Nostalgia Days Novato 2026: Your Friday Cruise Guide

"I love seeing the dads and moms bringing their kids to see what cars used to look like back in the day." Marv Giambastiani said that to Patch in 2014, when he was running Nostalgia Days and answering volunteer email from his Marv's Kustoms address.

This Friday, October 9, the police-escorted Hot Rod Cruise through downtown Novato carries his name. The Downtown Novato Business Association runs the event and says Giambastiani led the car show for many years and helped shape it across its 30-year history. The 2026 registration form calls the Friday run "The Marv Giambastiani."

Saturday's show still has the trophies and the three hundred-odd cars. The Friday cruise costs nothing, needs no registration, and runs past the restaurants downtown Novato eats at every week. In the show's 30th year, it's also the part with his name on it.

The Man Behind the Cruise

Giambastiani grew up in Point Reyes, lived in Novato for decades, restored classic cars, and worked on hundreds of hot rod shows before Nostalgia Days became his. In 2015 the Marin Independent Journal called him event chairman. A 2016 Patch preview said that was his eighth year in charge. In April 2017, the Novato City Council recognized him for 20 years of work with Nostalgia Days and the Downtown Novato Business Association.

Those counts don't line up exactly, and Patch noted back in 2011 that he didn't found the show. The years of involvement are clear, though, and so is the part of the event he talked about most. His 2014 quote was about families on the sidewalk watching cars go by. Friday's cruise is that scene, and it is free.

Thirty Years, Two Spots on the Calendar

The math traces the show to 1997. The Independent Journal called the August 2010 edition Novato's 14th straight year, and the organizer bills 2026 as the 30th.

For much of that run, Nostalgia Days was a summer event. Coverage from 2010, 2014, 2015 and 2016 all lands in August. It now takes the second Saturday in October, and the business association's events page says more than 300 classic cars line Grant Avenue that day. Last year the Independent Journal reported that organizers expected 5,000 to 7,000 attendees for the 29th edition.

Saturday crowds that size make the show a regional draw. Friday is smaller and closer to the version Giambastiani described: hundreds of cars, families along the curb, and an evening that ends in time for dinner.

How Friday Runs, Step by Step

1. 4:00 p.m. Shine Up + Line Up. Cars stage in the Our Lady of Loretto lot at 1806 Novato Boulevard, entering from Grant Avenue on the side or Virginia Avenue in back. Car show registration is open that night for anyone who wants to stay for Saturday. The organizer notes there are no bathrooms at the staging site.
2. Cruise start. The Novato Police Department leads hundreds of cars through downtown. The show schedule puts the start at 5:15 p.m. The business association lists the cruise as 5 to 7 p.m., and the City of Novato calendar says 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. If you're aiming for the front of the parade, get there by 5.
3. The viewing stretch. The organizer suggests watching from anywhere on Grant Avenue between Machin Avenue and 7th Street.
4. Cost. The cruise is free to drive in and free to watch.

A Table on the Route

The car-owner guide names the restaurants along the cruise route. It sends friends of drivers to Finnegan's, Mi Pueblo, Batika, Trek Wine & Pod's Brew, Grazi Restaurant, Village Restaurant, Carmen's La Hacienda, Mai Thai II, Masa Sushi, Bicycle Brüstop, Blue Barn and HenHouse Brewery. It also tells them to book, because it's a busy night.

That list covers most of a typical Novato week of eating out in a single evening. A window seat at Grazi or a patio table at HenHouse puts the cruise right outside. You order at 5 and watch the cars go by over dinner.

Some of these businesses also help pay for the weekend. The show's sponsor list includes Finnegan's Marin alongside other local names such as Novato Kitchens, Novato Veterinary Hospital, Redwood Credit Union and NAPA Auto Parts.

Saturday, Hour by Hour

On Saturday, October 10, the show takes over Grant Avenue between Redwood Boulevard and 7th Street. The show's own site calls that seven blocks, and the business association's events page says ten, but both put it on the same stretch of Grant. Admission is free. Here is how the organizer's guide lays out the day:

This year's band is Mitch Polzak and The Royal Deuces, a rockabilly and '60s country act. The show page has them playing 1 to 3:30 p.m., so their set ends right as the awards are scheduled to begin on the same stage.

If you want to see cars before the crowds arrive, the guide also lists early breakfast. Peet's Coffee opens at 6 a.m. and Dr. Insomniac's at 6:30. Marvin's Breakfast Club, Bacon and Rustic Bakery open at 7. Exhibitors have to enter 1st Street from Vallejo Avenue because every other access street is closed for the show. Anyone driving downtown that morning will run into the same closures.

If your own car belongs on Grant Avenue, registration is $45 in advance or $55 at the gate, and it includes a 2026 T-shirt. Judged classes range from Tri-Five Chevys and pony cars to station wagons, Rancheros and El Caminos, pre-war cars, rat rods and motorcycles.

How to Cast Your People's Choice Vote

Best of Show pays $300. People's Choice pays $200, and spectators decide it. Last year Stephanie Koehler, the business association's executive director, explained the vote to the Independent Journal: "Everybody gets a ballot when they come in and they can chose their favorite car."

The 2026 guide describes a more specific process. Each person gets one ballot. Registered drivers get theirs at check-in, and everyone else picks one up at the ballot box at the alcohol ticket table between 2nd and 3rd Streets. Volunteers monitor the boxes so that each person votes once. If a particular car catches your eye at 1st Street, you'll need to walk to the middle of the show to vote for it.

The Rest of October 10

Two other City events fall during Saturday's show hours:

• Repair Fair and Halloween Costume & Décor Swap, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Novato City Hall, 901 Sherman Avenue.
• Floating Pumpkin Patch at Hamilton Pool, 203 El Bonito Drive, noon to 2 p.m. You have to pre-register, and drop-ins aren't accepted.

If you're driving downtown on Friday, the City's repaving of Redwood Boulevard between Rowland Boulevard and Rush Creek Place runs weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is expected to finish by late October. Expect lane closures there before the crews stop for the day.

The show closes at 4 p.m. Saturday. The next downtown event on the business association's calendar is Safe Trick or Treat, October 31 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at shops along the same blocks.

Downtown Novato weekends like this one are part of what makes the community feel close. If you'd like to talk about life around Grant Avenue, or anywhere else in Marin, Deborah Cole would be glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.