PITY THE POOR ORGANISERS of events, not just here in Australia where things are slowly getting back to normal, but around the world. Unfortunately, even if international events are being rescheduled, it is still unknown if travel restrictions will be eased sufficiently for us to attend.
The inelegantly-named UK Concours of Elegance will go ahead in the spectacular gardens of Hampton Court Palace this September, it was announced today. The rare car show will grace the palace gardens in late Summer, following their re-opening this week. The Concours of Elegance 2020 – 4-6 September – will be the first major international concours d’elegance event since Amelia Island in March.
Liz Young, Head of Events for Historic Royal Palaces said “We are thrilled to be re-opening our gardens this week, and very excited that this means the Concours of Elegance can go ahead in September. It is always a brilliant event, with the palace gardens making a spectacular backdrop for the cars on show. We look forward to working with the event organisers to ensure that all of our guests can have a safe and enjoyable visit.”’
The Concours of Elegance takes place within the 60-acre Fountain Gardens of the palace, measuring ¾ of a mile in length. From its very inception, the event has sought to avoid feeling crowded, allowing the cars the space they deserve.
James Brooks-Ward, Thorough Events CEO, said: “Clearly, above anything else, we want to ensure that we’re hosting our event responsibly. As September nears, we’ve become confident that all the pent-up demand we’ve seen from visitors, commercial partners, car clubs and car owners can be satisfied, with the approval of our friends at Historic Royal Palaces. We’re incredibly grateful for their support, and that of our presenting partner A. Lange & Söhne, in allowing us to develop our event into something we feel isn’t just safer than ever, but more exciting than ever too.”
Tickets to the Concours of Elegance are available to buy now, and should government guidance change to negate the running of the event, all tickets will be refunded or deferred to 2021.
Meanwhile, Goodwood has announced that its summer motorsports events, The Festival of Speed in July and the Goodwood Revival in September will not be taking place due to ongoing social distancing rules in place to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
And locally, Motorclassica, Australia largest and most prestigious classic car show, has been cancelled, with a promise by the organisers that the event will return in 2021 as “an even greater spectacle”.