Concours Weekend on Planter's Row: A Port Royal Resident's Guide to the Show Next Door

By Sunday morning, November 1, more than 200 cars will be parked across the fairways of Planter's Row, and 75 judges from across North America will be working their way through the field. The SCAD Bee Sharps will sing the national anthem at 9:30. Port Royal Golf & Racquet Club sits within historic Port Royal Plantation, so the island's biggest motoring weekend takes place on a course inside the neighborhood's own gates.

The visitor bureau calls this the 24th celebration of the Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance & Motoring Festival. What has changed for 2026 is who the organizers are trying to reach. The lineup, the ticket perks, and even the Friday-night band are aimed at people who live in Beaufort County. Port Royal's 29928 ZIP code is on the eligibility list.

Four Days, Three of Them on the Home Course

The festival runs October 29 through November 1. Everything open to the public happens from Friday through Sunday, and most of it takes place on the Port Royal Golf Club grounds.

The Friday concert is a benefit for the Concours Charitable Fund. Taylor Hicks, who won American Idol, headlines. The opener is Folderol, a Hilton Head band that plays early twentieth-century jazz arrangements of popular songs. It's led by vocalist Candice Rae, with Davey Masteller on upright bass and James Berry on piano and trumpet. General admission is $125, with first-come seating and food and drinks for sale. The $500 VIP tent is capped at 100 guests and includes a meet-and-greet with Hicks.

Saturday is October 31, so the Car Club Showcase falls on Halloween. It brings in more than 200 enthusiast cars from 24 clubs based in the Lowcountry and farther away. The day also has a 60 Years of Bronco docent tour at 1 p.m. and a motorsports conversation hosted by Dennis Gage with Rob Dyson, Mike Rogers, Michael Satterfield, and Tom Plucinsky.

Sunday is the judged Concours. Cars compete for Best of Show in two categories, Époque Classique and Époque Moderne. The awards ceremony starts at 12:30 p.m., and Best of Show is announced at 4 p.m.

A Field Built for a Younger Crowd

The marques being honored are a good place to start. The 2026 Concours honors Jaguar and marks the 100th anniversary of Pontiac. LOCAL Life's 2026 guide also names Ford Bronco as the third nameplate in the spotlight this year. The newest Pontiac to wear the badge rolled off the line within living memory. A Bronco is the kind of truck that might be parked in a Port Royal driveway right now.

The featured collections follow the same pattern. According to LOCAL Life, part of this year's mission is reaching collectors who care more about American horsepower than gas lamps and wooden chassis. The four headline collectors:

• Ivan "The Car Nut" Ruiz, Honored Collector, bringing a selection of the Maseratis he is known for
• Robert "Rob" Dyson, Motorsports Collector, with racing cars that include a 1904 Napier L48 "Samson," described as the world's first successful six-cylinder racing car
• Stephen Plaster, Pinnacle Collector, showing a 1969 Chevy Yenko Camaro billed as "The Car That Was Too Dangerous to Sell"
• Mike and Debbie Rogers, Velocity Collectors, with a 2017 Lamborghini Huracán

Dyson's collection is the one to see in person with someone who knows it. He leads a Motorsports Collector docent tour at 11 a.m. on Sunday. This year's poster artist and designer is Cesar Pieri, who also serves as a judge.

The newer cars tie into where the money goes. The festival's charity work supports youth development and education in automotive, aviation, and mobility fields. The official charity page also lists Heroes on Horseback and the RPM Foundation as supported partners. A Huracán on the 18th fairway draws a teenager in a way a brass-era touring car might not. Bringing in teenagers is the stated goal. "We want a child to leave this event curious, not only about the car they might someday drive but about who designed it, who built it, how it works, who restores it and why preserving these machines matters," a festival organizer told LOCAL Life. Both show days also have a Family Fun Zone open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Pass Written for 29928

The clearest sign of who this year's event is for is a resident pass. Locals Lane, presented by LOCAL Life, is open to Beaufort County ZIP codes, and 29928 is on the list. Executive Director Rick Sabol explained the idea to LOCAL Life:

"We welcome collectors and guests from across the country each fall, but this event belongs to the Lowcountry. Locals Lane is our way of inviting Beaufort County residents to experience this hometown event in a whole new way, with special access, exclusive perks and a few well-deserved bragging rights."

The perks, as LOCAL Life lists them:

1. A VIP lanyard picked up at the show entrance
2. $20 off VIP parking, which puts your car on the showfield so you can skip the shuttle
3. Free admission for kids and students under 18
4. 10% off official Concours merchandise
5. Locals-only voting for the first Fan Favorite Boat Award in the "Life on the Water" display

To sign up, you check your ZIP code, register online to get a parking code and confirmation, and then pick up the lanyard when you arrive. The festival also has its own Locals Lane page with the eligible ZIP codes and registration steps. Check it before you register, since perks can change as the weekend gets closer.

For a Port Royal family with teenagers, the free admission for kids makes the biggest difference. Without Locals Lane, adult general admission is $97 for Saturday, $108 for Sunday, or $165 for both days, fees included.

Getting There When "There" Is Down the Street

The show is inside the plantation, but that doesn't mean parking will be easy. As of mid-October, the ticket site listed the two-day Reserved Parking package, which includes complimentary golf-cart shuttles, as sold out. A new Clubhouse Parking option for the two show days is limited to 30 vehicles at $225, and only a handful of spots were left. Check the live ticket page before deciding how to get there.

On both show days, the last event shuttle to parking leaves at 6 p.m., and the Clubhouse stays open until then. That leaves a couple of hours after the 4 p.m. close for the field to empty out. Weekend visitors will be on the plantation's roads during those hours too, so plan any errands for that window with that in mind.

Gate procedures and golf-play arrangements for the weekend are questions for the plantation itself. The Port Royal Plantation POA runs the Security Gate and the Front Desk/Pass Office, and it posts its event calendar in the members' area. If you're expecting houseguests that weekend, the pass office is the place to ask. If you're new to the club and still sorting out which courses come with your membership, our look at Port Royal's club membership rules explains where Planter's Row fits.

The Hometown Sponsor on the Program

This year's presenting sponsor is Lowcountry GT. LOCAL Life reports that it was founded by local resident Steve Menzies, who also sits on the festival board. Menzies told the magazine that the Concours' 25th anniversary is coming up. Taken together, a local sponsor, a Hilton Head band on Friday night, the Hilton Head Island High School Junior ROTC presenting the colors each morning, and a pass limited to Beaufort County ZIP codes all point the same way: the 2026 event was planned with island residents in mind. For Port Royal, the full show is just down the street on Planter's Row.

If you're hosting friends for Concours weekend and they start asking what it's like to live this close to the 18th fairway year-round, I'm happy to tell them more about the neighborhood around Planter's Row. Visit Debra Reece or browse our Port Royal Plantation neighborhood page, and let's connect.