The first Cruise Night of 2023 is Thursday, May 4, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in the north lot of the Center Mall. (Photos/Nancy Hanson.)

The city’s favorite Thursday dates return on May 4 with the 2023 debut of Moorhead Cruise Night.

Classic cars will again fill the parking lots north of the Center Mall, according to organizer Bill Bartholomay. “A lot of people seem to like the location,” he said. “It’s a little more personal.”

Now in its third year, Cruise Night attracts an average of up to 270 automobiles and from 1,800 to 2,000 guests. The free event runs from 5 to 8:30 p.m.

New this year are trophies to be awarded each month from May through September. The winner will be chosen by that month’s corporate sponsor – in May, Luther Family Ford. At the season’s final show Sept. 7, Mayor Shelly Carlson will award a “best of the best” trophy, choosing among the five summer winners.

Dan Brekke takes the stage for next week’s show. Food trucks will be on hand, including Northern Brain Freeze, the Hot Dog Peddler, Lupe’s Tacos and Misfits Barbecue. New sponsors, Legends and Murphy’s Pub, will be selling “adult beverages.”

While the mall’s north lot has proved to be popular, this is the last year the car show will take place there. Bartholomay plans to move it to the grounds of M State in 2024.

For more information on this summer’s Cruise Nights. Go to www.moorheadcruisenight.com.