Summernats

Summernats (a portmanteau of "Summer" and "National"), is an annual car festival held in Canberra, Australia since 1987, except 2021 due to COVID.^[1] Summernats, which is usually held at the start of the year, is a specialist car enthusiast festival in Australia, and an event which attracts tourists to Canberra. It has increasingly been promoted as an event for families.

Summernats
Burnout at Summernats in 2005
Genre	Car festival
Date(s)	January
Frequency	Annually
Location(s)	Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC), Canberra
Inaugurated	31 December 1987; 37 years ago (1987-12-31)
Attendance	130,000+ (2025)
Website	http://www.summernats.com.au/

Contestants for "Miss Summernats 2012"

The Summernats spectator attendance record was set in 2025, with 130,000+ attendees. Summernats is held over a four-day period (Plus 2 days before the event for Vehicle inspections), with many events, with prizes in competitions such as for burnouts, parades of cars around the track, fireworks at night and two outdoor concerts held on Friday and Saturday nights. The festival features many vehicles with airbrushed artwork, and restored, classic and modified cars.

History

The first Summernats was held on 31 December 1987 where it was known as the Street Machine Summer Nationals.^[1]

Promotion and partnerships

Between 1987 and 2009, Summernats' promoter and organiser was Chic Henry.^[2] Henry sold Summernats in 2009 to a new company called Summernats Pty Ltd. The naming rights sponsor of Summernats is Street Machine magazine, and the presenting sponsor is Rare Spares.

The ACT Government has Routinely expressed its strong support of Summernats, praising the significant benefit it brings to the Economy of Canberra.^[3]

The Summernats spectator attendance record was set in 2025 with over 130,000 attendees.

Venue

Summernats is held at 2 locations in Canberra, Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC), corner of Flemington Road and Federal Highway, Lyneham for the main part of the event and Lonsdale Street in Braddon for the Fringe Festival. In 2022, during Summernats 34, the burnout pad grandstand was officially named in honour of Summernats founder Chic Henry.^[4]

2021 COVID-19 impact

Summernats 34, which was due to take place in January 2021, is delayed until January 2022 due to EPIC being used by ACT Health as a COVID-19 testing facility until at least the end of November 2021.^[5] A new, reduced capacity, 5,000 maximum versus the usual ~100,000 attendance, "Summernats Rev Rock ‘n’ Roll" festival was planned to run over the 5–7 March 2021 Canberra Day long weekend to tide fans of the car festival over.^[5] However, on 13 January 2021, this new event was also cancelled.^[6]

Awards

Many awards are given out during the course of the festival, these awards include:

Grand Champion

The most prestigious award is the "Summernats Grand Champion".^[7][8]

• 2025 John Fenech '73 LJ Torana 'ORSM'
• 2024 Joe Bauer '68 Dodge Charger 'Blown RT'
• 2023 Livij Krevatin
• 2022 Jason Mansweto
• 2021 NONE
• 2020 Todd Sorenson
• 2019 Rick Werner
• 2018 Grant Connor '67 XR Falcon 'Bad Apple' from Orange, New South Wales
• 2017 Mark Williams
• 2016 John Saad
• 2015 Nathan Borg
• 2014 Henry Parry
• 2013: Mick Fabar from Orange, New South Wales, with a 1967 Ford XR Falcon sedan;
• 2012 Ben Sargent
• 2011 Peter Fitzpatrick
• 2010 Joe Lore
• 2009 Darrell Leemhuis
• 2008 Rob Godfrey
• 2007 Zoltan Bodo from Ngunnawal, Australian Capital Territory, with a 1992 VP series HSV Senator;
• 2006 Aaron Fitzpatrick from Australian Capital Territory, with a gold 1969 Datsun 510 sedan.^[9]
• 2005
  • Deby and Gary Myers from Narrandera NSW, in a silver 1966 Ford Mustang coupe; and
  • Dave Ritchie from Dapto NSW, in a green 1965 Ford Falcon XP Hardtop.
• 2004 Drago Ostric
• 2003 Mark Course
• 2002 Peter Fitzpatrick
• 2001 Anthony Fabris
• 2000 Shane Burcher
• 1999 Peter Fitzpatrick
• 1998 Peter Fitzpatrick
• 1997 Howard Astill
• 1996 Peter Fitzpatrick
• 1995 Dennis Laing
• 1994 Brian Willis
• 1993 Peter Fitzpatrick
• 1992 Howard Astill
• 1991 Howard Astill
• 1990 Rob Beauchamp
• 1989 Rob Beauchamp
• 1988 Rob Beauchamp

The Grand Champion award was introduced at Summernats 6 - with Peter Fitzpatrick being the first recipient (the first of Peter's six Grand Champion awards). Prior to this the top award was; Top Street Machine Overall.

