Summernats

Summernats (a portmanteau of "Summer" and "National"), is an annual car festival held in Canberra, Australia since 1987, except 2021 due to COVID.^[1] Summernats, which is usually held at the start of the year, is a specialist car enthusiast festival in Australia, and an event which attracts tourists to Canberra. It has increasingly been promoted as an event for families.

The Summernats spectator attendance record was set in 2025, with 130,000+ attendees. Summernats is held over a four-day period (plus 2 days before the event for vehicle inspections), with many events, with prizes in competitions such as for burnouts, parades of cars around the track, fireworks at night and two outdoor concerts held on Friday and Saturday nights. The festival features many vehicles with airbrushed artwork, and restored, classic and modified cars.

The first Summernats was held on 31 December 1987 where it was known as the Street Machine Summer Nationals.^[1]

Between 1987 and 2009, Summernats' promoter and organiser was Chic Henry.^[2] Henry sold Summernats in 2009 to a new company called Summernats Pty Ltd. The naming rights sponsor of Summernats is Street Machine magazine, and the presenting sponsor is Rare Spares.

The ACT Government has routinely expressed its strong support of Summernats, praising the significant benefit it brings to the Economy of Canberra.^[3]

The Summernats spectator attendance record was set in 2025 with over 130,000 attendees.

Summernats is held at 2 locations in Canberra, Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC), corner of Flemington Road and Federal Highway, Lyneham for the main part of the event and Lonsdale Street in Braddon for the Fringe Festival. In 2022, during Summernats 34, the burnout pad grandstand was officially named in honour of Summernats founder Chic Henry.^[4]

Summernats 34, which was due to take place in January 2021, is delayed until January 2022 due to EPIC being used by ACT Health as a COVID-19 testing facility until at least the end of November 2021.^[5] A new, reduced capacity, 5,000 maximum versus the usual ~100,000 attendance, "Summernats Rev Rock ‘n’ Roll" festival was planned to run over the 5–7 March 2021 Canberra Day long weekend to tide fans of the car festival over.^[5] However, on 13 January 2021, this new event was also cancelled.^[6]

Many awards are given out during the course of the festival, these awards include:

The most prestigious award is the "Summernats Grand Champion".^[7][8]

Note: The Grand Champion award was introduced at Summernats 6 - with Peter Fitzpatrick being the first recipient (the first of Peter's six Grand Champion awards). Prior to this the top award was; Top Street Machine Overall.

The Miss Summernats awards were cancelled for the 2018 edition and beyond.

The Summernats holds one of Australia's most prestigious Show and Shine events. Vehicles from around the nation use the Summernats to announce their arrival on the Australian scene. There are the following categories:

• Real Street, Street, Elite and Tuff Street
• Top 60 cars, Top 20 cars and Top 10 cars
• Top Judged Elite and Top Judged Street

In addition, there are some awards that are highly coveted amongst the Australian vehicle modifying community:

• Master Craftsman
• High Impact
• Artistic Impression
• People's Choice

Custom Air brushing is also celebrated at the Summernats, where an exhibition occurs in the Meguiar's Pavilion.

There is a multitude of awards handed out to entrants in cars, which are in the following categories:^[12][13]

• Burnout Championship and Burnout Masters
• Driving events
• Heads-Up Go to Whoa
• Best Cruiser
• Horsepower Heroes

In this competition cars are bolted to a device that measures horsepower at the wheel hubs. During the course of the Summernats, many awards in different categories are handed out in the 'Dyno-cell' and power readings of over 3000 hp at the wheels have been registered.^[14]

Summernats Horsepower Heroes Results:

From the first event, community opinion about Summernats was divided. In December 1991, the Liberal police and justice spokesman, Gary Humphries MLA, conducted a full-day call-in survey which recorded 77 callers generally supporting and 59 callers generally opposing the event. Concerns raised included the dangers of cars driving at high speeds in suburban streets and harassment experienced by women during the festival. Summernats 6, held from late 1992 to early 1993, marked a low point for the event, with large crowds outside the venue—particularly in Civic on New Year’s Eve—becoming uncontrollable and significantly damaging the festival’s reputation.^[16]

A crash at Summernats 2006 injured a number of people (various sources indicating four,^[17] five^[18] or six^[19]).

Street cruises were stopped after the 2005 Summernats, following crowd control issues, however thanks to the support of the ACT Government and the AFP as well as several years of exemplary crowd and entrant behaviour the City Cruise was re-introduced in 2014. The City Cruise is the first driving event at each Summernats and was limited to 300 entrant vehicles, however this was recently raised to 400.^[20] However Summernats spokesman Chic Henry was quoted as saying "The situation could be compared to so many other situations in life where people may have been having a bit too much fun, maybe having a bit too much alcohol."^[21]

In 2008 and 2011 mobs of men allegedly sexually harassed female patrons. In 2017 the promoters adopted a zero tolerance policy to harassment. The festival has experienced frequent complaints and allegations of sexual harassment and other violence towards women by participants,^[22] including having a history of women being shouted at to 'take your top off', and men holding placards that read "tits out for the boys" and "Tits or Skids".^[23][24][25]

In 2008, a mob of up to 400 men was observed by journalists surrounding and harassing women, leading Australian Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick made a public comment that such conduct can foster an environment that may lead to rape. Security staff were described by press as "powerless" to stop the mob, although event organiser Chic Henry stated that he was happy with the performance of security.^[26]

In 2011, another mob was alleged to have occurred.^[27]

In 2017, Summernats announced its zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment.^[28]

The 38th edition of Summernats was held in Canberra from 8 to 11 January 2026. There were approximately 130,000 attendees and 3,000 vehicle entrants.^[9] Over the four-day festival, police seized 19 vehicles^[29] in response to hooning and burnouts outside sanctioned competition areas, a 280% increase from the year prior.^[30] It is reported that 25 spectators were evicted with 6 arrests made for anti-social behaviour.^[29][30] According to police, there were more than 200 traffic infringements for speeding and unsafe driving behaviour as well as 100 defect notices issued, with numbers expecting to double once counting has been completed.^[30] Of the 2,200 random breath and drug tests completed, there were 14 drug drivers and eight motorists over the legal alcohol limit.^[30][29] There were 8 arrests made on ACT roads as a result of impaired and dangerous driving behaviour, including burnouts.^[29]

There were more than 130,000 visitors in 2025, with 2500 cars cruising and on show.^[31] There were a small number of arrests made for a number of matters including assault, breach of bail, failing to comply with police direction and assaulting police.^[32] It is reported that officers issued almost 30 'move on' directions and more than 95 traffic infringement notices.^[32] There were also 32 vehicle defect notices, 3 vehicles siezed and 5 drivers that tested positive to illicit drugs while drivings.^[32]

130,000 entry passes were sold to the four-day event with 2,500 vehicles entered.^[33] Across the event, 2 people were arrested, 13 cars impounded and more than 100 defect notices issued.^[33] There were also a number of reported assaults, including a large brawl that included dozens of people.^[33] There were also reports of rocks and bottles being thrown at officers inside and outside the events.^[33]

The 35th edition of Summernats sold-out with more than 120,000 entry passes sold and vehicle entrants capped at 2,700.^[34] The cruise circuit had to be closed early due to antisocial behaviour.^[34] There were 20 infringement notices issued and a number of arrests for assaulting police, breach of bail and being intoxicated and disorderly.^[34] 4 cars were seized over the weekend.^[34]

• List of festivals in Australia
• Ute Muster
• Red CentreNATS

• Summernats official site
• Chic Henry and his Camaro, "FASTFUN".