A day at the drags during Kool April Nites
Redding Motorsports Park billed its Kool April Drags on April 27, 29 and 30, 2022, as the biggest nitro show Shasta County had ever seen.
Mike Chapman, Wochit
- Where to buy tickets / wristbands for the Kool April Nites classic car festival
- What is happening at Kool April Nites 2025
- Where to find dozens of pre-KAN show and shines
- What is the KAN drive-in movie and who’s performing the concert
Start your engines, North State. Redding’s classic car mega-festival Kool April Nites cruises through town, starting April 18.
In addition to the main event — a killer car show and contest, with row after row of shiny tricked out machines — this 10-day fete includes a classic car cruise (parade) through Redding, concerts and variety shows, a drive-in movie, a poker run and more than 30 show and shines at Shasta County businesses. Most events are free.
Here’s what’s happening, how to participate and where to get tickets to the Kool April Nites Big Show and Shine.
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Where to get tickets to Kool April Nites 2025 car show
Tickets, in the form of wristbands, are on sale for the Big KAN Show and Shine: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 26 at the Redding Civic Auditorium, 700 Auditorium Drive.
The cost to attend the show is $10 whether you buy at the gate or in advance. Admission is free to spectators ages 70 and older, and ages 12 and younger.
But you can avoid long lines by buying a wrist band in advance at Redding area Napa Auto Parts stores, KAN organizers said. Be sure to wear the wristband and follow prepaid entrance signs at the front gate on event day, organizers said.
KAN officials announce the top three winners in the car show at an awards ceremony on Sunday, April 27. There are also awards for best cars from each decade. Special awards in 2024 included best Love Bug, Wonderful Woodie, Baddest Truck, Bad to the Bone, Chicks Dig It, Hottest Fat Fender and more than a dozen other categories.
Come early (8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.) and hungry either day for a pancake breakfast, served up by the Asphalt Cowboys.
Want to enter your custom vehicle or restored classic car (built in 1979 or prior) into the Kool April Nites show and shine? You can register through Friday, April 11, at registration.koolaprilnites.com. That same web page links to sponsorship and vendor registration. After that date, entrants can use do mail-in or event day registration.
When and what is the Kool April Nites Cruise?
Held the evening before the day of the KAN Big Show, the second biggest KAN event is the Friday Nite Cruise on April 25.
KAN entrants drive their waxed vehicle wonders in a Hilltop Drive and Churn Creek Road loop, egged on by cheers from spectators lining the sidewalks. You can also pick a spot on Dana Drive or Cypress Avenue to see the parade, but come early regardless where you stand, event planners said.
Cruise hours are 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The city usually blocks off the area to evening traffic at or before 5 p.m.
The cruise is free to spectators.
Bring on Kool April Nites show and shines
Show and shines happen every day starting on April 18, leading up to Saturday’s big event at the civic. These take place at Shasta and Simpson colleges and other schools, restaurants, car dealerships, elder and RV communities, non-profits and other businesses located in Redding, Anderson and Shasta Lake.
As of Friday, April 4, the KAN show and shine schedule lists 34 separate events; kicking off with the Player’s Pizza/Chaos Cruise Show and Shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 18 at 2305 Balls Ferry Road in Anderson.
Other show and shines include:
- Community Alliance Network Spring Fest Car and Bike Show and Shine: 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on April 18 at 1504 Market St. in Redding
- Anderson River Park Show and Shine: 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on April 19 at 2800 Rupert Road in Anderson
- Colt’s 45’s Show and Shine: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on April 20 at 1000 W. Cypress Ave. in Redding
- Red Lion Hotel Show and Shine: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on April 21 at 1830 Hilltop Drive in Redding
- Shasta Lake Chamber of Commerce Best Dam Car Show and Poker Run: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on April 23 at 13830 Sacramento St. in Shasta Lake
Go to koolaprilnites.com/schedule/show-and-shines for updates and a list of show and shines each day. Event planners recommend checking the list for changes before you go.
What else is happening at Kool April Nites 2025
Other events include a KAN tradition on April 23: Drive-in Movie Night at the Redding Civic Auditorium. This year’s car-themed film, Smokey and the Bandit, starts around 8:30 p.m., but the event begins at 6 p.m. with a live concert by the Main Street Band and food vendors. Parking starts at 5:30 p.m.
Three Redding schools perform musical variety shows on consecutive nights at the civic. These include:
For more information go to koolaprilnites.com/schedule/musical-events.
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
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