Miss Summernats

• 2005: Tanya Lazarou, from Sydney
• 2006: Bree Fenton, 19, from Sydney
• 2007: Jenelle Smith, 19, from Canberra
• 2010: Hayley Swanson, from Wodonga
• 2012: Sabrina Damiano
• 2014: Danah Wheatley
• 2015: Monique Dognan-Smith^[10]
• 2016: Amanda Beattie
• 2017: Jazmyne Wardell^[11]

The Miss Summernats awards were cancelled for the 2018 edition and beyond.

Show and Shine

The Summernats holds one of Australia's most prestigious Show and Shine events. Vehicles from around the nation use the Summernats to announce their arrival on the Australian scene. There are the following categories:

• Real Street, Street, Elite and Tuff Street
• Top 60 cars, Top 20 cars and Top 10 cars
• Top Judged Elite and Top Judged Street

In addition, there are some awards that are highly coveted amongst the Australian vehicle modifying community:

• Master Craftsman
• High Impact
• Artistic Impression
• People's Choice

Air brushing

Custom Air brushing is also celebrated at the Summernats, where an exhibition occurs in the Meguiar's Pavilion.

Driving events

There is a multitude of awards handed out to entrants in cars, which are in the following categories:^[12][13]

• Burnout Championship and Burnout Masters
• Driving events
• Heads-Up Go to Whoa
• Best Cruiser
• Horsepower Heroes

Horsepower Heroes

In this competition cars are bolted to a device that measures horsepower at the wheel hubs. During the course of the Summernats, many awards in different categories are handed out in the 'Dyno-cell' and power readings of over 3000 hp at the wheels have been registered.^[14]

Summernats Horsepower Heroes Results:

9 - 1996 Anthony Fabris VL Walkinshaw 325rwhp

10 - 1997 Matt Bunton HQ 454 Van 372rwhp

11 - 1998 Jason Gray HSV GTS 404rwhp

12 - 1999 Jason Gray HSV GTS 486rwhp

13 - 2000 Rob Vickery VS Commodore Ute 527rwhp

14 - 2001 Todd Wilkes Giocattolo 850rwhp

15 - 2002 Rob Vickery VS Commodore Ute 1023rwhp

16 - 2003 Eddy Tassone VH Commodore 1376rwhp

17 - 2004 Brett Waine VH Commodore 1470rwhp

18 - 2005 Eddy Tassone VH Commodore 1259whp

19 - 2006 Craig Munro, TRYHRD VX HSV Clubsport 1262rwhp

20 - 2007 Trick & Mansweto, Ford Capri 940rwhp

21 - 2008 Craig Munro, TRYHRD VX HSV Clubsport 1895rwhp

22 - 2009 Lyle Lemon MRPSI, 1533rwhp

23 - 2010 Adrian Abella, FPV Typhoon 869rwhp

24 - Graham Longhurst, HZ Holden 891rwhp

25 - Jake Edwards, LH Torana, 1592rwhp

26 - 2013 Jake Edwards, LH Torana, 1666rwhp

27 - 2014 Michael Daniels, Falcon XR6 Turbo 1131rwhp

28 - 2015 Jake Edwards, LH Torana 2084rwhp (qualifying)

29 - 2016 Jake Edwards, LH Torana 1783rwhp

30 - 2017 Jake Edwards, LH Torana 1663rwhp

31 - 2018 Paul Allen, 1010 hp

32 - 2019 Brenden Medlin, 2483 hp

33 - 2020 Maria Passos, 2202 hp

35 - 2023 Cody Hunt, 1643rwhp

36 - 2024 Maatouks Racing, VL Turbo 2504rwhp^[15]

37 - 2025 Lee Povey, VL Calais 2109rwhp

Controversy

A crash at Summernats 2006 injured a number of people (various sources indicating four,^[16] five^[17] or six^[18]).

Street cruises were stopped after the 2005 Summernats, following crowd control issues, however thanks to the support of the ACT Government and the AFP as well as several years of exemplary crowd and entrant behaviour the City Cruise was re-introduced in 2014. The City Cruise is the first driving event at each Summernats and was limited to 300 entrant vehicles, however this was recently raised to 400.^[19] However Summernats spokesman Chic Henry was quoted as saying "The situation could be compared to so many other situations in life where people may have been having a bit too much fun, maybe having a bit too much alcohol."^[20]

Sexual harassment of women

In 2008 and 2011 mobs of men allegedly sexually harassed female patrons. In 2017 the promoters adopted a zero tolerance policy to harassment. The festival has experienced frequent complaints and allegations of sexual harassment and other violence towards women by participants,^[21] including having a history of women being shouted at to 'take your top off', and men holding placards that read "tits out for the boys" and "Tits or Skids".^[22][23][24]

In 2008, a mob of up to 400 men was observed by journalists surrounding and harassing women, leading Australian Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick made a public comment that such conduct can foster an environment that may lead to rape. Security staff were described by press as "powerless" to stop the mob, although event organiser Chic Henry stated that he was happy with the performance of security.^[25]

In 2011, another mob was alleged to have occurred.^[26]

In 2017, Summernats announced its zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment.^[27]

See also

• List of festivals in Australia
• Ute Muster
• Red CentreNATS