Run to the Sun Isn't Just a Car Show: How Myrtle Beach Rearranges Itself Around It

Run to the Sun arrives in Myrtle Beach every March and rearranges the city before most visitors realize what's happening. The show — held at the old Myrtle Square Mall on North Kings Highway — draws thousands of registered classic cars and tens of thousands of spectators over three days. But the event's footprint extends well past the show gates. Kings Highway compresses. Restaurants near the venue fill earlier than usual for the season. The soundscape along that stretch shifts — engines idling through intersections, vendors activating, the whole corridor tuning itself to a different frequency. Whether you planned your trip around Run to the Sun or scheduled it for a quiet late-winter weekend, the event reaches you. The only question is whether you know it's coming.

The show has run in Myrtle Beach for more than three decades, founded by the Pee Dee Street Rodders and operated since 2022 by Events Apparel in partnership with the City of Myrtle Beach. It lands on a Thursday-through-Saturday pattern in mid-March — historically the city's first major event draw of the year, arriving before the beach season builds momentum.

The venue is the former Myrtle Square Mall site, a large open footprint on North Kings Highway between 21st and 27th Avenue North. Registered vehicles — pre-1989 cars and trucks only — fill the grounds from opening to close. Spectator entry runs through several access points along Kings Highway, which means foot and vehicle traffic concentrates on that corridor for all three show days.

The show has sold out its car registration for more than fourteen consecutive years. That durability matters for planning: the attendance pattern is consistent enough that surrounding businesses and the city itself have adapted to it. Run to the Sun isn't a variable — it's a recurring condition.

The Kings Highway corridor slows. The show's primary entrance and exit points feed directly onto Kings Highway. On show days, the stretch between roughly 21st and 27th Avenue North moves differently than a normal March morning. Vehicles lining up for entry, spectator foot traffic crossing the highway, and general event-adjacent congestion compound in a way that affects anyone driving that section — whether they're headed to the show or not.

The organizers address this with a shuttle system: Coast RTA buses run from Myrtle Beach Pelicans Stadium, about a mile and a half north of the venue, directly to the show grounds throughout the day. Spectator parking at the stadium is $5 per vehicle, with all proceeds going to charity — the buses themselves run free. For attendees, this sidesteps the worst of the vehicle stacking near the gates.

Dining patterns shift before the official open. The event draws participants who arrive the Wednesday before the show opens — picking up registration packets, with registered cars permitted to enter the venue grounds that afternoon. Restaurants close to the venue and along the Kings Highway stretch more broadly fill faster than a typical mid-March evening. Dinner reservations that would normally be easy on a Thursday become more competitive. This is a pattern that has held consistently enough to plan around.

The city announces its spring before spring officially arrives. Run to the Sun falls in what is otherwise shoulder season in Myrtle Beach. The beaches aren't crowded yet. The summer infrastructure hasn't fully activated. But the show pulls an out-of-state wave into the city that pre-loads a spring energy — especially along the Kings Highway and North Myrtle Beach corridors. For visitors who aren't attending the show, this can be unexpected: the city feels fuller and louder than the calendar would suggest.

The event's impact doesn't require participation. If your trip falls during Run to the Sun weekend, a few adjustments shift the whole experience.

Kings Highway is the corridor to approach with patience. Robert M. Grissom Parkway and SC 31 (Carolina Bays Parkway) offer alternatives for north-south movement that bypass the compression near the venue. This isn't a detour — it's just using the roads the way locals do during any high-traffic weekend.

Beach access remains unaffected. The show's footprint is inland, not coastal. Ocean Boulevard and beach access points don't carry the same event congestion, and the beaches themselves in mid-March are far from crowded. A morning at the beach followed by an afternoon away from the Kings Highway stretch is a natural rhythm for that weekend.

Dining flexibility matters more than usual. The blocks closest to the venue on Kings Highway fill fast. Going slightly south or north of the show's immediate orbit opens up options that aren't competing directly with event traffic.

The shuttle system is the cleaner approach. Parking at Myrtle Beach Pelicans Stadium and taking the Coast RTA shuttle to the grounds eliminates the vehicle stacking near the venue's entry points. The buses run consistently through the day on show hours.

Car registrations sell out — they have for over fourteen consecutive years. Spectator tickets are a separate purchase and available through Eventbrite ahead of the show. Online tickets cost less than gate tickets, which are cash only. Booking in advance is the consistent pattern here.

Packet pickup for registered participants who didn't receive mail packets runs from the Four Points by Sheraton on Fantasy Harbour Boulevard the Wednesday before the show and into the first show days.

Event: Run to the Sun Car and Truck Show. Annual, held over three days on a Thursday-through-Saturday in mid-March — historically the second or third week of the month. The Thursday–Saturday pattern has been consistent across all recent years. Verify the current year's exact dates at runtothesuncarshow.com before planning around it.

Where: Old Myrtle Square Mall site, 2501 North Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577. The venue runs between 21st and 27th Avenue North along Kings Highway.

Show hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on show days, historically consistent across years. Verify at runtothesuncarshow.com.

Tickets: Spectator tickets are available through Eventbrite. Car and truck registration opens annually around Labor Day (September 1) and has sold out for over fourteen consecutive years — registration closes well before the event. Verify current-year pricing and availability at runtothesuncarshow.com/registration.

Shuttle: Coast RTA city transit buses run from Myrtle Beach Pelicans Stadium (1251 21st Avenue North) to the show grounds during show hours, typically every 10–15 minutes. The buses are free to ride. Spectator parking at the stadium is $5 per vehicle; proceeds benefit charity. Verify the current shuttle schedule at runtothesuncarshow.com before show weekend.

Parking near venue: Limited on show days. The shuttle from Pelicans Stadium is the organizers' recommended approach for spectators. For registered participants needing trailer parking, the show's site lists approved offsite storage locations — verify the current list at runtothesuncarshow.com/info.

Traffic: Kings Highway between 21st and 27th Avenue North runs slower on show days due to venue entry and exit patterns. Robert M. Grissom Parkway and SC 31 (Carolina Bays Parkway) offer north-south alternatives that bypass the heaviest compression. GPS apps with real-time traffic (Google Maps, Waze) will reflect current conditions on show days.

Dining timing: Restaurants near the venue on Kings Highway fill earlier than a normal mid-March evening, beginning with the Wednesday pre-event arrival day through Saturday close. Plan dinner reservations earlier than you would on a non-event weekend. The stretch south of the venue or closer to the beachfront generally sees less event-adjacent pressure.

Lodging note: Run to the Sun is the Grand Strand's first major event draw of the year. Accommodations across the Myrtle Beach area fill earlier than a typical mid-March weekend. Guests staying in surrounding communities have built a full itinerary around the event's rhythm — using mornings and evenings away from the Kings Highway corridor, arriving at the show (or the beach) before the day's peak congestion builds. Planning accommodations in advance opens up more spacious options outside the immediate event zone.

The show does what it has done for more than three decades: it makes Myrtle Beach feel, briefly, like a different city. The Kings Highway corridor hums at a register it doesn't reach the rest of the year. The beach stays quiet. The restaurants fill faster than the season would normally warrant. Whether you came for the cars or came for the ocean and landed in the middle of it anyway — the event shapes the weekend either way. The question was just whether you knew to factor it in.