TO: Mayor and Commissioners
FROM: Allie Behrman, CPRP, Special Events Manager
THROUGH: Terrence R. Moore, ICMA-CM
DATE: August 11, 2026
Title
RESOLUTION 123-26: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA, APPROVING AN IMPACT EVENT KNOWN AS THE 6TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL DELRAY BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE TO BE HELD APRIL 14-19, 2027; ON AND AROUND THE OLD SCHOOL SQUARE CAMPUS AND AUTHORIZING THE CLOSURE OF NE 2ND AVENUE AND NE 1ST AVENUE AS MORE SPECIFICALLY DESCRIBED HEREIN; AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO TAKE ALL ACTIONS NECESSARY TO EFFECTUATE THE INTENT OF THIS RESOLUTION; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
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Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Review and consider Resolution 123-26, approving an Impact Event known as the 6th Annual International Delray Beach Concours d'Elegance to be held April 14-19, 2027, in and around the Old School Square Campus and on NE 2nd Avenue and NE 1st Avenue.
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Background:
Delray Concours Foundation submitted a Special Event Application on May 14, 2026 for the impact event known as 6th Annual International Delray Beach Concours D'Elegance to be held at Old School Square Amphitheater, Park and Front Lawn and on NE 2nd and NE 1st Ave on the weekend of April 14-19, 2026. Set-up for the event will begin Wednesday, April 14, 2027 and continue on Thursday - Saturday, April 15-17, 2027. During set up on Friday evening April 16th there will be a welcome reception at the Cornell Museum and on the show field, and a VIP cocktail party will be held on the show field on Saturday, April 17, 2027. The car show will take place Sunday, April 18, 2027, from 9am - 4pm. The welcome reception, VIP cocktail party and car show on Sunday will include alcohol. This is a free family event with museum quality cars to benefit Delray first responder and youth charities. The event will have finger foods sold from the concession building, live music, merchandise vendors and automobile displays. The event will also feature a car up on a lift and a sand sculpture. The event producer will be requesting a waiver to use 4ft barricades instead of the 6ft fencing for alcohol for the entrances. The fencing will surround the entire campus for the event. A life safety plan was required and has been submitted and approved by the Fire Marshal. The fence will be in place not just for the alcohol enclosure but for safety especially on the front lawn. It will act as a barrier to keep people in the event footprint and from going towards Atlantic Ave. There will be no road closures on Wednesday - Saturday during set-up. The road closures of NE 2nd Ave and NE 1st Ave will only occur on Sunday, April 18, 2027 from 6am - 6pm.
The Delray Concours Foundation and the CRA Green Market have worked together to make certain both the car show and green market can be held simultaneously without negative impacts on either event. The Green Market will be utilizing the West Lawn and west side of the Front Lawn and including the green space in between the Vintage Gym and the Crest Theatre on Saturday, April 17, 2027.
This is deemed an impact event by the City's Special Event Policy as one of the conditions of this determination is an event in which more than 3,500 persons are anticipated to attend on any one day. Delray Concours Foundation indicated in their Special Event Application that they anticipate an attendance of 10,000 persons.
This event is coming before the commission on the regular agenda instead of on the consent agenda because of the change of the footprint. In 2026, the front lawn usage had a setback of 25 ft from the sidewalk for the fencing. For 2027 the setback will only be 10ft. The producer asked for the front lawn fence to have no setback from the sidewalk instead of 25ft. The police were ok with a shorter setback of 10ft from the sidewalk, however they were not ok with no setback at all.
SETAC met and reviewed the application on May 21, 2026, SETAC made a recommendation to DSMG for the event approval.
DSMG met and reviewed the event on June 25, 2026, and made a recommendation to the City Commission to approve the impact event.
City Attorney Review:
The City Attorney has approved the document as to form and legal sufficiency.
Funding Source/Financial Impact:
Delray Concours Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and will receive a 50% waiver of soft costs up to $8,000.
The total estimated cost for the event is $28,784.28, therefore the total cost to the city would be $8,000.
Timing of Request:
The event producer would like to know if the event is approved to begin registering cars and vendors.