Every Friday and Saturday night hundreds of classic car enthusiasts gather at Kissimmee Old Town for the classic car cruises. Friday night is for more recent classics (post 1970s) as well as some more exotic marques and highly customised vehicles. Saturday night brings out the true classics. The cars date back as far as the 1920s, and there is also a healthy smattering of customised classics and hot rods. You are just as likely to see a 1940s Ford Anglia street rod with a 500 horsepower fuel-injected V8 as you are a classic Cadillac or even a Volkswagen Beetle with the original ‘Herbie’ paint job.
All the cars park up before the parade around Old Town, allowing plenty of time to stroll around and admire the workmanship and quality of detail. Their owners are always keen to chat about their pride and joy, so don’t be shy to ask a few questions if something catches your eye.
Activity increases in the half hour before the parade. The air is filled with the smells of partially combusted hydrocarbons and the deep growls from oversized engines threaten to drown out the altogether smoother sound of the rock and roll band live on stage.
The parade itself lasts anywhere from 10 minutes to a half hour depending on how many cars have registered. Bells and sirens from a vintage fire engine compete for attention against horns that sound like strangled geese. There might even be a bubble machine or two. It all adds up to a carnival like atmosphere as the cars parade at walking pace right through the center of Old Town.
After the parade most of the cars park up again, allowing another opportunity to wonder around the classics, admiring the paint jobs and the reflections in the highly polished chrome.
Both nights have a live band on stage. It’s mostly 50s, 60s rock and roll which just adds to the dime-in-the-jukebox feel.
The current timings (as at December 2004) for the Friday night cruise allow for vehicle registration from 5pm onwards with the parade starting at 9pm. On Saturdays the cars will arrive all through the afternoon and the parade starts at 8:30pm. It can get quite busy so allow plenty of time to find a parking space.
If a bit of Detroit iron floats your boat or you are missing the smell of valvoline and WD40, take a spin up to Kissimmee Old Town on a Friday or Saturday evening.