The idea of a car show in Wildwood, New Jersey, with classic vehicles parked on the boardwalk – not a parking lot – had me hooked in 2019. That vision became my white whale, and while we planned a family trip for 2020 that year didn’t exactly go to plan, delaying my chase.
My first attendance in 2021 was a sensory overload. From a hotel a mile-and-a-half away, I could hear V8 engines and the air was thick with the sweet smell of raw fuel. “Is this heaven?” I wondered.
Disappointment quickly followed, however, as structural concerns kept the cars off the boardwalk and relegated them to the inland streets. I was still a novice and crowded areas made shooting challenging. Nighttime brought all the cars out into the main roads, with people lining the sidewalks to watch. The shots I came away with were pretty good, I thought; planning to come back the following year, I’d get another chance to shoot my white whale.
The years ahead brought more chaos than quality, as 2022 saw an island takeover by the infamous car club called H2Oi. The car turn out was insane, however, a lot of people were there purely to cruise the streets and create chaos. There was something in the air that day, but the real mayhem started when the sun went down.
Cars seized intersections for donut contests, and the police were quickly overwhelmed. I watched out-of-control vehicles getting up on sidewalks. Feeling unsafe, I retreated to our fifth-floor balcony. From that height, with the smoke, pops and bangs that sounded like gunfire and constant sirens, the scene below truly felt like a war zone. Two people were killed near our hotel that weekend, leaving the future of the show in doubt.
The 2023 edition was almost a non-event. The cars finally made it onto the boardwalk, but a nor’easter cyclone kept the crowds away, making it a sombre affair. I took some shots and found a love of editing cars with apocalyptic backgrounds, but, after another year, my white whale was still calling.
Better weather came in 2024, but the dense crowds on the boardwalk made shooting difficult. Unfortunately, the police also cracked down on street shenanigans resulting from the 2022 insanity, which led to a disappointingly tame night cruise. My white whale had evaded me again, as I came out of the event without the photos I really wanted.
By 2025, with tens of thousands of shots under my belt, I was ready for Wildwood. Hitting the boardwalk early, I finally captured what I had imagined five years ago. The boardwalk shots – my perfect vision – were bagged.
But that dream was tempered, still incomplete. The exhilarating night cruise I first experienced in 2021 was again absent. Brightly lit signs warning of strict traffic law enforcement told the story; the sting of 2022 kept the streets quiet. I bagged part of the great fish, but the dynamic fury I sought remains elusive.
I guess come September 2026, you can officially call me Captain Ahab. I’m capturing that vibe, whether in rain or shine.
I used to love going to the Wildwood Boardwalk for “Dubs on the Boards” but don’t think they’ve had it for the last few years. I wonder if some of the concerns raised here led to it shutting down permanently.