Most people think of Royal Oak as the epicenter of the Woodward Dream Cruise, but the Cruise actually started in Ferndale in 1995 as a fundraiser for a new soccer field. The first Cruise was about ten times more successful than the organizers expected and grew from there to become an annual event. The Cruise now draws over 40,000 classic cars from all over the world. And why shouldn’t it? Woodward Avenue was the main drag for GM, Ford and Chrysler back in the day, when drive-in restaurants were scattered up and down its length.

The Woodward Dream Cruise is now Metro Detroit’s biggest event.

Community Events Along the Way:

Classic cars run along Woodward Avenue through nine communities from Ferndale to Pontiac. In turn, each community hosts its own special events. In fact, several communities take it well beyond the one-day cruise. For instance, Ferndale makes a weekend out of it with several stages of live music, a food court, play zone and various car shows, including classic cars, mustangs and emergency vehicles. Even Flint gets in on the act with its Back to the Bricks Cruise Weekend

Calendar:

Between the Cruise, Autopalooza and auto-related community events, there are a lot of dates and activities to track as part of or complimenting the Woodward Dream Cruise in Metro Detroit. The events and activities are listed in the 2015 Woodward Dream Cruisecalendar of events.