2023 Wicked Big Meet Is A Big, Wicked East-Coast Subaru Show

The 2023 Wicked Big Meet is one big east-coast Subaru show and part of the Subiefest family of Subaru-centric events. Held June 11, 2023 at Stafford Motor Speedway outside of Hartford, CT, Wicked Big Meet is billed as America’s largest Subaru enthusiast festival. It also kicked off the 2023 Subiefest series. Mercedes and I flew to the event to be alongside our 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness we campaigned on the ’22 Alcan 5000 summer rally. This was, however, unexpected. Let me explain.

How We Got Involved

I’ll make a long story short: We expected our Outback Wilderness to be taken out of commission after the Alcan 5000. To our surprise (and chagrin), instead of decommissioning it, Subaru told us they planned on taking it to all seven Subiefest events across the country. Besides that, they wanted us to come to each one to talk about our experiences. We were all in.

Shortly after our arrival, we laid eyes on the Alcan 5000 Outback Wilderness for the first time in eight months. Reunited, and it feels so good! (Shoutout to Peaches & Herb) Subaru had reordered some of the parts we took off, and cleaned it up. However, there was still some good-old Northwest Territories dirt in the jambs. So many memories!

Wicked Big, Wicked Fun

Stafford Motor Speedway, in Stafford Springs, CT, was host to hundreds of Subarus for the 2023 Wicked Big Meet. From slammed WRXs to lifted Foresters, vintage rides to new factory customs, there was something there for every Subie fan. This was our inaugural Subiefest event, and we found there are all sorts of things going on. From a car show to “loudest exhaust competition;” vendor tents and a host of vehicles from Subaru’s private collection—Big Wicked Meet was a great foray to Subaru’s enthusiast culture.

As the hot and humid day progressed, we met with people curious about the Alcan 5000 Rally and the Outback Wilderness. We met racers, adventurers, and just people having a bonafide good time on a warm summer day. It was a great way to kick off the Subiefest series. We couldn’t wait for the next one. For us, it’d be in our hometown of Portland, Oregon: Big Northwest Meet. We’ll have coverage of that coming soon.

But enough about us. Here are some of the cool rides from the 2023 Wicked Big Meet.