Coastal Cities Prepare for Cruisin’ Festivites

Coastal cities are running out of time to get their cities ready for Cruisin’ the Coast. Festivities kick off this weekend and coastal cities are still getting ready. Biloxi is no different.

Vincent Creel, Public Affairs Manager for Biloxi, says, "We’re expecting a huge amount of people in our downtown area on Wednesday. It’s the downtown block party, so we’ve been doing everything we can to spruce up our downtown area. The great thing about the block party is that people can get up close and personal with the cars and the car enthusiasts."

Biloxi has been trimming palm trees, manicuring medians, and paving crucial streets like Caillavet. Just a few miles west, Gulfport is setting the stage for their event. Chris Vignes, Public Information Officer for Gulfport, says, "Downtown Gulfport is the place to be this Sunday for Cruisin’ the Coast. We have the View the Cruise event that’s kicking off at 10 a.m. We have restaurants, human foosball, corn hole, three point shootout, live music, so much going on for the family."

Collaborative events like Cruisin’ the Coast remind us that we may be many different cities with many different names, but we’re still One Coast. Creel also says, "One of the great things about Cruisin’ the Coast is it’s a time for all communities to come together and put our best foot forward, and just really roll out the red carpet for these thousands of visitors that we’ll have in our community."

With 6,000 pre-registered and 1,500 more expected to register, this year’s Cruisin’ is already driving straight into the record books. Vignes closes, “This is going to be a record year for Cruisin’ the Coast. We have been working for weeks to get everything in line. We’ve been working with our restaurants, with our downtown organizations."

Record crowds bring record traffic. Lt. Phillip Kincaid, Special Events, Gulfport Police Department, says, "More cruisers, more people, more fun, just be patient with the traffic. There’s going to be some traffic congestion, but other than that, it’s going to be a nice smooth event."