Pavilions Car Show – Scottsdale’s Weekly Get-Together

The McDonald’s Rock and Roll Car Show in Scottsdale, Arizona or “Pavilions Car Show” as the locals like to call it, has a long and rich history of being one of the largest cruise-ins of its kind. The Valley of the sun is car guy mecca and this event feeds that frenzy.

For many the Pavilions Car Show represents a simpler time. Hang with your car brothers and sisters, bring your family and pets while walking the endless aisles with an ice cream cone in one hand and a dog leash in another.

This event is well organized. Sandwich boards with numbered aisles help you navigate the diverse rows of vehicles.

Over twenty-five years ago local McDonald’s owner Mark Kramer decided to hold his first cruise night. A minuscule 10 cars showed up that day but by the end of that same month, the car count had already reached 100 vehicles. Today the event can attract anywhere from 600-700 cars and trucks in the winter months when daytime temps hover in the mid 70’s.

The Saturday ritual runs 52 weeks a year, rain or shine but being in the sunniest city in the world, it mostly shines. Vintage music fills the air as you walk past anything from a historic Model T to a modern-day Ford GT on any given Saturday night. Every weekend is unique and you never quite know what you’ll see or who you’ll see walking about. Eye candy everywhere!

Conveniently located off the 101 loop in Scottsdale off Talking Stick Way, cars start rolling into the McDonald’s parking lot to claim their spot sometimes as early as 10 AM on special weekends like when Barrett Jackson is in town. However, typically cars come and go throughout the afternoon until early evening.

People bring their lawn chairs and set up camp in front of their cars and are more than willing to talk to any passerby about their pride and joy parked behind them. The demographic ranges from grandma and grandpa to import car kids and everything in between. We even saw Girl Scouts selling cookies. It works. Everyone is there to share their collective passion for anything with two and four wheels.

Variety is the spice of life they say and the Rock and Roll Car Show has plenty of it. Pick your poison; whether it’s lifted or lowered trucks, classic or modern-day muscle cars, motorcycles, rat rods, street rods, imports to tuner cars, exotics, you name it and you’ll most likely see it here one Saturday or another.

It’s a free ride here too. There is no entry fee. Just drive in, park in your aisle and kick back. It’s easy to see why this cruise-in is jam-packed each and every weekend. Don’t forget to thank founder Mark Kramer by purchasing a 20-pack of Chicken Nuggets!

Pavilions Car Show Photo Extra!