I like cars. Always have done. Always will do.
I was also partial to the occasional illegal car cruise in a modified Fast Ford back in my youth, so I make absolutely no apologies for a blog dedicated to Old Town Kissimmee Car Cruise Nights — or for the number of photos and videos I’ll no doubt dig out to go with it.
AUTHOR
Dave
CATEGORY
POSTED ON
26th January 2026
reading time
6 minutes
Car cruises in the USA are a very different animal to car cruises back home in Blighty.
In the UK, they tend to be slightly antisocial affairs — usually involving youths in modified cars, burnouts, questionable driving and stereo systems loud enough to put the O2 Arena to shame. Or maybe that was just me back in the day.
We’ve come across several car cruises across the USA over the years — from the fantastic meet in Santa Fe during our road trip from Tucumcari to Santa Fe, to a completely random but brilliant encounter in New Iberia, Louisiana.
The big difference compared to the UK is how well organised these events are — and how positively they’re embraced by the local community. They bring people out, fill restaurants, and feel like something to be celebrated rather than tolerated.
The Cars (And the People)
For a start, the average age of a US car cruiser seems to be a good 50 years older than back home.
The cars on display are incredible — ranging from 1960s British classics to hot rods, muscle cars and huge 1950s Cadillacs. Everything is polished to within an inch of its life and displayed with pride, rather than ragged around a Tesco car park burning rubber.
Old Town Kissimmee Car Cruise Nights
Old Town Kissimmee hosts regular car cruise nights that see dozens and sometimes hundreds of classic cars roll in and line the streets. Owners are more than happy to chat, share stories, and let people take photos, creating a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.
There’s live music, food stalls, fairground rides and a real sense that the whole place comes alive for the evening. It’s not just a car event it’s a social one.
An Evening Well Spent
The car cruise was a brilliant way to spend an evening. Oscar and I loved it, and the rest of the family seemed to enjoy the couple of nights we spent wandering around, ogling the machinery on display.
Like most American attractions, it also threw up a few moments of pure “only in the USA” weirdness — including a group of 60-plus-year-old ladies line dancing to a live band playing ZZ Top songs. I’m fairly sure I have a video somewhere.
Patriotism, American-Style
Another thing we don’t really get in the UK — or certainly didn’t in 2019 — is the level of patriotism.
At the end of the night, all the cars that had been on display cruise slowly through Old Town Kissimmee while thousands of people line the streets cheering and taking photos.
But before that starts, The Star-Spangled Banner comes over the PA system. Everybody stops. Hats off. Hands on hearts. And a good singalong follows.
Perfectly normal in the USA. Slightly weird for us Brits.
Fairground Food and Final Thoughts
As expected, vast amounts of questionable American fairground food were consumed — candyfloss, corndogs, hamburgers, sickly milkshakes and frozen drinks — and a great time was had by all.
Had this been our first US car cruise, I’d probably be saying it was the best part of the holiday. But it wasn’t… so I won’t.
That said, it was still a cracking couple of evenings — and we’ve got a few more cool places to add to the blog yet.
Florida Railroad Museum, Parrish: Birthdays and a Perfect Surprise
Kennedy Space Center: Real Heroes, Moon Rockets and a Day Well Spent
