For those who thought last summer’s three blocks of McLaren and other high-performance cars on Queen Street was a spectacular event, this year’s Niagara 5000 coming to Niagara is going to be beyond spectacular.
Not only will we see McLarens and vintage luxury cars, but names like Porsche, Bugatti, Rolls Royce, Pagani, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Bentley and Mercedes will rule the streets of Niagara-on-the-Lake and beyond.
And if taking over Niagara Region for three days of showing off rare supercars and luxury brands isn’t enough, promises organizer Alana Hurov, this year’s event includes a private jet show, with some public and several VIP events to be held at Niagara District Airport.
The Niagara 5000 will run from Thursday, Aug. 7 to Saturday, Aug. 9, beginning with fireworks and a Light up the Falls event in Rolls Royce purple for the evening Thursday, followed by a Supercar Parade in Niagara Falls Friday and a car cruise throughout the region Aug. 8, including stops at wineries, farm markets and other locations in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The parade takes over Niagara Parkway, followed by a regional cruise, driving through iconic destinations. Among the highlights: a ceremonial blessing of the supercars by the Briars at Monastery Cellars: A spiritual and symbolic moment that nods to Niagara’s heritage while celebrating the road ahead.
“We’re aligning different cars with different locations,” she explains, “where owners of supercars will stop at their location.”
“If you’re out on the streets in NOTL,” says Hurov, “you’ll see these cars. There will be supercars as far as the eye can see. There will be 300 to 500 supercars in town.”
She’s also hoping to have a “supercar cruise shuttle,” that will take people to the locations where the vehicles are stationed.
The series culminates with the Hangar Experience on Aug. 9 at Niagara District Airport, which will be a "high-octane" gathering featuring supercars, a Cirrus aircraft, runway test drives, private flights, immersive simulators, curated wine pairings, and live music.
For Hurov, the founder of the event and this year’s CEO of Niagara 5000, seeing how it has grown in just three years is really exciting. And fortunately, she says, she has a great team of people to help her put it together. “To get this show of cars and jets here in Niagara - nothing like this has ever happened before.”
Along with the main events will come vendors, all having to live up to the Rolls Royce brand to be part of the event, she says. “They have to be the best of the best.”
In terms of what it will do for the region, she adds, “it will be hugely impactful. This is bigger than anything the region has ever seen.”
The first year, a one-day event with about 20 luxury cars on Queen Street attracted about 5,000 people and was considered a “huge success.”
As promised, the two-day show last year in NOTL eclipsed that, with the street closed and about 20,000 people coming out to see not only McLaren vehicles but dozens of other high-performance vehicles, including Porsches and other luxury cars.
With many more events planned for this August, some are free and open to the public, while others are ticketed and require advance purchasing or registration. More partner announcements, brand showcases, and entertainment details will be unveiled in the weeks ahead.
The first two events were fundraisers for children's health, and the 2025 Niagara 5000 is as well. It will be supporting McMaster Children’s Hospital as a charitable partner. MAC Kids mandate is to provide optimal care for children and to save lives.
For tickets, full event listings, and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.niagara5000.com
“This is like a movie coming to life,” Hurov says as the details of this spectacular event are unveiled. After imagining and then planning for something of this scope and size to come together, “it’s really happening.”