Manoli Katakis 
For the past month or so, it was all-but-confirmed that cities that hosted the 2020 Woodward Dream Cruise would eventually motion to cancel the whole thing. Within the past 24 hours that decision has been made official. It joins the 2020 Detroit Auto Show, Roadkill Nights, and the 2020 Belle Isle Grand Prix in the scrapyard that was supposed to be an incredible summer of automotive events in Michigan.
The Dream Cruise is notable because it’s routinely been the largest single-day automotive event in the world, regularly attracting over 1 million people. Festivities throughout the week tend to build up the big Saturday of cruising, and pilgrims can be found gathering in parking lots and grassy medians between the seven-mile stretch of Birmingham and Ferndale, while cruisers tend of flock as far north as Pontiac, where the historic road ends, and where there is unbuttoned ruckus and noise to be found.
Yes, the decision to cancel the 2020 Woodward Dream Cruise is because of COVID-19. Yes, it’s probably for the best. No, it’s not going to stop anybody from driving up and down Woodward Avenue during Saturday, August 15, the day it was originally scheduled to take place. But because of America’s litigious culture, cities and brand sponsors alike do not want the legal risk of being accused of proliferating COVID-19, so all of that’s off the table for the year. So the locals are going to get creative.
Instead, there will likely be a guerrilla group of Ford enthusiasts checking out Not Mustang Alley in Ferndale, while some Mopar rabble rousers in Pontiac are likely to host a Not Roadkill Nights of their own. Prepare for the 2020 Not Woodward Dream Cruise Dream Cruise. Be sure to bring your Not a Flamethrower to keep with the theme. Or perhaps simply call any gathering a protest.
