Wek’fest LA/San Jose 2013

Import car shows have been around, in one form or another, for over 20 years. We've seen powerhouses reduced to small parking lots, usually a result of losing touch with the very market they were supposed to be targeting. In some cases, we've seen backyard shindigs that have grown into highly anticipated events serving as a staple in the import community. In the case of Wek'fest, the event started from the ground floor, but even in the early days, showed signs of promise. After 13 events, each larger than the previous one in their respective regions, the Wek'fest staff seems to have hit its stride and the most anticipated car show of the year is only getting bigger.

Long Beach's iconic Queen Mary Events Park once again served as host for the SoCal stop on the Wek'fest tour. A genuinely laid back atmosphere, incredible waterfront weather, and a park stuffed full of SoCal's finest made for, without a doubt, the best Wek'fest SoCal event thus far.

From SoCal to NorCal, the Wek'fest event that usually took place early in the year, was pushed back to May. Finding a new venue was atop the to-do list and with some serious hunting, the staff established their first NorCal event outside of San Francisco. San Jose's Convention center would house the massive event, and though it was indeed massive, it was supposed to be even bigger. Wek'fest organizer Ernesto "Jr." Sarmiento states, "We originally reserved three halls at the convention center, but about three weeks prior, the city said that new construction on one of the halls would not be done in time." The construction cost the show over 90 display cars and 15 vendors, but even with the uncontrollable set back, the event went on as smooth as ever. Sarmiento tells us that next year's NorCal event will again take place at the Convention Center, but you can expect three halls rather than two.