A hot rod swap meet is coming to the Cloverdale Fairgrounds at the end of May.
Hosted by the British Columbia Hot Rod Association (BCHRA), the inaugural event will be held in the Agriplex.
“People can expect a very lively automotive and vintage-themed swap meet,” said Glenn “Bubba” Dalton, secretary of the BCHRA and head organizer for the event. “We will have over 150 vendors between the indoor and outdoor areas selling items collected over the years that buyers will definitely find interesting.”
Bubba said whether people are looking for parts for a car project they are working on, or if they are just looking for interesting and unique items to hang up on a wall in their garage, they will find it at the swap meet.
He added the West Coast Swap Meet will be an inaugural event, with annual meets to follow.
Bubba noted this new meet will be the fourth iteration of automotive swap meets held in the Lower Mainland for more than 35 years.
“The (West Coast) swap meet … is, in a way, replacing the Coastal Swap Meet that originated in Coquitlam and took place at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds from 1990-2006 before moving out to Tradex in Abbotsford until the last one in 2024,” explained Bubba. “It folded due to many factors, including costs and lack of participation.”
He said after much discussion, the BCHRA settled on keeping the swap meet going and came up with the idea to return to Cloverdale after a nearly three-decade absence. He said it was win-win as the Agriplex lends itself well to a swap-meet style event and the BCHRA has deep connections with Cloverdale.
“The BCHRA has a rich history of supporting events in Cloverdale,” Bubba added. “We participate every year in the rodeo and Santa parades and host our annual ‘Hot Rod Saturday Car and Truck Show’ at Elements Casino.”
Tickets to get in are $12 each. Parking is by donation (suggested $5) with all proceeds going to the Surrey Firefighters Charitable Society.
The West Coast Swap Meet will run from 1 - 9 p.m. on May 30 (Friday) and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 31 (Saturday). There will also be food trucks on site.
For more info, visit bchra.ca or email swapmeet@bchra.ca.
