'Fast and Furious' and drift cars: what you need to know before FuelFest

After stops in Dallas-Ft. Worth and the Bay Area, FuelFest, a global festival for automotive enthusiasts, is coming to the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on June 13.

Attendees will be able to watch tires hit the road on a drift track, see more than 700 high-performance cars on display and see some of the vehicles that introduced Japanese tuned cars to the American market in “The Fast and the Furious.”

“FuelFest is where good people, people of car culture, meet because they share a common interest, a common passion,” said Cody Walker, founder of FuelFest and brother of the late actor Paul Walker, known for his role in Universal Studio's “Fast and Furious” franchise.

Organizers expect thousands of people to flock to the OC Fair & Event Center for FuelFest, moved not only by the sights and sounds of muscle cars, but also by the surprises that await them as they celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first “Fast and Furious” movie.

“This is a love letter to the city of Los Angeles and Orange County,” said “Fast and Furious” actor Tyrese Gibson, a co-sponsor of the event, in a recent video call about FuelFest.

The event will be a homecoming of sorts for Walker, Gibson and the “Fast” franchise. Walker, raised in the Sunland-Tujunga area, said the event will include tributes to cars that became popular in Southern California's seminal car scene, including a display of lowrider and exotic cars.

Of course, FuelFest is also a tribute to Paul Walker. To carry on his brother's legacy, Cody Walker left his job as a paramedic and took over Reach Out Worldwide, a disaster relief charity founded by Paul in 2010, and created FuelFest as a means to raise money for his brother's initiatives.

“[Paul] He was 40 years old and we thought he had about 70 years left,” Walker said in a video call, referring to his brother's fatal car accident in 2013. “He didn't care about being such an important person; he didn't see himself that way. Charity is the kind of thing he cared about.”

As for this edition of FuelFest, Walker and Gibson said they didn't want to spoil all the surprises, but here are six things you should know before heading to the event.

1. The 'Fast and Furious' cars will be exhibited

Some of the Japanese and American domestic market staples seen in the “Fast and Furious” movies will be at FuelFest.

Gibson may not know specs like RPM or cylinders, but he said he appreciates the great cars of the “Fast and the Furious” characters, including Dominic Toretto's 1970 Dodge Charger and Brian O'Connor's late '90s Mitsubishi Eclipse. Those cars and other iconic “Fast” wheels will be at the festival.

“It was through these movies that people in America became familiar with Japan's tuner culture, which was super niche up until that point,” Walker said. “We're talking about 25 years. There are iconic cars from the franchise, from many movies that will be there.”

2. Children under 12 years old are free.

As kids, Cody and Paul Walker were practically programmed to love cars. His maternal grandfather was a racing driver and mechanic, and his father was a photographer for Street Chopper magazine. An event like FuelFest, Walker said, can be formative in fostering a lifelong passion and creative outlet for kids curious about cars.

Gibson said organizers wanted to make tickets free for children so that entire neighborhoods in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas could have a day off at a low cost. So, a general admission ticket to SoCal FuelFest costs $58.24 including taxes and fees, but children 12 and under are free with a ticketed adult.

“If you're a single mom and you have three kids, all under 12, and you want to bring your neighborhood friends with you, whether it's your kids or your neighbors, they'll get in for free,” Gibson said.

If you want to splurge, you can meet and greet Gibson plus VIP Platinum admission for $739.38, taxes and fees included.

More than 700 cars will be on display at FuelFest, a global festival for car enthusiasts.

(Fuel Festival)

3. Performances by DJ Quik, Flesh-n-Bone and more

In addition to DJ sets and live performances, '90s rap legends DJ Quik and Flesh-n-Bone will host a late-night concert on the festival stage.

Walker and Gibson won't say who else might perform during the concert, but they promise that audiences arriving from Los Angeles will find the trip to Orange County worth it.

“There are no limits to the West Coast friends DJ Quik has,” Gibson said.

During FuelFest, '90s rap legends DJ Quik and Flesh-n-Bone will perform a late-night concert on the festival stage.

(Fuel Festival)

4. A parallel wrestling show

If that wasn't enough, there will also be a Lucha Libre show with, according to Walker, a “full-blown” storyline that has spread to all FuelFest locations.

Lucha Libre Voz, an independent professional wrestling company based in California and Arizona, will host its world championship match between Tigre Uno and Séptimo Dragón.

“It's going to be crazy,” Walker said. “The best show of the year.”

5. Ride as a passenger in a drift car (with helmet)

After signing a waiver, donning a helmet and paying a $30 fee, audience members can ride in the passenger seat of a professional driver's drift car. Walker calls it: a “full-blown acceleration therapy session.”

Reservations for the drift car ride will be handled on site. Pro tip: Arrive early to avoid the lines.

6. Reach Out Worldwide Event Objective

A portion of the proceeds from the event, primarily from on-site activities such as the drive-through, will go to the charitable efforts of Reach Out Worldwide, which has assisted with cleanup, repair and resource efforts for victims of natural disasters, including Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and the 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires.

FuelFest has raised around $1 million for Reach Out Worldwide since the charity resumed in 2024, more than a decade after Paul Walker's death halted the group's work. Cody Walker predicts proceeds from the Southern California show will help Reach Out Worldwide surpass the million-dollar milestone.

“I gave up everything to make sure Reach Out Worldwide could work,” Walker said. “FuelFest started as a simple idea, but now we've done over 30 events and are in 11 markets… Paul would be very happy with how this all turns out.”