Lucas Bell 
The Woodward Dream Cruise is the largest single-day car event in the world, drawing in an estimated 1.5 million people and an estimated 40,000 cars each year. Since 1995, the Dream Cruise has grown into a cultural icon for Michiganders and car fanatics alike. This summer is different than most however, as the coronavirus epidemic continues to punish the Metro Detroit area. In the name of public health and safety, the event’s host cities have started voting to ban the 2020 Woodward Dream Cruise.
According to a report by the Detroit Free Press, a number of the city governments along the Dream Cruise route have decided to cancel their normal proceedings during the hot rod holiday. The decisions come as Michigan grapples with how to handle its reopening process following the expiry of the states stay-at-home order on May 28. So far, two of the nine communities that host events along the famed highway have voted against the festivities, with others expected to follow suit in the coming weeks.
With the epidemic continuing to drag on here in the U.S., we all knew that large events might not be a part of our lives for some time to come. We’ve watched a number of automotive events get canned as a result, knowing full well that Woodward might meet that same fate. Regardless of that inevitability, it is still a huge bummer to see that the 2020 Woodward Dream Cruise likely won’t be happening. We were looking forward to getting back out to Mustang Alley, or stopping down in Pontiac to see Mopar fanatics doing what they do best.
Despite the cancellations, we are certain that there will still be plenty of people cruising their muscle cars and classics down Woodward on that third Saturday in August. It is no small secret that some people are unhappy with the cautious approach the government has taken in Michigan in effort to combat the coronavirus, and that they are willing to break social distancing policies. Regardless if the organizers cancel the event or not, Woodward is a public highway, and people may choose to “unofficially” cruise in droves.
