Page 30 - Play Coastal Mississippi - Fall26 - Winter27

WHAT’S IN SEASON
30 years
CRUISIN’ THE COAST
WHAT A COOL RIDE IT’S BEEN!
Thirty years?! When Cruisin’ the Coast started out way back in
1996 as a four-day event with just 374 registered vehicles, very
few believed it would grow into what it is today. But what a cool
ride it has been! In 2025, the event saw a record-breaking 10,334
registered vehicles from 42 states and four foreign countries over
eight days.
Our 30th Anniversary is expected to be even bigger this year, and
it started with Cruisin’ the Coast (CTC) being voted the best car
show in the nation for the seventh year in a row by voters of the USA
TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards. Thanks to all of you—our
tremendous supporters in the CTC family—we won out over 19
other prominent car shows in the country!
We’ve added a couple of new celebrities to our 2026 lineup that we
believe car enthusiasts will enjoy meeting in person. We’re excited
to have renowned automotive designer Dave Kindig and Kevin
“KevDogg” Schiele of Kindig-it Design for the first time at CTC as
part of our 30th Anniversary celebration. Dave and KevDogg will
meet fans and sign autographs on Wednesday, October 7, at Cruise
Central in Gulfport’s Jones Park from 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. The
pair will also be part of the Meet & Greet at the Beau Rivage Resort
& Casino from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
Mississippi Gulf Fresh Seafood is our presenting sponsor again this
year, which can only mean one thing: another year of sampling the
best and most fresh Gulf seafood on earth. And it’s absolutely free!
Besides the incredibly cool rides, live entertainment is always top
of mind for our cruisers. The music line-up will be great once again,
with some new bands as well as popular favorites, including Bag
of Donuts, who will be our featured entertainment for the Super
30 PLAY COASTAL MISSISSIPPI I OCT 26-MAR 27 Saturday Concert at Hollywood Casino & Resort Gulf Coast in Bay
St. Louis. Immediately after their great performance, stick around
for a spectacular fireworks show.
As part of our tribute to the birth of our nation 250 years ago, we
will be adding a new show to the “Salute to Our Veterans” event on
Tuesday, October 6, at Jones Park. Garry “Elvis” Wesley will be joined
by The Victory Belles—a trio of young ladies from the National World
War II Museum in New Orleans—who will perform patriotic classics
from that era.
Last year, the very popular Autocross relocated to the north surface
parking area of the Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort in D’Iberville. And
this year, the Autocross guys will bring something new as part of
our 30th Anniversary: a Drifting Exhibition, held from 6 to 8 p.m.
Wednesday, October 7, at the Scarlet Pearl.
One change this year is the location of the very popular Flame
Throwing competition. We thank Island View Casino Resort in
Gulfport for hosting this event for years; however, the Flame
Throwing contest will move this year to the IP Casino Resort Spa in
Biloxi.
Our 30th Anniversary is going to be
better than ever, and we can’t wait for
y’all to get here. We will see you down
the road shortly!
CRUISE
MORE!
Keep Cruisin’,
Woody Bailey
Sherwood R. “Woody” Bailey, Jr.
Vice Chairman & Executive Director
COASTALMISSISSIPPI.COM