As the Chinook winds start to carry the scent of spring, the hibernation is almost over. After a long winter of wrenching in the garage and dreaming of open roads, the 2026 Southern Alberta car show season is officially on the horizon.
The work behind the scenes hasn’t just been happening in the garages. For the past three months, I’ve been meticulously compiling this year’s Southern Alberta car show calendar and crafting eye-catching posters. The results are stacking up with 115 shows locked in and listed and I fully expect that number to climb past the 200 mark.
Spring Thaw will serve as our starting gun on April 19. There is no better place to shake off the winter blues than at Heritage Park where we’re expecting hundreds of vehicles for the 40th rendition of this legendary car show: classics that look like they just rolled off the 1950s assembly line, high-horsepower hot rods that rumble in your chest, and one-of-a-kind custom builds that push the limits of imagination.
It’s time to perform the annual rites: dust off those folding chairs, check the tension on your pop-up umbrellas, and make sure the cooler is ready for action.
I can’t wait to see the familiar faces, swap stories, and catch up with the incredible community that makes our car culture so unique. The engines are starting, the calendar is full, and the road is calling.
See you at the Thaw!
Hey Bob, hope you can attend as many shows as before with the price of gasoline! Long distance awards may be handed out to folks from Airdrie attending Calgary car shows! Really enjoy your photos from all the many shows you attend.
Hi Larry, I predict the war will be over and gas prices will go down by the time we’re into the heart of car show season. Call me an optimist.