Skip the Line With a Barrett-Jackson Watch Party at Home
Start planning your backyard setup for the January 2027 car auction.
Every January, Barrett-Jackson turns WestWorld of Scottsdale into the center of the collector car world. The 2027 auction runs January 23 through 31, with live coverage starting in the morning and continuing past 10 p.m. That makes for a long day in a grandstand. Parking lines and packed aisles don't help.
Your own patio can be a much better option. You get your own food, your own guests, and a fire pit when the desert evening cools off. The downside is that most backyard entertainment setups fall apart during a full day of viewing. The TV washes out by noon, and the speakers can't reach the far end of the yard.
Here's what a home watch party needs to work outdoors, and why fall is the time to plan it.
A Screen You Can See at Noon
Auction coverage goes from bright midday sun to after dark, so your TV has to handle both. A standard indoor TV moved to the patio won't cut it here. The picture looks dim and gray in daylight, and the Arizona heat and dust shorten its life.
Outdoor TVs are rated for where they'll hang. Shade-rated models suit a fully covered patio. Full-sun models like SunBriteTV's Pro line push much higher brightness and use anti-glare screens so that you can follow the bidding on an uncovered deck at 1 p.m. Sealed housings keep out dust and handle the temperature variations between a warm afternoon and a cold January night.
Winter sun adds a wrinkle. It sits lower in the sky, so light can sneak under a patio cover that blocks it completely in July. Before we recommend a model or a mounting spot, we check where the sun hits your place during the hours you'll be using your outdoor setup.
Sound That Reaches the Whole Yard
An auctioneer's chant moves fast. When the sound is muffled or too quiet, guests at the grill miss the hammer price. The typical layout is one pair of speakers by the TV, turned up loud, which blasts nearby people and still leaves the far corners thin.
A distributed system works better. This means spreading several speakers throughout the yard, each covering its own area at a moderate volume. Landscape speakers from Coastal Source and James Loudspeaker tuck into planters and desert landscaping, and an in-ground subwoofer adds weight when a big-block V8 fires up on the auction block.
The result is clear sound wherever your guests settle. Because no single speaker has to work hard, the sound stays in your yard and doesn't travel to the neighbor's.
From the Auction to the After-Party in One Touch
A great watch party shouldn't need five remotes and someone who knows which input is which. With a Control4 system, one button on a remote or your phone can power on the outdoor TV and your streaming box, turn on the patio speakers, and set the lighting.
When bidding wraps for the day, a second scene switches the yard to music. The TV turns off, your playlist starts across every outdoor zone, and Lutron lighting shifts to a softer evening level as the sun goes down. You entertain your guests instead of troubleshooting.
Why Fall Is the Best Time to Plan
January feels far away, but outdoor projects take a significant amount of time. Landscape speakers and subwoofers require wiring to be run through your yard, and TVs need proper mounting and power. Scheduling the work for October or November means the system is tested and ready before the holidays, giving you time to enjoy it long before the first car crosses the block.
Plan Your Home Watch Party
If you want your own backyard to be the best seat for Barrett-Jackson 2027, we're ready to help you plan it. Stop by our Scottsdale showroom to see and hear the technology in person, or contact our team here or via live chat below to schedule an appointment.
