Woodland Mall to be second main event site for 28th Street Metro Cruise

The 28th Street Metro Cruise draws nearly 250,000 people to the annual event. This year, the event will have a second location at Woodland Mall. (Supplied)

The 28th Street Metro Cruise® organizers announced the expansion of the popular summertime event to include a second main event site at Kentwood’s Woodland Mall.

Rogers Plaza has been the sole “official” site of Metro Cruise® for the past 10 years. Attracting nearly 100,000 people in two days, the main site has grown significantly during the past few years. It now features more than 25 food vendors, 400 collector cars, kid’s entertainment area, Community Awards ceremony, Miss Metro Cruise® competition finale, five top area bands, and the popular Dynamometer car testing area where cars rev to 160 mph.

The new second main event site which will be located in the large southwest parking lot of the Woodland Mall, 3195 28^thSt. SE, will be open Aug. 22 from 11 a.m to 8 p.m. The Woodland Mall location will feature a wide array of collector, sports, and antique cars. It will also have multiple food vendors including popular local food trucks, entertainment for kid’s, and three local bands. A new feature unique to this site will be the Safe City elements – which will include an impaired driving course, jaws of life demonstration, and a distracted driving simulator.

Overall, Metro Cruise® draws nearly 250,000 people city-wide to dozens of events along 28^thSt. With the expansion on the east side, those numbers are expected to be exceeded this year.

“We are very excited to increase the reach and footprint of Metro Cruise®”, said Bob O’Callaghan, President and CEO of the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce. “Our group has been researching this expansion for the past couple years, and the time is now right. This move allows us to have an official presence on the east side of 28^th Street, while easing the very high attendance at the Rogers Plaza location.”

The partnership with the immediately recognizable location of the Woodland Mall was a major factor in this new partnership. “Our top choice for a site was the Woodland Mall,” O’Callagha said. “They are a major player along 28^th Street.”

The Rogers Plaza site will remain the largest site of Metro Cruise®, with all elements returning for this year’s event, including a free shuttle service courtesy of the Rapid partnership. The famous Collector Car Row, the lineup of 200-plus show cars along 28^th Street, will be featured each day. The Main Event at Rogers Plaza (972 28^thStreet SW) will be Friday, Aug. 21 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday, Aug. 22 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The next big event for the Metro Cruise will be the annual Dust-Off which will take place May 4 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Wyoming Moose Lodge, 2630 Burlingame Ave. SW.

For more information and schedule of events visit www.28thstreetmetrocruise.com. Follow the Metro Cruise on Facebook (f/metrocruise) and Instagram (@metrocruise). The 28th Street Metro Cruise® is owned and managed by the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce.