Hundreds of throwback cars, a crew of Olympic and X Games BMX riders, and a Halloween costume contest with a $500 prize are converging on Louisville's Paristown this Saturday for the fourth annual Rad Revival, running from 4 to 9 p.m. Organizers are quick to point out this isn't your typical lineup of hoods and hubcaps parked in a lot for polite admiration.
“It's not a car show — it's a party,” organizers said of the event, according to WLKY. The station reports the gathering has grown into what organizers call the region's biggest celebration of 1980s and '90s BMX culture and vehicles, pairing rare rides with stunt performances and seasonal family activities in one Paristown evening.
A Ferrari and a Corolla Steal the Spotlight
Among the hundreds of throwback vehicles on display will be a customized 1999 Ferrari 360 Modena outfitted with a Japanese Liberty Walk body kit, Work wheels and Bride seats, per WLKY's reporting. The car belongs to Mike Liles, owner of Inital RHD, who drives the customized Ferrari around Louisville and joked that people may not be able to get out of the car by the time they're old enough to own one.
Right-hand-drive vehicles will also be part of the lineup, including what the outlet describes as a rare 1999 Toyota Corolla that still carries its original Japanese license plate. The Corolla is reportedly one of just five of its kind in the United States, and it speaks Japanese when turned on, according to the same WLKY account.
BMX Olympians and Local Riders Take Flight
BMX Big Air and ground stunts will be performed by riders who have competed at both the Olympics and the X Games, the station reports. Local BMX legend Zach Newman is set to perform on the bike and on the microphone, while Kentucky's own Cullen Sumner will also take part in the stunt lineup.
Trunk-or-Treating and Costume Contests Round Out the Evening
Trunk-or-treating runs from 5 to 7 p.m., followed by costume contests for children and adults at 7:15 and 7:30 p.m., with $500 going to the best-dressed contestant, WLKY reports. The family-friendly Halloween programming is woven directly into the car and BMX festivities rather than held as a separate attraction.
First Car Project Ceremony Puts Keys in Foster Youth's Hands
Rad Revival also supports the First Car Project, a Kentucky nonprofit that helps young people transitioning out of the foster-care system receive their first vehicles. A key ceremony is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in Paristown, where Kentucky foster youth will receive the keys to a first car, according to WLKY's report.
Eric Benson said the car giveaway helps promote awareness for the First Car Project, and three cars in total will be given away over the weekend, per the station's coverage. The nonprofit, based in Kentucky, describes its mission on its website as assisting young adults as they make, in its words, “the challenging leap from the foster care system to independent living,” according to The First Car Project.
The organization was launched in the winter of 2023 with what it called a simple yet powerful goal: to provide one car to a deserving young adult. It ended its first year by helping four young adults get behind the wheel, and through 2025 it had provided 12 First Cars, also meeting its 2025 fundraising goal of $100,000, the nonprofit's website states.
Rad Revival isn't the only Louisville-area event raising money for the cause. Cars in the Commonwealth brings hundreds of vehicles, from exotics to American muscle cars, to Hermitage Farm in Oldham County in support of the same nonprofit, according to WAVE 3.
