Detroit’s Woodward Dream Cruise cancelled

By: Alex Affat, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 02.07.2020

Historic cruise officially cancelled after unanimous vote from nine cities

The Woodward Dream Cruise follows a miles-long route through Detroit’s northern suburbs, harking back to the cruise culture of the 60s, when fuel was cheap and the roads came alive with car enthusiasts.

This week however, the event’s board of directors moved to cancel the event which was supposed to take place on August 15.

The move comes around a month after nine cities along the Woodward Avenue cruise route separately passed resolutions calling for a cancellation of the motoring event due to the ongoing pandemic crisis.

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It turns out, the board had already stripped much of the extra festivities to dissuade people from coming out, with Dream Cruise president, Michael Lary stating: " In April, the board already decided to cancel the community events – the car shows, the live entertainment, what I call the bells and whistles – to reduce the number of people who would come out".

"Since then, a majority of the nine communities felt it needed to be officially cancelled… ultimately, the decision was made today based on our respect for the political will of the communities".

Woodward Avenue is a state highway however, so it will not be closed down – and there are many enthusiasts on the internet who have publicly stated that they still plan on turning up and cruising.

In response, Lary stated: "This has never happened before, so we’ll find out. Cruisers are gonna cruise, no matter what. We wanted to figure out how best to send a message to the spectators who might show up to see the cruisers".

The cancellation of the 2020’s runnings leaves a financial strain on the non-profit event, which had been operating at a loss for the years between 2014 to 2018 according to most recent publically available data. They largely depend on manufacturers (both Chevrolet and Ford) for sponsorship and cost-covering.

"We anticipate we’re going to have to think outside the box and be prepared for future events" said Lary.

Its estimated that between 1 and 2 million people – both participants and spectators – turn up each year from all over the US, Canada and Europe.

Safe to say, 2020’s event will likely look very different to past years.

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