Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show — Why It Still Matters

By Ivonne Alfaro · Founder, Publisher & Editor · Updated September 1, 2026

Some automotive events are built around new product launches. Others endure because they remain places where a culture continues to meet itself. The Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show belongs to the second category.

Held at Fairplex in Pomona, the event traces its history to 1975 and today brings together classic cars, parts, automobilia, professional vendors and private sellers. Its official event information lists thousands of classic vehicles across dedicated areas and more than 2,400 swap spaces.

Commerce and culture in the same place

What makes Pomona distinctive is the mixture of commerce and culture. A visitor can encounter a finished restoration beside a project car, a professional vendor beside a longtime hobbyist, and a hard-to-find part beside decades of accumulated knowledge.

For hot rodders, restorers, custom builders, collectors and parts hunters, that mixture matters. A finished car tells one story. The builders, tools, parts, sellers, owners and conversations around it explain how automotive knowledge and craft survive.

Pomona, Fairplex and Southern California automotive culture

Pomona is more than a single event date in our coverage. Fairplex and the surrounding show ecosystem repeatedly bring together custom cars, classic vehicles, trucks, builders, vendors, shops, collectors and enthusiasts. That makes Pomona an important geographic node in the Southern California automotive story.

Grand National Truck Show 2026 at Fairplex →

Southern California hot rod & classic car shows — Fall 2026 →

Why that matters to LA Calendar Girls

LA Calendar Girls is being revived as an independent automotive-culture publication rooted in Southern California. Our work cannot rely only on generic online research. It needs direct contact with the people who build, drive, photograph, sell, restore, race and celebrate these cars.

Pomona is valuable because it concentrates those people in one place. It offers opportunities to discover builders, shop owners, collectors, photographers, women throughout the culture and businesses whose stories are worth documenting.

Explore hot rod, custom car & specialty automotive builders →

From discovery to original reporting

Our plan is to use gatherings like Pomona as reporting grounds: original interviews, original photography with permission, build stories, business profiles and firsthand observations from the show floor.

The next Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show is scheduled for October 11, 2026, from 5:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Fairplex. Always verify current details directly with the organizer before attending.

Official Pomona event information →

For automotive businesses and event partners

Shops, exhibitors, vendors, venues and automotive brands with a genuine connection to the culture can explore selective partnership and visibility opportunities.

Explore automotive event and brand partnerships →

Originally published August 26, 2026; updated September 1, 2026. Event history and current schedule checked against the organizer's official website.