The San Diego Automotive Museum threw open its Art Deco doors last Saturday evening for its annual Party in the Park gala, an affair that mixed Roaring '20s glamour with a serious fundraising mission. The event, held at 5 p.m. inside the museum's historic Balboa Park home, featured live jazz, handcrafted cocktails, dancing, and vintage 1920s automobiles on display alongside live and silent auctions and raffles.
According to KPBS, this year's gala honored Dr. Perry Mansfield. Proceeds from the night support the museum's educational programs, including the IGNITE Academy, and the ongoing preservation of automobile history, the station's report notes.
Entertainment leaned hard into spectacle. Headliner Liquid Blue, an award-winning band per KPBS, holds a Guinness World Record as the “World's Most Traveled Band” after performing in over 100 countries and 500 cities, according to CBS 8. The group was originally formed in Ocean Beach in 1996, the outlet reports. Beyond the music, guests this year encountered aerial bartending and performances from local troupe CaroLyra, according to a Giving Back Magazine post, with ticket packages also offering access to a themed VIP speakeasy lounge, per the San Diego Automotive Museum.
A Historic Setting for a Modern Cause
Dinner service for the night came courtesy of Chef Ron McMillan. A Mainly Mozart drive-in event during the pandemic featured a catered “Gourmet Party Car Box” courtesy of McMillan, according to Vanguard Culture.
The museum's facility at 2080 Pan American Plaza was constructed in 1935 as the California State Building for the California Pacific International Exposition, according to Save Our Heritage Organisation.
Funding a Pipeline for Young Mechanics
Money raised at the gala supports IGNITE Academy, a museum education program. KPBS describes the academy as providing hands-on automotive education for youth as part of the museum's broader educational offerings.
That funding matters over the long haul. Between 2021 and 2025, the annual Party in the Park gala raised nearly $3 million to support the museum, its facility expansions, and educational initiatives, according to KPBS's earlier reporting on the event, cited via the station's 2025 event listing. Previous galas have honored other local community leaders and featured celebrity appearances, per that same account.
Inside the Collection
Guests wandering the museum's 17,000-square-foot floor encountered exhibits that rotate every four to six months, part of an institution established in 1988, according to a Valriya case study on the museum. Among the permanent collection's signature pieces is Louie Mattar's 1947 Cadillac, retrofitted with a shower, washing machine, and continuous oil-refilling system that allowed it to complete a non-stop 6,320-mile drive from San Diego to New York and back in 1952, according to Atlas Obscura. The car reportedly refueled while moving alongside supply trucks at airfields during that record run.
The gala included valet parking for attendees arriving at the Pan American Plaza address, and tickets were available online or by phone in advance, per KPBS. For future events or general visits, see the museum's website at sdautomuseum.org.
