Beach Dubbin' 2026: a free car show on Southsea Common

If you fancy a bit of automotive nostalgia by the sea, Southsea Common is the place to be this Sunday. Beach Dubbin' is back for another year, and it is the kind of event that is easy to drop into without much planning: it runs from 10am to 4pm, and it costs nothing to walk in, with donations welcome to support the charities behind it. The real cost is for anyone wanting to bring their own vehicle to show off, which is £15 for the full day; everyone else can leave their car in the council parking areas within walking distance and wander over on foot.

At its heart, this is a VW show, and you will see the full range of the marque: air-cooled, water-cooled, vintage and modern. But it does not stop there. The common fills up with hot rods, classic American cars, supercars and a wide mix of other classic vehicles, so it is worth a look even if you have never set foot in a Volkswagen. There is a show-and-shine competition for the more competitive owners, and the day is rounded out with live music, dance performances, local traders and a dedicated family zone with catering and activities aimed at younger visitors, plus vegan options among the food and VW-related merchandise to browse.

The whole thing is run as a not-for-profit charity event, and that is a good part of the appeal. Every penny of profit, after the costs of putting the show on, goes to charity, and the numbers add up: between 2018 and 2025, Beach Dubbin' has raised £137,198.12. The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance is the main cause this year, and the Undercover Skate Park Project is another supported charity, so a donation at the gate goes somewhere tangible. The show rose out of the ashes of Beach Buggin' back in 2018 and has been run since by Coxy (Charlotte), Jason, Sue and Grant, who have kept it going year after year.

Southsea Common itself makes for a great backdrop. It is a huge open space that the city bought from the War Department in 1922, sitting just a mile from Portsmouth and right next to the seafront promenade and the beach. On a good day, it is a lovely place to spend a few hours, and the show only adds to that. If you are coming from the island, there is an easy way in: the Southsea Hoverport sits on Clarence Esplanade, and Hovertravel runs a ten-minute crossing from Ryde, so you can arrive by hovercraft and walk straight over to the common. With the show running for only six hours, it is the sort of Sunday that fits neatly around lunch and a walk on the beach, and because it is free to walk in, there is very little stopping you from having a look.