Waterfest 2022

There’s no doubt that in the post-pandemic world, so many of us want to get life back to normal. One notable indicator of this may very well be Waterfest. Once the largest gathering of tuned Audi and Volkswagen models in the country, Waterfest took a few years off during the pandemic. It has returned, ready to get back to regularly scheduled programming.

In a lot of ways, nothing has changed at this New Jersey event. Held at Atco Raceway, a drag strip venue on the outskirts of Philadelphia, the usual activities of drag racing, car show, non-judged show area, vendor rows, after-party, and more are virtually identical to what attendees experienced in the past.

In other ways, time has changed Waterfest. Time off, and perhaps the threat of inclement weather, kept crowds on a more conservative level. Its date on the calendar also switched it up, moving the event to late summer and unfortunately up against two neighboring events that likely also fought for attendance. As a result, fewer cars, fewer participants, and fewer vendors took part this year, perhaps waiting to see what to make of it.

The world Waterfest returned to is slightly changed. Many events have turned more to lifestyle gatherings than competitive activities such as drag racing. Spread out as they are, these other shows also entertain many throughout the summer, giving the show scene more of a selection of events than perhaps it had during Waterfest’s heyday.

One thing’s for certain, those who chose to go got to see the formula that made Waterfest what it was and what it strives to retain. Unitronic and APR were regular anchors then and returned in their own ways. Delaware-based Nemesis Autosport also put in a very dominant showing, bringing a number of incredible cars.

Show cars ranged from built versions of some of the most recent such as RS 3 and RS 6, and also clean early specimens like a pristine ’83 ur quattro. There’s also plenty of in between, usually significantly personalized or modified.

So, what’s to come for Waterfest in the future? Time will tell. It remains a most definite attraction for those interested in the world of Audi tuning. Whether or not the post-pandemic world is ready to support an event of the magnitude the performance and drag-racing scene supported in the pre-pandemic world remains to be seen. Whatever the case, it’s good to see Waterfest return and we wish them the best of luck in bringing things back.