Classic Days 2022: The vintage car festival comes to Messe Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf adds another attraction to its portfolio. The Classic Days will bring automobiles from all eras to the north of Düsseldorf from 5 to 7 August. To this end, extensive trade fair parking lot P1 abound with trees and greenery will become the “Green Park”. By holding this guest event for vintage car and nostalgia fans Messe Düsseldorf is extending its leisure and mobility portfolio to include a new event open to the general public.

We always knew it: our P1 parking lot is pretty special. Now the non-profit organisation behind the Classic Days will exploit its full potential turning the area into the “Green Park”. Boasting greenery galore, impressive size, traffic connections and infrastructure P1 provides the ideal setting for the “Festival of Culture & Motoring Lifestyle” held for the first time in the North Rhine-Westphalian capital Düsseldorf since its inception in 2006. Classic car and nostalgia lovers will embark upon a journey through 135 years of automotive history from 5 to 7 August – marvelling at some 5,000 vintage and “young-timer” cars as well as enjoying an “English garden party”.

At Classic Days “vehicles from museums are instilled with life,” explains Marcus Herfort, Chairman of the organiser Classic Days e.V. The automobiles can be seen in action and many participants will dress in period outfits to match their cars. The atmosphere is rounded off by the decorations selected with loving attention to detail, nostalgic memorabilia as well as lively exhibitor areas with nostalgic merchandise, stylish catering, a themed picnic – and the lush greenery. Together with the adjacent P2 trade fair parking lot P1 boasts 2,800 trees and measures 450,000 sqm.

English Garden Party in the north of Düsseldorf

Add to this, very practical benefits: amenities such as toilets, water supply and power outlets as well as direct access to the motorway via exit “Messe/Arena” on A 44. The Classic Days can also be reached via local public transport and the light rail stop “Arena/Messe Nord” of A44. Marcus Herfort emphasises how all these benefits add to the appeal of the new location: “At P1 we find everything we need for even better Classic Days and for future growth.”

Wolfram N. Diener, President & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, looks forward to welcoming the new guest event to the fairgrounds: “All signs are set for a re-start: this is reflected by both the trade fairs held successfully in spring and by such new events as the Classic Days. They are an ideal match for our leisure trade fairs boot and CARAVAN SALON Düsseldorf and tie in perfectly with our commitment to develop more activities in the field of mobility.”

CARAVAN CENTER at P1 speaks for itself

P1 has already stood the test of time as a popular meeting point for the equally passionate mobile vacationing community during CARAVAN SALON. The CARAVAN CENTER boasting 3,500 pitches and registering approx. 30,000 overnight stays then converts P1 into Europe’s biggest campsite – complete with a party tent, beer garden, lounge area and food trucks. Wolfram N. Diener sums up: “The extensive green space provides second-to-none conditions for holding the Classic Days in Düsseldorf – another highlight for the public at large where Messe Düsseldorf opens up even more to the city.”

Kirstin Deutelmoser, Head of Business Development at Messe Düsseldorf, views the Classic Days as another step towards bringing in new events: “New exhibition themes form an integral part of our strategic re-orientation enabling us to position ourselves for the future. With the Classic Days in summer and Solar Solutions in winter we have succeeded in welcoming two new guest events to the Düsseldorf location in the third consecutive pandemic year. Add to this the Gaming-Festival #G4L in February next year. These events all contribute to making Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre even more attractive.”

Classic Days with new highlights

The ample space offered by the trade fair parking lot also means bigger and heavier vehicles like buses, trucks and the highly popular VW Bullis will be able to take part in the Festival. A total of 1,200 parking spaces will be available at no charge for the classic cars. 18 Festival areas can be visited during the vintage weekend including automobiles from the Economic Miracle era – the “Lovely Heroes” or iconic movie cars like the DeLorean from film classic “Back to the Future”. A highlight at this event will be the Nostalgic Journeys focusing on Historical Camping in the Outdoors. Other attractions include Michael Schumacher’s Formula-1 Benetton as well as the 1901 Mercedes-Simplex juxtaposed with the current, fully digital Vision Simplex e-study car.

“This pairing shows pretty well what is so special about the Classic Days: presenting the whole spectrum of mobility from yesteryear to the distant future,” explains Marcus Herfort and goes on to say: “The Classic Days, however, are not just meant for technology freaks. As a lifestyle event they are more of a ‘total work of art’ that also encompasses the people in their period outfits to match their cars, a plethora of accessories and picnic sets selected with loving attention to detail and a host of automobilia ranging from books to head gear and vintage trunks.”

Plenty of good reasons for visiting the Classic Days – so let’s go to Green Park! For tickets click here.