widow of Gilles and mother of Jacques, who will share with us her experiences of being the wife of the Canadian F1 racing phenom in the 70s and early 80s. Her insights of Gilles’ tumultuous feeling of betrayal by Pironi, Piccinni, and Ferrari are so unique and personal.


Then we fast-forward to the present day with Leah Penny, a sharp young Carleton University co-op student who has just spent a year inside Red Bull Racing’s European operations. Leah offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the high-tech, data-driven world of modern F1—from wind tunnel simulations to real-time race strategy algorithms. She’ll explore how the sport has evolved from wrench-turners to code-writers—and what that means for its future.


This is a unique, cross-generational dialogue between the analog romance and digital precision of motorsport. Whether you love the roar of carbureted engines or the whine of electric turbos, this event will have something for every racing fan.


To register for the seminar, CLICK HERE



Seminar 2 (2:15 PM)

Presenting the all-new Porsche Experience Centre Toronto


The dream inspired by the global concept and spawned the tenth location around the globe right here in Canada. Discover everything the most recent playground of the legendary brand of sports car from Stuttgart has to offer.


To register for the seminar CLICK HERE

After Glow Reception | Sunday

The Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance will host an After-Glow Cocktail Reception from 5:15 pm to 7:00 pm in the Pavilion. Anyone can purchase an After-Glow Cocktail Reception ticket. Share the highlights of the day while enjoying passed hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Suggested attire is business casual.