[2] The Woodward Dream Cruise is the world's largest one-day automotive event, drawing about 1.5 million people and 40,000 cars, trucks, motorcycles, and supercars - both classic and modern - each year from around the globe.

The ad hoc cruising caused traffic jams on many summer evenings, automobile accidents and included many cruisers drinking and driving.

Pamela S. McCullough, Mayor, and Nelson House, a plumber from Ferndale, came up with the idea for the cruise in 1994 to help raise money for a children's soccer field in his community.

[4] Organizers initially expected 30,000 or 40,000 people to come to the August 19, 1995, inaugural cruise on Woodward Avenue in Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Berkley, Huntington Woods, Royal Oak and Birmingham.

[5] Although the cruise officially takes place on only one day, each year the celebration starts early in the summer as the classic vehicles begin to appear on local streets.