Summernats back bigger than ever

After being cancelled in 2021 due to COVID-19 and then having attendances capped last year because of the Omicron outbreak, this year's event has attracted a record number of entries from across the nation.

A remarkable 2700 vehicles have been entered and the organisers literally don't have room for even one more. A note posted on the event's website months ago advises those who missed out that they lodge their entries for Summernats 36 in 2024 at the conclusion of this year's event. In other words "better luck next time" - and get in early.

And, while it is too soon to make a definitive comment on attendances, with Platinum packages having sold out months ago and other ticket sales exceeding expectation it is quite possible the record of 119,184 spectators set in 2017 could be broken.

The leadup to Summernats 35 has not all been smooth sailing however. It had originally been intended to have Australian rock legend and working class hero Jimmy Barnes headline the concert spectacular scheduled for Friday night.

While Mr Barnes was forced to cancel his appearance due to health reasons the good news is he has already committed to performing at Summernats 36 a year from now.

The event, which is expected to attract tens of thousands of car and music lovers to EPIC on Friday evening, will feature Daryl Braithwaite, Jon Stevens, Diesel and Shannon Noll. That's quite a line-up.

On Saturday night the music dial switches to hip hop with headline act Bliss N Eso being backed up by Stafford Brothers and DJ Brooke Evers. Summernats is no longer just about the cars. It's evolved into a major music happening in its own right.

On a sadder note this is the first Summernats without the founder, Chic Henry, who died last April. Mr Henry, who was the event director until he sold the festival in 2009, was a legendary figure in street machine circles. He was farewelled with a memorial service at EPIC that included dozens of street machines and featured one final burnout.

While the loss was a blow for the street machine and modified car community his legacy is the event which he founded in 1987 and which, despite some drama along the way including mass outbreaks of sexist and misogynistic behaviour in 2008, has gone from strength to strength.

The current organisers, who adopted a zero tolerance policy to sexual harassment in 2017 have gone to great lengths to create a family friendly event.

The event itself has proven a game changer for Canberra which used to be a very quiet place in January with many of its residents migrating to the coast.

Now January is one of the most vibrant times of the year with the event generating a massive tourism boost that was estimated to have injected $30 million into the local economy in 2019.

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That said, not everyone is delighted by the event's growth. Events such as the burnout championships generate an incredible amount of noise and smoke which does seriously inconvenience the residents of Watson and elsewhere.

Summernats has also been criticised by some Canberrans on the basis they believe it sits oddly with the ACT government's commitment to green energy and emissions reduction.

While it is not possible to please all of the people all of the time, it is important that the event organisers and the government work to address residents' concerns about noise and air pollution and to take the community along with them.