Australia’s largest car festival, Summernats, is underway in Canberra, with organisers anticipating the event’s 38th edition to reach full capacity.

About 130,000 people are expected to attend the festival, which runs from Thursday to Sunday, and draws visitors from interstate and overseas.

The festival kicked off with its City Cruise down Northbourne Avenue, before moving to Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC) for four days of car demonstrations, burnout competitions, live music and the crowd-favourite Mulletfest.

Summernats red car

About 3,000 cars will participate in the festival this year. (ABC News: Callum Flinn)

The celebrations come as Canberra swelters under a heatwave, with temperatures expected to climb into the high 30s.

Summernats managing director Andy Lopez said extra precautions had been put in place to keep festival-goers safe.

“We’ve stepped up what we can do, making sure there’s more free water available on site, plenty of sunscreen being handed out by our crew, and 50,000 Zooper Doopers,” he said.

Police warn against hoon driving

ACT Policing have already seized four vehicles allegedly involved in illegal activity ahead of the festival, including a 1991 Holden Commodore believed to have been used for burnouts on the Barton Highway.

A senior police officer speaks at a press conference outdoors.

Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Steel says police already seized four cars in the lead-up to the event. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)

Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Steel said attendees should expect an increased police presence on ACT and NSW roads during Summernats.

“We’ve actually seized four vehicles in the lead up. We seized five in total last year. So that’s disappointing,” he said.

“But we’ve got resources on the ground now and we’re obviously working with the event organisers to ensure a safe event.”

ACT Policing’s zero-tolerance approach to hoon driving and antisocial behaviour follows incidents in past festivals.

In 2024, ACT and NSW police made multiple arrests, impounded 13 vehicles and issued more than 100 defect notices in response to hooning and other antisocial behaviour linked to the festival.

A man speaks enthusiastically at a press conference outdoors.

Summernats managing director Andy Lopez affirms his commitment to running a safe festival. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)

Small group of visitors ‘can’t follow rules’

Mr Lopez acknowledged the festival took its responsibility to maintain its social licence in Canberra seriously.

50 cameras, 40 staff watching for potential ‘troublemakers’ at Summernats

With 130,000 people expected to come through the gates at Exhibition Park in Canberra in the next few days, here’s what goes into keeping an eye on the small group of “troublemakers”.

“We’re guests in the city. About 80 per cent of our people come to this event from out of state,” he said.

“We take our responsibility [seriously] to manage our behaviour and to work with our entrant group, in particular to keep the streets safe, and to keep the behaviour on the roads as to what the community expects.”

A vintage mini blue car drives down the road.

The City Cruise along Northbourne Avenue is one of the festival’s key events. (ABC News: Callum Flinn)

Mr Lopez said organisers had spent the majority of their time planning for the antisocial incidents that a small group of people were responsible for.

“Every event, whether it’s one like us, or any other mass gathering, you’re always going to get a small percentage, a very small percentage of people who can’t follow the rules,” he said.A man takes a photo on his phone of a car parade

Punters are encouraged to wear hats and sunscreen during the heatwave in Canberra. (ABC News: Callum Flinn)

Packed programme for large crowds

This year’s event is expected to be at capacity, welcoming 130,000 spectators over the weekend to view 3,000 cars, which is the largest number of entrants in the festival’s history.

Notable activities on the programme include the grand champion announcement on Saturday, an air show, motor cross, and drifting events.

Two adults and a child attend a car festival.

The festival is marketed as a child-friendly event with car demonstrations, live music and an air show. (ABC News: Callum Flinn)

Along with car events, the festival features live music, including performances by Killing Heidi, The Living End, Screaming Jets, and Peking Duk.

“Summernats is all the same things that we do every year that we know and love. It’s burnouts, cruising, elite show cars, drifting, skid row, thousands of people having a great time,” Mr Lopez said.

“Summernats is a car festival, but it’s so much more as well. It’s a really great event to bring families and kids.

“Even if you’re not that into cars, you can go there and have a really good time and you might come out a little more rev head than you were.”