2017 Wekfest Long Beach

Wekfest Long Beach 2017: Come for the Cars, Stay for the Atmosphere

Text and photos by Justin Pagtalunan

Cars and Long Beach together, now you know you’re in trouble. From a grassroots import car gathering to one of Southern California’s premier automotive events, Wekfest has come a long way. Making its 7th consecutive appearance in Long Beach, fans attend from all over with the expectations of experiencing one of the best shows in town.

RWB Porsche 911 | 2017 Wekfest Long Beach

Forget about fancy laser lights, robot music, and holograms. Wekfest is about creating an authentic environment for all car enthusiasts, making show cars and vendors the focal point. There’s something simple, yet very satisfying whenever you attend this annual event.

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Here are 4 reasons why you should come out for Wekfest Long Beach:

#WekfestPrep

Perfection is perfected, so I’m lead to understand. If you want to be amongst the best, you need to bring out the best. Days, weeks and even months before any Wekfest, every car person’s social media feed starts to get flooded with build posts with the hashtag “#WEKFESTPREP”. With over 18k posts on Instagram, you can tell that people take this very seriously.

#wekfestprep | 2017 Wekfest Long Beach

Some cars undergo makeovers, while other make their highly anticipated debuts. Wefkest Long Beach, specifically, is one of first major car shows to kick off the season in Southern California and a great barometer of things to come at other shows throughout the year.

2017 Wekfest Long Beach

Photo Ops

Not just for selfies or scenic photos for the ‘gram. From a young G’s perspective, this venue is a photographer’s dream for photo opportunities. From the Queen Mary itself to the Queensway Bay, there are so many great backdrops to capture the amazing cars on display.

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Bonus tip: if you’re lucky enough to be allowed in early, you should try to catch the 8 AM car show roll-in. Participants enter the venue through an underground tunnel with walls decorated in graffiti, creating an ever-changing opportunity for dynamic photos of vehicles in motion.

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West Coast Elites

Cars, cars, and more cars; there’s no denying that you are most likely here for the cars. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. The Wekfest staff sifts through all of the entries and selects only the builds that represent the best the West Coast has to offer.

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Just outside the Queen Mary, over 400 European, Japanese and Domestic aftermarket builds are sprinkled in with top automotive and lifestyle brand vendors. This show delivers a lot to the city they call Long Beach, disappointment is not one of them.

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Life Style

The only thing that might be more fascinating than the JDM classics, stylish exotic and wide body wonders are the people behind this sub-culture we call the car scene. Car enthusiasts and those new to the scene all gather to commune and share their common interests.

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The industry’s best, such as the very talented automotive artist Jon Sibal, can be spotted chatting it up with fellow colleagues. While on the flip side, it’s just as common to see the new generation of automotive enthusiasts getting their first taste of the car scene. Wekfest is common ground for the entire car community and a great environment to simply enjoy.

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There was a lot more to see at Wekfest Long Beach, just check out the gallery below! Don’t worry there’s more Wekfest to come as they make their next stop in their hometown of San Jose on June 25, so just chill ‘til next episode.

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