Eurofest Maggie Valley

By: Shawna Gonter

Photos by: Sam Thomas, Eugene Rabinovich and Amanda Rathbone

What do you get when you mix almost 500 European vehicles with a beautiful Western North Carolina town that’s in the middle of the Great Smoky Mountains?

Eurofest Maggie Valley.

Held every August, this event features a heavy Audi presence and has quickly become a favorite attraction on the Southeast calendar. This year, Audi Club members from the Carolinas, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida combined to put over 100 Audis on the display field. With 35 different sponsors and vendors, there was something for everyone’s interests.  

For those who came into town early, the weekend in the mountains began Thursday with a mountain cruise, followed by a meet for everyone at Bearwaters Brewing. Friday gave vendors, sponsors, and clubs the chance to come set up early. Many took time on Friday to go explore the beautiful scenery and winding roads of the area, with some even heading all the way to the Tail of the Dragon on the North Carolina/Tennessee border. During the event weekend, Maggie Valley never fails to provide some kind of rain shower. The year’s most notable downpour let loose on Friday.  But things cleared up in time for the evening meet at Cardinal Inn, which offered a sneak peek at cars prepping for the next morning’s show, as well as an underbody light show and contest. The European flavor was in full fore with an all-German food truck on site too.

Saturday is show day. It began with the remnants of that huge Friday downpour bathing the area with incredible post-precipitation lighting that made for some fantastic photos as fog worked its way out of the valley. When the skies finally cleared, show conditions were near perfect. Several Audi Club members, chosen by fellow European car enthusiasts, won awards that had been beautifully created by Frshlabs.   

Kathy and her crew do an excellent job putting on this event every year, while also managing more Eurofest and other enthusiast events throughout the Southeast. If you’re in the South at all, you won’t want to miss any of them.

Some of their upcoming events include: 

Southeast Eurofest St. Augustine (FL) on 1/14/23

Southeast Eurofest Raleigh (NC) on 2/26/23

Eurofest Maggie Valley (NC) on 8/19.23

Visit their website at www.southeasteuromotorsports.com for more information and to purchase tickets.