Detroit Autorama 2027

The 74th Detroit Autorama runs Friday 5 March to Sunday 7 March 2027 at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit, the convention center formerly called Cobo. It is an indoor hot rod and custom car show, and the place where the Ridler Award is decided each year.

The show is hosted by the Michigan Hot Rod Association and produced by Championship Auto Shows, which runs the Autorama, World of Wheels and Cavalcade of Customs series. The producer calls itself North America’s largest producer of indoor hot rod shows. Meguiar’s presents the Detroit show and sponsors the Ridler.

The building has two levels of cars. The main floor is the upper level. The lower level, called The Basement, is Autorama Extreme, set aside for traditional hot rods, customs and rat rods.

Dates and hours

• Friday 5 March 2027: 12pm to 10pm
• Saturday 6 March 2027: 9am to 10pm
• Sunday 7 March 2027: 10am to 6pm

Friday is also Student Career Day. Its program starts at 9:30am, before the show opens to the public. The Toy-A-Rama exhibitor form expects about 3,000 students from 10am that day.

Tickets

The 2027 event page lists two prices, one at the gate and a lower one through O’Reilly Auto Parts:

• General admission at the gate: $35
• Children 6 to 12 at the gate: $15
• General admission, discount ticket at O’Reilly Auto Parts: $33
• Children 6 to 12, discount ticket at O’Reilly Auto Parts: $13
• Children 5 and under: free

Discount tickets go on sale at O’Reilly three weeks before the show. Online tickets are sold through Showpass, linked from autorama.com. Showpass shows a range of $16.57 to $37.15 once fees are added.

Tickets are non-refundable. The organizer notes that a ticket does not guarantee an autograph from celebrity guests. The 2027 guest list has not been announced. The event page says details are still to be confirmed.

Students in automotive, design, engineering, welding and related programs can attend Student Career Day at $15 per ticket. Pre-registration is required for every participant, and groups must be chaperoned.

Parking

Huntington Place has 2,596 spaces in two garages, according to the venue. Parking is first come, first served, and both garages take cards, Apple Pay and tap-to-pay.

• Roof Deck garage. 625 West Congress Street, at Congress and Third Streets. About 1,200 open-air spaces, with a 9-foot clearance.
• Washington Garage. 1 Washington Boulevard, at Larned Street, under the building. About 640 covered spaces on two levels, with a 7-foot clearance and six EV charging spots.

No overnight parking, oversized vehicles or trailers are allowed in either garage. When they fill, the venue sends drivers to the First Street parking deck and the Millennium Garage on Congress Street.

Show-day parking rates are not published. The Detroit People Mover stops at the building.

Bus tours get free reserved coach parking, subject to availability, and discount presale tickets, according to the organizer’s bus tour page.

What to see

The Ridler Award. The Don Ridler Memorial Award has been presented at every Detroit Autorama since 1964. It is named for the show’s first professional promoter. The organizer calls it among the highest honors in the show car world. The winner takes home $10,000 from Meguiar’s.

The rules are strict. A Ridler car must make its first public showing in Detroit. Showing the car, or any unique part such as its frame, engine or body, at any earlier show makes it ineligible. No photos of the finished car can appear online beforehand. The car must also run, steer, brake and drive itself to its spot on the floor.

Judging starts on Thursday evening after move-in. Eight finalists, the BASF Great 8, are announced on Friday morning and introduced at the Ridler’s Ball that night. The judges look at creativity, engineering and quality of workmanship.

The 2026 Ridler went to Rex and Rhonda Satterfield of Russellville, Tennessee, for a 1956 Chevrolet called “Elegant Lady”. The 2025 winner was “Gray Madder”, built by Tom, Christy and Josh Bresnahan of Illinois.

Autorama Extreme. The Basement level, for traditional hot rods, customs and rat rods.

Toy-A-Rama. A toy and collectibles show inside the Autorama. The organizer calls it the largest toy show in Michigan, with over 50,000 square feet of vendor space.

Enter your car

Entries for 2027 are open. There are two forms on autorama.com:

• Main floor, upper level. Apply online and upload photos. The selection team reviews each car and contacts you about acceptance and payment.
• Autorama Extreme, The Basement. For traditional hot rods, customs, rat rods and other qualifying cars. Apply online or mail the PDF form.

For Ridler qualification, the entry page lists (734) 673-5438. The Ridler page also lists (586) 943-0202, weekdays 9am to 5pm Eastern, and RidlerAward@autorama.com.

Before you go

Saturday is the long day, open 13 hours from 9am. Friday opens at noon and runs to 10pm. Sunday is the short day, 10am to 6pm.

If you are coming from out of town, the organizer lists hotels on its hotel information page. Car clubs and touring companies run coaches to the show from across the region, listed on the bus tours page.

Detroit has a second big winter car event. The Detroit Auto Show guide covers the new-car side of the city’s calendar.

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