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New York Auto Show is a go for August 2021, with no cap on capacity

Governor Andrew Cuomo says tickets will be available at "pre-pandemic attendance levels"

Jil McIntosh
Jun 05, 2021  •  June 6, 2021  •  2 minute read  •  Join the conversation
People walk through the BMW showroom Wednesday, March 28, 2018, at the New York Auto Show.
People walk through the BMW showroom Wednesday, March 28, 2018, at the New York Auto Show. Photo by Mark Lennihan /Associated Press

After keeping its doors closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) will go ahead from August 20 to 29, 2021 in Manhattan, and the number of tickets will “be made available at pre-pandemic attendance levels.”

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That’s the word from New York government Andrew Cuomo, who made the announcement about the show at a press conference alongside Mark Schienberg, NYIAS president.

The event is thought to be the oldest auto show in the U.S., dating from 1900, and is usually held in April. When it opens, it will be the first major auto show since the pandemic shutdowns.

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It will be held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, which was turned into a field hospital for COVID-19 patients in April 2020. It was decommissioned as a temporary medical facility in May 2021 as the number of patients dropped. The building was also used as a vaccination clinic.

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At the peak of the pandemic, New York City hit high numbers of fatalities and ICU admissions, but on May 19 of this year, it adopted guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These allow for increased capacity, reduction in social distancing, and no need for fully-vaccinated people to wear masks. Cuomo’s office said that 65 per cent of adults in New York had received at least one vaccine dose, and 56 per cent had two, as of June 3, 2021.

Opening day at the 2019 New York Auto Show
Opening day at the 2019 New York Auto Show, the last one held prior to the pandemic Photo by New York International Auto Show

Although ticket sales aren’t being limited for the public, the Auto Show will adhere to certain policies, including touchless ticketing, social distancing, and extensive cleaning throughout the show. A media day is also planned, where automakers present their new models to members of the press.

New for 2021, almost an entire floor will be dedicated to electric vehicles, including five indoor tracks where attendees can test-drive an EV. The organizers said the NYIAS generates more than US$300 million to local and state economies.

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