High Octane Car Show for Kids in Costa Blanca

**We were kindly gifted free entry for our family to the California Motor Show in return for promotion through this website and our social media channels. All opinions expressed below remain our own.

Introduction

Returning once again in 2024 for another summer season in Costa Blanca, is the amazing touring California Motor Show. Having attended the show with our children and friends last summer, we were all keen to return again this year to witness more spins and thrills on the tarmac.

The performance brings together different elements to entertain the crowd looking on, all expertly performed by their resident drivers. Put together, it certainly makes for a high octane car show for kids in Costa Blanca.

If you are looking for other exciting things to do with kids, also see our best adventure activities for kids in Costa Blanca. Or, if you feel inspired to get behind the wheel yourself, check out our best go-kart tracks for kids in Costa Blanca.

Here though, we are reviewing our visit with our kids (aged 9,7,5 & 4) to see the California Motor Show in July 2024.

Where is the California Motor Show located?

The California Motor Show is located on the edge of the town of San Miguel de Salinas, in the south of Costa Blanca. The exact location is:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/wWzRLjbzPU9QYCeBA

What time is the California Motor Show?

The California Motor Show in San Miguel de Salinas runs from 3rd July – 15th September 2024.

The show takes place on Wednesday – Sunday, starting at 9pm. The show lasts for around 1½ hours.

There are no shows on Monday or Tuesday.

For anyone who misses the show in its current location, you can catch it next further down the coast in San Javier.

What is the cost of entry to the California Motor Show?

Entry to the California Motor Show in San Miguel de Salinas costs from €12 per person. Children cost the same as adults. There is not any segregated or numbered seating, it is simply first come, first served.

The ticket office is open for 1 hour before the show.

What is there to see at the California Motor Show?

The California Motor Show is a high octane car show for kids in Costa Blanca. Without going into too much detail to spoil all the surprises, you can expect a varied programme of different vehicle stunts.

There is plenty of drifting and wheelspins, with incredible driving precision on display from Christofer and Christian, the show’s two resident stunt drivers. Add to that 2 wheel driving, fire tricks, monster trucks, an appearance from the cast of the movie ‘Cars’, and there’s a lot for all the family to enjoy.

At the end of the show there is also the chance for spectators to enter the arena to see the cars up close and have photographs.

Review of our visit to the California Motor Show with kids

Just as with our visit last year, all of our family had a great evening at the California Motor Show in San Miguel de Salinas. We were entertained throughout and my kids rarely took their eyes off the action.

Here is a review of our visit to this high octane car show for kids in Costa Blanca.

The high octane car show

You can expect plenty of thrills and excitement from the different sections of the car show. The show starts with a high speed car chase and the pace never drops from that moment on. It is an onslaught for the senses.

The skill on display from the drivers is truly impressive. Although we’d seen the show last year, we were all still gripped to what we were watching this time around. Some new elements in the show have also mixed things up a bit and ensure that the show isn’t exactly the same for anybody who, like us, have also been before.

My children particularly loved the fire trick and the monster truck. After all, kids love monster trucks! If anything, it’s a bit of a shame that the monster trucks don’t feature more heavily in the show.

The venue

Each year a temporary viewing area is constructed to host the show. Spectators sit on long, tiered wooden benches. Seating is not allocated so you can sit wherever you like. When we visited there was a good size crowd, but no shortage of space. Capacity is limited though, so be sure to arrive a bit before the show to guarentee entry and get a good seat.

This year they have reversed the seating to the other side of the arena. This provides a nicer outlook for spectators over the surrounding contryside. We were also treated to a nice sunset over the show when we visited.

To keep the crowd refreshed there’s a snack bar. This serves a range of drinks as well as snacks and candy floss. They also serve some basic hot food like hot dogs and fries. Toilets are provided by just a couple of basic portable toilets.

Visiting with kids

Kids are made to feel very welcome at the California Motor Show. All the staff are very friendly and certain elements of the show are deliberately intended for children.

One thing I should say is that the show can be very noisy in sections, and also creates a lot of smoke at times. Any children (or adults) who are very sensitive to noise or smoke may therefore not enjoy the experience so much. For my kids though, this was not an issue.

I guess another potential issue for some people may be the 9pm start time. While this is essential as it would be too hot to hold the show any earlier, I understand that this may be considered too late for some children. You can at least rest assured though, if you do decide to keep your kids up to see the show, it is unlikely they’ll fall asleep during it! Again, for my children, this start time was no issue.

Throughout the show my kids watched intently and didn’t lose interest. I think the whole thing was such an overload for their senses, my youngest in particular stared open-mouthed all the way through! All my children had a great time.

In Summary

If you’re looking for some fun family evening entertainment in Costa Blanca this summer, whether you’re here on holiday or residents like us, the California Motor Show in San Miguel de Salinas is well worth considering. It certainly provides a high octane car show for kids in Costa Blanca.

I should confess that I’ve never actually particularly been a car enthusiast, but I still really enjoyed the show regardless. I think anyone can be genuinely impressed by what is on display. For anyone who is really into cars, this show is an absolute must!

The noise, smoke and smell of burning tyre rubber all add to the overall atmosphere.

After posing for some photos at the end, all of my kids (both boys and girls of different ages) left with smiles on their faces. My youngest even asked me “when can we go to the car show again?”. This was when we still hadn’t even left the arena!