Doylestown at Dusk Car Show Packs Borough Streets with Nearly 30,000 People

DOYLESTOWN, PA—A record number of people packed the streets of Doylestown on Saturday night to get a glimpse of the 500-plus vehicles gathered for the Doylestown at Dusk Car Show.

People walking the show could be heard commenting on just how many people attended this year’s car show. Event Chair Helen Amelsberg noted that while police estimated that this year’s event drew about 30,000 people, topping the estimated attendance of 25,000 for the 2023 show.

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Amelsberg said cooler temperatures after the recent heatwave probably helped boost attendance, but she also noted that the show has seen rapid growth since the pandemic. Just a few years ago, for example, the show attracted about 400 vehicles. This year’s show had 525 vehicles.

The vehicles in this year’s show ranged from American muscle cars of the 1960s to more exotic vehicles like Porsches, oversized trucks and antiques from the early 1900s. There was a Checker Yellow Cab, several DeLoreans, pickup trucks and military-type vehicles. (For a look at some of the vehicles in this year’s show, see the photo carousel above.)

Cars of all types were placed next to each other in a seemingly random order in front of restaurants and shops throughout town. The Doylestown car show is unique in that it doesn’t put vehicles into groups of similar cars. Walking around, people might see a 1920s Model T next to a 1960s Mustang and a Porsche 911.

The hoods of many cars were open to give car enthusiasts a chance to get a detailed look. Many car owners were also on hand to answer questions and receive compliments.

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New this year, a local BMW dealer was offering test drives of a handful of cars down Oakland Avenue.

The night wasn’t entirely about cars. This year’s show had more music than ever, with two main stages and live music scattered throughout the show. Amelsberg said the goal was for attendees to be able to hear live music from nearly any part of the show.

There were also 30 food trucks scattered throughout the show serving comfort foods like ice cream, ribs and grilled chicken. And for shoppers in the crowd, vendors were scattered throughout the show.

Amelsberg said the event aims to offer something for everyone to bring the community together.

“This is no longer a car show,” she said. “This is an event that includes the whole community. It's the restaurants and it's the businesses that sponsor us, and the people who live here who are getting involved. Everybody loves the show. It's got such a great vibe.”

While the show has always been popular, it has grown exponentially in the last few years. As evidence, Amelsberg noted that VIP tickets to this year’s event sold out 11 seconds after becoming available online, and all 525 slots for cars were sold out two weeks before the show. There are usually spots available for walk-in registrations on the day of the show, but organizers had to turn away cars this year.

That kind of growth can present challenges. Cars were still parking on the outer edges of the show at 5:30, a half-hour after the event officially opened. Crowds were already packing the streets, but volunteers wearing neon-yellow shirts were on hand to help guide the cars onto the borough streets safely.

While most people flock to the show to see cars, the event has another important purpose: raising money for the Rotary Club of Doylestown. “The whole reason we do this show is so that we can raise money,” said Amelsberg, who is Immediate Past President of the organization. “This is our biggest fundraiser of the year.”

The 2023 car show raised $25,000, which the organization gave back to community organizations. During a check-presentation ceremony last night, the following five community organizations were given checks from the Rotary: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the Bucks County Opportunity Council, the Coalition to Support and Shelter the Homeless, the Family Service Association of Bucks County and the Maternity Care Coalition.

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