Events

SEMA Fest Builds Passion for Car Culture

By SEMA News Editors

SEMA Fest

SEMA Fest, a new two-day festival celebrating motorsports, music and car culture produced by SEMA, is coming to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, November 3-4.

In addition to two stages featuring 22 musical acts, SEMA Fest attendees will enjoy a variety of unforgettable motorsports entertainment, including demonstrations from Formula DRIFT, Hoonigan and Nitro Circus.

"The SEMA Show is about preserving and promoting car culture, and instilling that passion for cars in younger, more entertainment-oriented generations," said Tom Gattuso, SEMA vice president of events. "SEMA Fest will help us build new audiences that are passionate about the automotive lifestyle."

The festival is the natural evolution of the passion for all things automotive exemplified at the SEMA Show. The Association started to further highlight and share that passion with the enthusiast public in 2011 with the SEMA Cruise, which evolved in 2014 with SEMA Ignited, the official Friday night after-party for the SEMA Show. Now, it's evolving again with this new festival format that celebrates the relationship between motorsports, music and car culture.

Featured attractions include:

  • World-class drifting demos by Formula DRIFT teams.
  • Extreme motorsports action by Hoonigan.
  • Freestyle motocross and BMX Big Air show from Nitro Circus.
  • Ride With Us: learn-to-ride motorcycle experience.
  • Consumer marketplace with vendors, craft food and more.
  • E-Gaming experience and competition by NACL.
  • Two festival stages featuring 22 diverse acts over two days showcasing a wide variety of musical genres.

Top performing musical acts aren't the only attraction at SEMA Fest as the motorsports activities will also be major headliners of the festival over the course of two days. Performances include:

Formula DRIFT

Formula DRIFT provides a series for the best professional drifters from around the globe to compete against each other. As the first official drifting series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting drift fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life, and established itself as the global leader for the sport.

"Formula DRIFT has been involved in drift demos at SEMA for many years, and we're excited to see it taken to the next level at SEMA Fest, combining some of the most exciting motorsports on the planet with some incredible music acts. It's certainly going to be an unforgettable weekend," said Formula DRIFT President Ryan Sage. 

Formula DRIFT will have the following drivers smoking tires at SEMA Fest: Rome Charpentier, Forrest Wang, Daniel Stuke, Jeff Jones, Trent Beechum, Blake Olsen, Kasey Kohl and Richard Advani.

Hoonigan

Hoonigan is not only bringing the Burnyard back to the SEMA Show, but they will also be throwing down exclusive live Hoonigan shows at SEMA Fest. Don't miss the high-adrenaline mix of burning rubber, flying trucks, speeding cars and breathtaking motorsports action--all headlined by Lia Block and Travis Pastrana. Get ready for a week of tire slaying mayhem with the Hoonigan team.

Nitro Circus

Nitro Circus is bringing its action-packed Freestyle Motocross (FMX) and Bicycle Motocross (BMX) Big Air show featuring stunts and tricks that push riders to their limits to SEMA Fest. Riders performing at SEMA Fest include FMX riders Adam Jones, Jarryd McNeil, Beau Bamburg, Javier Villegas, Keith Sayers and James Carter; and BMX riders Ryan Williams (BMX and Scooter), Aaron Wheelz Fotheringham (Wheelchair), Andy Buckworth, Kurtis Downs, Casey Ervin and Jared Wiedhour.

SEMA Fest will be held November 3-4, at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, an outdoor venue located along the famed Las Vegas Strip on the southwest corner of Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit semafest.com.

About SEMA Fest

SEMA Fest is an exciting two-day festival celebrating car culture and all things automotive. The event taps into iconic names and brands to create the ultimate automotive playground, filled with cars, trucks, demonstrations, world class music, food and vendors. Featuring two stages with 22 different musical acts over two days--including Imagine Dragons, Incubus, Wiz Khalifa, AJR, Third Eye Blind and Bush-attendees of all ages will be able to see a variety of unforgettable, hi-octane motorsports entertainment, including demonstrations from Formula DRIFT, Hoonigan and Nitro Circus. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit semafest.com.