by Ezabelle Janssen, Senior Staff Writer

LONG BEACH (GG) — Long Beach was anything but idle on Monday, October 5th, as a sea of chrome classics revved up Jeff Davis Avenue for the 2026 Cruisin’ the Coast kickoff. 

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Cruisin’ the Coast summoned car lovers from across the country for a day full of vintage vehicles, live music, food, and plenty of horsepower. From early-morning arrivals at Harper McCaughan Town Green to an evening parade rolling from high school to harbor, Long Beach had its foot on the gas. 

Cruisers began claiming their parking spots as early as 6:30 a.m. while food trucks rolled in and the stage went up for the city’s Show & Shine. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., polished hot rods, muscle cars, and classics transformed the Town Green into a chrome celebration. The Project provided the soundtrack at noon as judging commenced for three special city awards. The Built for the Chase Award recognized a vehicle that embodied the thrill of the chase, the Most Exciting Ride Award honored a head-turning crowd-pleaser, and Mayor Tim Pierce selected one standout vehicle for the Mayor’s Choice Award. 

The celebration shifted gears at the Southern Miss Gulf Park campus from 3 to 5 p.m., but the day’s main attraction was still waiting at the starting line. 

The first 600 registered vehicles gathered at Long Beach High School for the highly anticipated Cruisin’ the Coast Parade.

After roads closed at 5:15 p.m., the procession fired up at 5:30 p.m. and cruised through downtown before finishing at the Long Beach Harbor. Crowds packed the route, cheering, catching throws, and admiring decades of automotive history, from pre-war antiques to eccentric cruisers, as they rolled through the friendly city.

A 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air patrolled the parade as a retro Harrison County Sheriff’s vehicle, sporting the ’57 Chevy’s unmistakable chrome grille and a single blue dome light. A pristine red 1965 Ford Mustang convertible carried Chancery Court judge candidate Haley Necaise Broom, who greeted the crowd and tossed goodies from the back. WLOX broadcaster Hugh Keeton also found himself in the fast lane, riding in a Mustang with a camera operator, reporting on the parade while participating in it. It does not get much more live than that!

A bright yellow 1971 Oldsmobile 442 convertible flexed its broad split grille and iconic numerical badging, although the enormous inflatable duck riding along may have stolen some of its thunder. 

The parade then turned back the clock with a 1930 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan. Its sage-green and gray finish, straw-yellow spoke wheels, and classic whitewall tires offered a glimpse of the roadways of nearly a century ago. 

Perhaps the most eccentric ride was a Zimmer Golden Spirit, a neoclassical luxury car built on a stretched Ford Mustang platform. With its trumpet horns and sweeping pre-war-style fenders, the Golden Spirit looked ready to rule the road. 

For one first-time Cruisin’ attendee from Buffalo, New York, the procession was unlike anything they had experienced before. They watched in silent awe as the seemingly endless line of vehicles passed by, a common reaction for anyone witnessing the Coast’s largest rolling car show for the first or thirtieth time. 

Once the final car reached the harbor, the Tip Tops kept the celebration in high gear from 6 to 9 p.m. with classic tunes beneath the glow of harbor lights and polished headlights. Long Beach will fire its engines again on Thursday, October 8th, when Trucks & Tacos takes over the Town Green from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. 

Thirty years in, Cruisin’ the Coast has not taken its foot off the gas, growing from a gathering of automobile enthusiasts into an iconic Southern spectacle. Cars and visitors now travel from across the country to experience a celebration where every vehicle carries a story, every street becomes a showroom, and every town adds its own flair to the ride.

If Monday’s kickoff was any indication, this anniversary celebration still has plenty of miles, music, and memories left in the tank.

(Photos by Ezabelle Janssen/The Gazebo Gazette)