Cruisin’ the Coast saw a historic turnout for the 29th edition of the car show held annually along Mississippi’s portion of the Gulf Coast.
According to officials, the final tally of registered rods landed at 10,334 – a record-breaking number that drove past the 10,070 cars in 2023 and made circles around last year’s count of 9,962. It highlights a monumental climb from a 374-car show when it started in 1996 to now being named USA Today’s best car show in America six years in a row.
Of those represented at the 2025 edition of Cruisin’ the Coast were vehicles from 42 U.S. states, Canada, Australia, England, and Germany. While the bulk of participants came from states in the Southeast – 8,446 being via Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida – one car hopped over from Hawaii and four from Alaska. The only states not represented by participating vehicles were Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
It’s also worth noting that thousands of classic, antique, and hot rod vehicles came to the Coast to participate but did not officially register for the show, Cruisin’ the Coast executive director Woody Bailey said.
Even more people showed out for what’s been dubbed “America’s Largest Block Party.” Complementing events and concerts happened in almost every city across Mississippi’s stretch of sandy beaches with the show going from Oct. 5-12.
While no attendance number has been released for the 2025 edition, the evidence of it being a high count was felt inside hundreds of retailers and restaurants.
“We’re blessed to have Woody Bailey and the organizers to put together Cruisin’ the Coast and the economic impact it has not on one particular city but the whole coastal region,” Gautier Mayor Casey Vaughn said as Moss Point Mayor Billy Knight added, “This is like Christmas. We see this many people in town and they go into stores and restaurants and shop. They have a good time.”
Bailey said the economic impact of Cruisin’ the Coast is now north of $36 million, based on a 2021 study conducted by officials, with that number expected to rise when another study is conducted following the incoming 30th edition. At least a $33 million economic impact is made annually in the counties of Harrison, Hancock, and Jackson.
“When we do our economic study, which we’ll do another one next year, it impacts the whole state,” he explained. “Cruisin’ the Coast, as I say, is doing its job and helping the economy out. If everyone can have fun and help the economy out, I don’t know how it gets any better than that.”
Bailey’s already got his calendar marked and hopes others do too, with Cruisin’ the Coast scheduled to rev up again Oct. 4-11, 2026.
