If you haven’t been to an RV show yet, you’re missing out. Besides the once-in-a-blue-moon deals, you’ll also get to see the latest travel trailers, motorhomes, and camping gadgets.
RV manufacturers, local dealerships, and nearby campgrounds pay big money to showcase their stuff, and they usually bring along some swag to give out for free. Many vendors offer prizes through raffles held each day of the show.
If you don’t live near a large city, don’t worry. Some RV shows are held in smaller cities across the United States.
Due to camping’s seasonality, most North American RV shows occur between January and March in the spring, and September and November in the fall.
How To Find The Next RV Show Nearest You
It’s not an easy task keeping a current list of all the RV shows that happen each year. Sometimes dates change, people aren’t notified, or a smaller show (that you might have wanted to attend) wasn’t added to the list of RV shows that you just looked at.
While some large annual shows, like the Quartzsite RV Show, happen each year around the same time, others don’t have the same level of publicity or visibility in the press.
The quality of an RV show resource depends on a couple of factors:
- how well shows promote the dates and location
- how well the website or publication maintains a current list
If some RV show promoters don’t notify the person or company keeping track of show dates, you could miss out. On the other hand, if website operators don’t update their catalogs in a timely manner, you won’t have access to the latest RV show data either. You’ll have better success in narrowing down the RV show you want to attend by looking in a few places.
Recommended RV Show Resources
Search the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association’s (RVIA) database.
The RVIA database RV show search tool is a good place to start. To search only by month, don’t type anything in the Event Name field, and leave the Show State field as Any. Select your desired month.
RVIA only lists shows for the next month or so, and you’ll have to return often for the latest information.
Browse RV Travel’s listing of RV shows.
RV Travel maintains a fairly comprehensive listing of RV shows happening throughout the year, in both the US and Canada. The list extends much farther out in time than the RVIA database does, so you can plan months in advance.
Note: Tickets are usually cheaper if you buy before heading to the show.
Visit the GoRVing Show Locater
Go RVing also has a searchable database of upcoming RV shows. While the interface looks similar to the RVIA search form, you’ll find a lot more shows listed. Go RVing Canada provides a separate database of RV shows in Canada.
Scroll Through RVPark411’s hyperlinked directory
RVPark411 has a helpful linked directory of RV shows, categorized by state. This saves a lot of time because you won’t have to do another search once you figure out which show you want to attend.
Most all of the RV shows, like this one in Chicago, will have their own website. If the RV show registry doesn’t include a link though, that’s more work for you!
What About Canadian RV Shows?
Besides the Go RVing Canada website, you could try the Recreation Vehicle Dealer’s Association of Canada website for the latest in Canadian RV shows.
Conclusion
It’s probably a safe bet that any online list of RV shows won’t be 100% accurate. It’s a good idea to check multiple sources, both to rule out misinformation and also to make sure you don’t miss out on a show that might be hosted in your area soon.
