Cruisin’ The Coast is back in South MS. Take a look at the car show through the years

Cruisin’ The Coast, the South Mississippi showpiece event, has seen many changes throughout the years.

The event, which kicks off this weekend for its 28th year, has been affected by hurricanes, economic headwinds and construction throughout the years, but has still managed to grow exponentially, reaching 10,000 registered vehicles in 2023.

The event will likely continue to grow and change: this year the event will add an additional day bringing the event up to nine days and running from Oct. 6 to Oct. 13.

As Cruisin’ the Coast kicks off, take a look back at a timeline and photos of Cruisin’ The Coast through the years.

1996: Cruisin’ The Coast had its inaugural year in 1996 when Coast casino and tourism leaders announced a 3 and a half day car show. Sun Herald articles from that year estimate between 25,000 and 30,000 people attended.

1997: 997 cars are registered and about 55,000 people attend. Activities are added in downtown Bay St. Louis, at Rice Pavilion in Gulfport, Coast Coliseum and Biloxi’s Point Cadet.

1998: The event was held the weekend after Hurricane Georges and welcomed 1,854 cars and 80,000 people.

1999: A rainy week saw Cruisin’ The Coast was covered by national programs like Nashville Network’s “My Classic Car” with host Dennis Gage, the “Discover America” series on The Learning Channel, and Southern Living magazine.

2000: The Sun Herald starts a new column called ‘The Masked Cruiser’ to highlight different cars throughout the event.

2001: Cruisin’ The Coast 2001 happened one month after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In 2001, it grows to be one of the 10 largest car shows in America.

2002: Cruisin’ The Coast became an eight-day event in 2002 and Ocean Springs was added as official “cruise-in” spot.

2003: In 2003 a record 5,497 cars registered for the event, and the coast welcomed 145,000 visitors. The economic impact was $15 million.

2004: Cruisin’ draws 5,364 cars from more than 40 states just weeks after Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Spectators at the end of the week were impacted by Tropical Storm Matthew.

2005: Cruisin’ The Coast was canceled in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina. 4,107 cars were registered before the storm. The Cruisin’ office and many records were lost in the storm.

2006: 2006 was the 10th anniversary. The show rolled, but effects of Hurricane Katrina were still being felt. Construction of bridges to Hancock and Jackson counties wasn’t complete and hotel rooms were in short supply.

2007: There were 3,842 registered cars in 2007 and construction along U.S. 90 caused a few hiccups. An Indy car race was proposed for downtown Gulfport in the fall, but it was scrapped.

2008: In 2008, 4,311 cars registered for Cruisin’, despite high gas prices.

2009: 4,508 vehicles registered.

2010: In 2010, Harrison County Tourism Commission got $1.175 million from BP after the BP oil spill to support fall events, including Cruisin’ The Coast.

2011: American Bus Association names Cruisin’ one of 100 best events for 2011 and there are 4,251 cars registered for the event.

2012: The economic impact of Cruisin’ reaches $20 million in South Mississippi.

2013: A record 7,042 cruisers register in 2013, surpassing the previous record of 6,000.

2014: Cruisin’ registers 7,293 vehicles and the autocross event is added.

2015: In 2015, the Beach Boys acted as judges for two events held at the new baseball stadium, MGM Park in Biloxi. The swap meet at Coast Coliseum expanded and Manufacturers’ Midway was introduced.

2016: In 2016, the 20th anniversary of Cruisin’ the Coast, 7,826 cars registered and almost all 50 states were represented.

2017: Cruisin’ broke its attendance record yet again in 2017 as over 8,000 vehicles were registered. Hurricane Nate caused Cruisin’ to end early.

2018: In 2018, orange traffic cones made their appearance down Highway 90 duringfor the first time.

2019: 8,620 vehicles were registered from 42 states and Canada. Cruisers also had to deal with road construction along Highway 90.

2020: Cruisin’ was held despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Some events from previous years were canceled or moved to outdoor settings to accommodate social distancing measures.

2021: By 2021, which was Cruisin’ the Coast’s 25th anniversary, Cruisin’ had become the largest event in Mississippi and was voted USA Today’s favorite car show. The economic impact to the state was a record $36.1 million.

2022: Jay Leno performed at Cruisin’ and cruisers still turned out despite high gas prices.

2023: Cruisin’ The Coast passed it’s biggest milestone yet in 2023 as over 10,000 vehicles registered for the event.

This story was originally published October 6, 2024 at 5:00 AM.

Hannah Ruhoff

Sun Herald