A Decade of Smoke, Boost and JDM Culture: Japfest Marks 10 Years at Silverstone
Ten years. That’s a full decade of noise, boost, tyre smoke and Japanese car culture at the home of F1. Japfest has now been calling Silverstone home for ten years, and in 2026 we’re celebrating the only way that makes sense. By making it bigger, louder and more ridiculous than ever.
From humble beginnings to full-blown European dominance, Japfest has grown into something far bigger than we ever imagined. And speaking as the organisers, we can safely say this still doesn’t feel like the finish line. If anything, it feels like we’re just getting warmed up.
From Humble Beginnings to the Home of British Motorsport
Japfest first rolled out back in 2003 at Castle Combe Circuit. What started as a simple idea to get the Japanese car community together and celebrate the noughties import scene, snowballed into Europe’s Biggest Japanese Car Show. By 2016, we’d out grown Castle Combe and Japfesrt needed more space, a better track and a venue that could handle the sheer scale of what the show had become. There was really only one answer… SILVERSTONE.
Silverstone isn’t just any circuit. It’s hallowed ground. This is the home of British Grand Prix, a place where history has been written and where legends have been made. Bringing Japfest here took the show to another level overnight. The vast paddocks, iconic track layout and serious infrastructure gave us the freedom to let Japfest breathe. More cars, more attractions and more room for everyone to actually enjoy the day without playing automotive Tetris. There’s also something undeniably cool about seeing thousands of Japanese performance cars lining up on a circuit normally reserved for F1 royalty. It never gets old. Not for us, and definitely not for the cameras.
The Biggest Japanese Car Show in Europe
Fast forward to now and Japfest has cemented its place as the Biggest Japanese Car Show in Europe. Each year, more than 25,000 fans make the pilgrimage to Silverstone, bringing together every corner of the Japanese car scene in one place. It’s not just about the numbers though. It’s about the variety. One minute you’re staring at a spotless OEM-plus build that looks like it rolled straight out of a Tokyo dealership, the next you’re watching a Time Attack weapon scream past or spotting a drift car that’s clearly seen more walls than a plasterer. If it’s Japanese and modified, it fits. If it doesn’t fit, someone will probably wide-body it until it does.
2026: Celebrating 10 Years at Silverstone
The 2026 event marks ten years of Japfest at Silverstone, and this isn’t the sort of anniversary you quietly nod at and move on from. We’re going all in. Expect the show to go bigger across the board, with more attractions, more on-track action and more reasons to spend the entire day wandering around with a camera in one hand and a bag of JDM goodies bought from the Retail Village in the other. This is about celebrating a decade at one of the world’s most iconic circuits and doing it in true Japfest style.
A Decade Down
From Castle Combe to Silverstone, from a growing meet to a 25,000-strong annual takeover, Japfest has always been about celebrating Japanese car culture in all its forms. 2026 isn’t just a look back at the last ten years. It’s a glimpse at where we’re headed next and for the third year in a row we sold out of Club and Individual Display car passes in record time (Public Tickets are still available). So, where do we go from here, considering Silverstone is the pinnacle of UK car show venues? Well, nowhere to be precise but maybe Japfest Silverstone 2027 might incorporate the whole circuit and utilise The Wing section of the circuit, too? Who would like to see that happen?