The entry fee includes two passes for five days of car displays, the specialty inside show which features one-of-a-kind classic cars. There is plenty of free entertainment outside during the show days. Spectators pay at the gate on Saturday to see the cars and other entertainment during the day.
The cut off is 1979 or older. Your vehicle must also be street legal and insured. This is for the Cruise and Car Show. There are no exceptions.
The Car Corral opens on Sunday at 8AM. You do not have to be registered for Kool April Nites to have a car in the Car Corral. The is a fee of $25.00 to park put your car in the Car Corral. You can pay that morning. Cars must be driven onto the lawn and insured. NO CARS ON TRAILERS. NO EXCEPTIONS.
The Cruise on Friday night starts at 6:30 PM and ends at 8:00 PM. The street closures for the cruise start at 5:30. It is recommended that you get up to an area with in the cruise route early (before the closure begins) and wait for the cruise to start at 6:30 PM.
You do not need your wristbands or tickets for the cruise.
The City of Redding will start by closing the north bound off ramp to Hilltop Drive and the east bound SR44 off ramp to Hilltop Drive at 5:30 PM.**Please do not try to enter the cruise route from these locations after 5:30 PM**
If you are coming from the Redding Civic Auditorium and it is after 5:30 PM you will need to enter the route area from Dana Drive at Churn Creek Road or Cypress Ave at Hilltop Drive. You MUST have your Cruise/Parking pass affixed to the passenger side windshield to be allowed onto the cruise route. The Cruise/Parking pass MUST match the vehicle you have registered for the show.
These locations will remain open for registered vehicles arriving after the cruise has begun and the cruise route is closed to vehicles other than registered for Kool April Nites.
We will start parking show cars at 6AM on Saturday morning. The parking areas will not be open before 6AM and if you arrive before 6AM you will have to wait until the parking crew arrives and is ready begin setting up. Staging for parking is in front of Viking Skate Country on the road. Please wait there until we are ready to park you. You may be asked to move if you arrive too early and pick your own spot.
The main classic car show and award ceremony are held on the grounds of the Redding Convention Center, at Park Marina & Auditorium Drive. (Click here for map.) . The specialty car show, “Dreamworks,” takes place inside the Convention Center. Raffle City and some vendors are also inside this building. The nightly concerts are also inside the Convention Center. The non-profit pancake breakfast is in the same area. Friday evening’s cruise runs from Hilltop Dr to Dana Drive to Churn Creek Rd to Cypress Avenue. Click here for map. The drag races are held at the Redding Drag Strip, which is off Airport Rd east of Rancho Rd. They are not affiliated with Kool April Nites.
Because Kool April Nites does not allow spectator parking at the Convention Center during the show, there is no handicapped parking available. The Redding Area Bus Authority (RABA) does have special buses for those needing assistance. At the convention center area, there are several portable restrooms to accommodate handicapped persons. Also, there is a restroom inside the Convention Center on the first floor, that is handicapped-accessible. The grounds and building are all accessible to wheelchairs.
Each entrant receives two wristbands (passes). Children 12 and under are free, but you should purchase extra passes for older children and additional adults.
Yes, but be aware that space is limited, alcohol is served, and it can be very loud. The presence of very young children is not encouraged. Children over twelve years old will have to have a wristband to attend or pay $10 at the door.
Kool April Nites is a family event; therefore, no vendors are allowed to sell or serve alcoholic beverages at the show. However, beer, wine and mixed drinks are sold at the Convetion Center and Beer Garden during the evening concerts, but all drinks must be consumed inside the tent; no one is allowed to take drinks outside the tent.
Saturday is the day that spectators come to the show to see your car. They pay an admission fee at the gate, and we want them to be able to see every car that is at the show. Also, if participants were allowed to come and go during the day, the traffic problems would be even greater than they are now!
In an effort to cut down on the costs to bring you the show we have stopped mailing out the newsletter. We will be updating our website with information about the show and you should check back periodically to see what’s new. We will be mailing out a registration form in November or you can register online starting in November.
The Redding Civic Auditorium has a posted pet policy. We ask our participants, sponsors, volunteers and vendors to assist us in following this policy. We have a large number of custom classic cars being shown in the event, and to ensure our registrants will continue to show their cars, we ask you to please not bring your animals/pets to the event unless they are needed to provide assistance to you.
The current policy is Animals or pets, with the exception of ADA Service Animals, are not permitted in the Redding Civic Auditorium except as an approved exhibit, activity or performance legitimately requiring use of animals. The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by state or local government.
Excerpt taken from the Redding Civic Auditorium handbook, dated 2014.
Kool April Nites does not allow spectator or disabled parking at the Civic Auditorium during the Saturday show. Our limited parking is reserved for our registrants, sponsors, volunteers and vendors. Spectators are provided free bus transportation through the Redding Area Bus Authority (RABA) located at the downtown terminal off Yuba Street. There is plenty of free parking at the terminal. The bus will run approximately every 20 minutes to/from the event on Saturday from 7am-5pm. Tickets for Saturday’s event are available for purchase at the bus drop off point. RABA also has special buses for those needing assistance and at the Civic Auditorium, Kool April Nites will have a passenger golf cart to provide closer entry to the event from the bus.
