Dow’s Lake
Concorso d’Eleganza
General Information
Note: Registration links are at the bottom of this page.
The Concorso will take place on Friday June 19th, 2026 on Queen Elizabeth Driveway beside Dow’s Lake along the Rideau Canal Waterway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A section of Queen Elizabeth Driveway will be closed to motor vehicle traffic from Preston Street to Lakeside Avenue and the Concorso will be open for free public viewing. This area is just a few minutes walk from Preston Street / Corso Italia also known as Ottawa’s Little Italy. The public entry place is the location known as “The Man with Two Hats” (map).
Concorso registrants will enter and exit the show field on Queen Elizabeth Driveway from Preston Street or Prince of Wales Drive.
The Concorso celebrates Italian heritage, culture and style as well as future vision. In addition to both four-wheeled and two-wheeled Concorso entries it will feature a display of Italian electric/hybrid vehicles.
Want to know more about the Concorso - check out this video.
The Concorso itself will be organized as separate sub-events with groupings by Italian vehicle manufacturers or marques such as Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Vespa, to name a few, and includes both four-wheeled and two-wheeled vehicles. All vehicles of Italian manufacturers can be submitted in the “Tutti Marca Italiani” (all Italian Marques) group where we expect entries from such marques as Maserati, Lamborghini, Lancia, Fiat, Abarth, and more.
Note: only Concorso entries (judged and display-only) will be permitted to park on the show field. Parking for non Concorso d’Eleganza vehicles will be available a short walk from the Concorso at public parking areas nearby.
ConcoRSO Entry
Concorso groupings will be available per manufacturer (where sufficient entries are available).
Concorso participants may choose to be “judged” or “display-only”.
Judging criteria will be according to marque-specific guidelines where available (e.g. according to IAC/PFA Guidelines for Ferrari entries).
All awards will be presented at the Saturday Night Festival and Concorso Awards Dinner. Note: Concorso participants who are not registered for the Ferrari Festival may purchase tickets for the Saturday Night Awards Dinner when registering for the Concorso if they desire.
Display-only entries will be showcased on the Concorso show field along with all other Concorso entries but will not be judged nor eligible for Concorso awards.
When quantities warrant, in addition to any individual awards in each judged vehicle group (e.g. Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, etc.) the judges will choose a Best in Marque for that group from among the judged entries.
Again when quantities warrant, the most prestigious Best in Show (four-wheeled and two-wheeled) awards will be chosen from all judged vehicles in each of four-wheeled category (cars) and two-wheeled category (motorcycles/scooters).
Note: Vehicles participating in the Concorso are not allowed to display “unauthorized” windshield banners. Please remove any windshield banners not provided by the FCA Ottawa Ferrari Festival before entering the Concorso show field otherwise the car will be required to leave. Please understand that any banners provided by the event help reduce the cost for all participants.
Logistics
Trailer parking is available near the Concorso show field at Royal Canadian Navy Curling Club at 41 Navy Private (map) with access available from Thursday to Sunday.
All vehicles registered for the Concorso (judged and display-only) are asked to arrive at the Concorso show field between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on Friday, June 19th and judging will take place from 11:30 AM until 4:30 PM. All awards will be presented at the Saturday Night Festival and Concorso Awards Dinner.
Vehicles are requested to remain on the show field until after all judging has completed, at about 4:30 PM.
Please be prepared to leave the site by 5:30 PM.
All Concorso registrants will receive a gift bag and complimentary coffee and pastries will be available Friday morning sponsored by To Be Confirmed. Lunch is not provided but several restaurants are located only a short walk away at Dow’s Lake Pavilion and at nearby Corso Italia/Preston Street area.
For further information concerning the Concorso event please contact head judge: TBD
Marque Specific Details
Ferrari Concorso
Ferraris that are at least 5 years old will be judged against a standard for originality and authenticity. (Note: Cars compete against a standard for originality, not against other cars in the class.) All cars earning 97 points or better win a Coppa di Platino, see FCA Concours Presentation for more details. All Ferrari Concorso registrants must be a Ferrari Club of America member.
The IAC/PFA Guidelines for Concours entrants from the International Advisory Committee for the Preservation of the Ferrari Automobile will give you greater insight into how cars are judged and what factors are more and less important to the final score.
Be sure to bring documentation on your car -- Most Ferraris are unique. Many of the older cars have been restored so bring documentation in case the judges question the originality of the restoration. For newer, unrestored cars, bring the original or copy of documentation that shows how the car was originally delivered. If, for example, your car came with options that were not on the base car, such as badges, carbon fiber, brakes/rotors, grills, etc. be prepared to show the documentation. Note that dealers often have this information in their database.
We will only be awarding Coppa di Platino awards.
A complete list of all Coppa di Platino awards reference documents is available here.
We will not be evaluating the following; Preservation Class, Futuro Classico, Coppa Bella Macchina or Coppa GT.
All judged Ferrari entries will be eligible for Coppa di Platino and compete for Best in Marque and Best in Show awards (four-wheeled).
Alfa Romeo Concorso
Alfa Romeo vehicles that are 25 years old and older will be judged based upon preparation, condition, and correctness/originality. (Note: Cars compete against a standard for originality, not against other cars in the class.) All cars earning 95 points or better win a Certificato d’Oro, see AROC National Concorso Manual for more details.
All Alfa Romeo judged entries will be eligible for Certificato d’Oro and compete for Best in Marque and Best in Show (four-wheeled) awards.
Due Ruote Concorso (two-wheeled)
All two-wheeled vehicles will be joined into a single group.
All judged entries will compete for the Best in Show (two-wheeled) award.
Tutti Marca Italiani Concorso
This Concorso will be display-only. It is for all vehicles of Italian Manufacturers (four-wheeled and two-wheeled) including those for which a judged group is not offered.
Participants will not be eligible for Best in Marque or Best in Show awards.
Awards
The following awards will be available to all accepted entries in groups where judged entry is available;
Marque-specific Awards
Subject to marque-specific judging criteria, Coppa di Platino/Certificato d’Oro/etc awards will be given to all accepted judged entries that demonstrate the required merit.
This year these awards are expected to be presented for the following marques; Ferrari, Alfa Romeo.
Best in Marque
When sufficient entries exist within an individual marque that is judged, a Best in Marque award will be presented to the best overall judged entry in that marque.
This year Best in Marque awards are expected to be presented for the following marques; Ferrari, Alfa Romeo.
Best in Show
Two additional awards will be granted, one from among all four-wheeled judged entries and the other from among all two-wheeled judged entries. These two “Best in Show” trophy winners will be chosen by the judging team from among all judged entries in each of four-wheeled and two-wheeled categories with the coveted award announced and presented at the Saturday Night Festival and Concorso Awards Dinner.
Registration
Concorso registration is required for both “judged” and “display-only” entries. Select the appropriate registration below:
Ferrari Concorso Registration (all Ferraris): click here to register!
All other manufacturer vehicles (all non-Ferrari two and four-wheeled): click here to register!