USA Card Show runs a two-day Orange County stop in Irvine on October 3 and 4, 2026, at the Flight Way Parking Garage near the old Marine Corps Air Station El Toro site. The venue choice is unusual and worth understanding before you go: covered parking structures have become a legitimate card show format in Southern California because they offer shade, natural airflow, enormous floor plates and — critically — parking that is directly attached to the show floor. Load-in is trivial for vendors, which tends to mean more vendors show up.
The format favors volume. Expect a wide sports spread across MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL covering vintage bins through current-year sealed product, a substantial graded presence from PSA, CGC, SGC and Beckett, autographed memorabilia, and dealers who bring more boxes than they would haul into a ballroom because they can park thirty feet from their table. Pokemon and the other trading card games — Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Lorcana, Dragon Ball Super — are represented, though sports typically leads at this promoter's shows.
Both Saturday and Sunday are show days. Exact door times and admission pricing are not published for this date, so treat both as unconfirmed and verify on the listing before you commit to the drive. USA Card Show's other October date at the Pomona Fairplex runs 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, which is a reasonable working assumption for Irvine but not a confirmed one.
The Flight Way structure sits in the Irvine business district near the Orange County Great Park, off the 5 and 405 corridors. Parking is in the same structure as the show, which is the whole point — you will not walk far. Bring layers: a parking structure is shaded but open to the air, so an October morning can start cool and an afternoon can warm up fast. Restroom access is more limited than at a convention center, so plan accordingly. Irvine's restaurant density around the Spectrum and Diamond Jamboree is excellent and only minutes away.
This show suits collectors who want to move volume — set builders, player collectors working long runs, and anyone hunting raw material at reasonable prices. It is less suited to someone who wants a climate-controlled browse or is bringing very young children for a long stretch. Serious buyers will find graded inventory, but the format rewards diggers.
Tips: bring cash, bring a folding cart or a sturdy tote, and bring your own sleeves and toploaders because you will end up with more raw cards than you expected. Sunglasses help near the open edges of the structure. Arrive at opening on Saturday for the freshest inventory; Sunday afternoon is when dealers who do not want to reload the truck get flexible. Take a photo of your parking level, because the structure looks identical floor to floor.
Verify hours and admission on the Card Show Hub listing or the promoter's channels before traveling.
