As a Woodward Dream Cruise virgin until Saturday, I had limited experience with the car event — mostly annoyance at the traffic snarls it creates or an occasional nod at a particularly cool car.

Saturday, however, I left the air-conditioned comfort of my own car and made my way through the madness.

People from all over began to line the streets in tents and folding chairs as early as 7 a.m. and by 11, a rainbow of cars edged down Woodward bumper to bumper. On the sidewalk, dog walkers stopped to talk with car owners, strangers traded stories about their own vehicles, and kids of all ages wriggled their way through the crowd and pulled on their parents' fingers to ensure they were paying adamant attention to the parade of traffic.

The historic event began almost 30 years ago, in 1995. Organizers initially expected to draw around 30,000-40,000 visitors from metro Detroit, but were shocked when over 250,000 came to the inaugural cruise.

'I'm a big union guy': Jay Leno talks unions, EVs before driving 1K horsepower Dodge Demon in Dream Cruise

Vintage and modern vehicles drive along Woodward Avenue during the Woodward Dream Cruise in Birmingham on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023.

It is now the largest single-day classic car event in the world.

Doug Green started drag racing on Woodward Avenue when he was 15. He officially got a license two years later, but says his privileges were revoked within a year because he had accumulated so many tickets from his hobby.

"My insurance was crazy for a while, but it didn't stop me," he said with a laugh.

Now 73, Green has made the 3½-hour drive from Mackinaw City to Detroit every year since it began, missing just once because he got sick.

"It just brings me back to good times," he said.

Classic and modern vehicles cruise on Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak during the annual Woodward Dream Cruise on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023.

Different car companies stood at their booths, advertising their latest models while owners of previous models polished, cleaned and discussed them.

Not all cruisers appreciate the same things, however, and some take great pride in their vehicle's sparkle and shine, while others, especially those with so-called "rat-rides," boast about their car's original design.

Story continues

Brad Pepperell, 53, of Ferndale, has been attending the Dream Cruise since he was a child and says he appreciates the variety.

"You see things here you're never going to see anywhere else," he said.

As if on cue, a dark orange van began to pass; it appeared to have been flipped upside-down. Another set of wheels were attached so that the car was driving on its roof. A cacophony of shouts — from "WHOA" to "Did you see that?" — rang through the crowd gathering on the sidewalk.

An upside-down vehicle drives down Woodward Avenue during the Woodward Dream Cruise in Royal Oak on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023.

In Birmingham, the National Corvette Restorers Society took up about a block of Old Woodward. Since the group was founded in 1974, the members' goal has been to restore the cars to how they were in the dealership.

"These cars were a part of families. It's a way of bringing back memories," says Mike Bailey, 80, as he stands in front of his 1961 Corvette.

Bailey says that he was thinking of selling his car when his son, Mike Jr., was 3 years old. Upon hearing the news, however, his son began to weep and told him he couldn't possibly. So Bailey kept it.

Decades later, Mike Jr.'s own 2023 Corvette now stands next to Bailey's 1961.

Community members watch as vintage and modern vehicles drive along Woodward Avenue during the Woodward Dream Cruise in Royal Oak on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023.

More than just a car show or traffic jam, I realized, the Woodward Dream Cruise is a place where the past, present, and future converge, and where tradition and innovation are celebrated together, as one.

One man, passing the Baileys' cars while gently holding his young daughter's hand, stopped and bent down to meet her gaze.

"Look at the history here," he told her. "This is where the Corvette started and there it is now. Isn't that cool?"

Aurora Sousanis is a sophomore at the University of Michigan. Contact her: asousanis@freepress.com. Become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Woodward Dream Cruise 2023: Past, present, future on display