'All about cars': 6 things to know about the Emerald Coast Cruizin' spring car show
PANAMA CITY BEACH — Classic cars, hot rods and exotic vehicles will roll into Aaron Bessant Park this week for a premier car show in Panama City Beach.
The sixth annual Emerald Coast Cruizin’ spring event starts Wednesday, bringing thousands of car enthusiasts together for car shows, live music performances and family-friendly entertainment through Saturday.
Founder Robert Parrish of Flip Flop Productions Inc. said he's anticipating a turnout of more than 1,000 unique vehicles, from luxury vehicles to classic hot rods.
“We’re trying something new this year and including today’s muscle and exotic cars in addition to our classic hot rods in the spring show,” Parrish said. “So whether it’s a hot rod or corvette, we’re going to be all about cars this year.”
This year’s event will raise money to benefit Shriners Children's Hospital and local veterans. Also, the Panama City Optimist Club will raise funds for childhood cancer.
Here are six things to know about the Emerald Coast Cruizin’ spring event.
Event location and additional venues
The main event will be at Aaron Bessant Park, 600 Pier Park Drive, adjacent to shopping and restaurants at Pier Park. Hammerhead Fred’s, 8752 Thomas Drive, will also host some of the festivities on Wednesday and Thursday.
How to register a vehicle
Guests may register their vehicle at the event site from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Registration is $70, which includes access to classic vehicle parking, entry into giveaways and raffles, event swag and souvenirs and two wristbands that grant admission for all days at Aaron Bessant Park.
What cars are allowed in the show
Only select cars are able to register to be in the show, such as hot rods, classics, rad rods, motorcycles, muscle cars and exotic cars.
This includes: Corvettes, Camaros, Porsches, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, T-Birds, Firebirds, Thunderbirds, Mustangs, Challengers, Chargers, Monte Carlo SS, Chevy SS454 pickups, Ford Lightning pickups, Vipers or Prowlers of any year are eligible to enter the car show. Other vehicles are allowed but must have five or more modifications to qualify for entry.
For all rules and qualifications for registering a vehicle, visit EmeraldCoastCruizin.com.
General admission prices
Admission for spectators is $15 per day or $40 for a three-day ticket. Ages 12 and younger are free with a paid adult. Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate. Spectator admission grants access to the event, which includes concerts, vendor midway and meet and greet with special guests.
Live music performances, special guests and family-friendly entertainment
The event begins Wednesday with a block party at Hammerhead Fred’s from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Each day of the event, there will be vendors on site selling equipment for cars and opportunities for giveaways and cash prizes at Aaron Bessant Park.
Live music will take place all day Thursday through Saturday with performances by DJ Steven Phillips, String Theory band and Loud Planet band. In addition, special guest Chris Jacobs, who has hosted automobile TV shows "Overhaulin’" and "Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auctions," will host a meet and greet Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the event site.
The full schedule of events can be found at EmeraldCoastCruizin.com/event-schedule.
About Emerald Coast Cruizin’
Emerald Coast Cruizin’ is a biannual event held in March and November each year. In 2005, Parrish brought Emerald Coast Cruizin’ to life with annual shows in November before he added spring shows in 2017. Parrish said when the event began, it had only featured a few hundred cars, but now sees more than 1,000 cars for each show. For more information about the event, visit EmeraldCoastCruizin.com.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Emerald Coast Cruizin' returns to Panama City Beach for spring event
