Gloucester Goes Retro is a fantastic classic car show and a retro festival that takes place in the city. Each area of the city covers a different era of automobile history, with lots of vehicles to see. Gloucester Goes Retro locations include the historic docks, the city centre gate streets and the cathedral.
It’s a fun event and very popular with visitors from all over having a mooch around the classic cars, bikes and other vehicles. There were lots of fun things happening, including live music in the docks, people in costume and the cars to see. The city’s pubs and restaurants embraced the festival and were a hive of activity.
When Is The 2024 Car Show?
Gloucester Goes Retro is a fun event for people of all ages and takes place annually. For more information about their next event on Saturday 24th August 2024, see their Facebook page or website.
My Visit To Gloucester Goes Retro With the Dog
Me and the dog visited Gloucester Goes Retro for a day out in the city with lots of refreshment stops in the dog friendly pubs of the city. The dog wasn’t into the retro vibe, however; he loved meeting many other dogs out.
We visited all areas of the city to have a mooch around the old cars and trucks. We also enjoyed the entertainment aspect of the event, especially the jive dancing at the docks.
Gloucester Docks
Visiting the docks was rather fun and lots of interesting things to see. The docks are always a great backdrop for events at was no different for this.
The docks had a stage with live retro music playing. This included music from the 1930s through to the 1960s. When we were there, it was in full swing with some swing music playing with lots of people enjoying a dance. The dog needed a drink, thus popped into Greek on the Docks for a drink for both of us. I fancied some german beer and knew they served Erdinger, one of my favourites. As usual, the outside seating area has some superb views.
They also had lots of military vehicles at the docks, which were fascinating to see. Many of these were in the “Imjin Village, ” which was to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the battle of Imjin in the Korean War. This was mainly near to the Soldiers of Gloucester museum.
There was also an eclectic mix of vehicles on the docks, including some rather nice trucks and scooters.
Gloucester Cathedral
In the cathedral grounds were some rather nice cars to see and some people in period attire. The cathedral organ also played some music from the era too.
Southgate Street 1970s & 1980s Retro
The retro cars of the 70s and 80s dominated Southgate street in Gloucester, including some fun looking cars. This included many of the classic sports cars of the era, which were very popular, many of which I have seen on the big screen.
There were some particularly impressive Ferrari and morgans cars on show here. These were rather popular with people having look and getting their photograph taken with them.
They also had an American police car from the era on display. Cafe Rene was my choice for a break from the crowds while perusing Southgate street. They have a lovely garden, which is ideal on a sunny day.
Westgate Street Cars Show 1900-1949
They turned Westgate Street into a museum with cars and other vehicles from the early part of the 20th century. It had exhibits from between 1900 and 1949. These were lovely to look around, including some of the early convertible cars.
They also had a lovely police car of the era with an officer in the eras attire to see. In Westgate street we popped into the tiny but bustling Angie’s Bar for a drink.
Northgate Street 1950s
Northgate Street in Gloucester was home to some very stylish cars from the 1950s, including a rather nice morgan. They also had some other classic retro cars on display. The New Inn pub’s beer garden was rather vibrant and great fun to have a break from retro.
Eastgate Street 1960s
Finally, Eastgate Street was dedicated to cars of the 1960s, an era renowned for iconic designs. They had minis, morgans, jaguars and more here.
Review of Gloucester Goes Retro
I throughly enjoyed the Gloucester Goes Retro event, and it was well done and is an exceptional event for city, much like the Tall Ships Festival. The city really was bustling, and the exhibits and entertainment were great. It was also a great place to take the dog, especially with the usual dog friendly bars being open during the festivities.