Cruising Pre-Party 5/2016 – Even More American Muscle Now!

Helsinki’s car cruising tradition dates back to 1983, but the newer Malmi Airport pre-party — first held in 2014 — has become an event in its own right, drawing muscle cars, hot rods, and classics hours before the main cruise into the city. The May 2016 gathering was reportedly the biggest pre-party yet. See what packed the runway that night.

The Helsinki Cruising Night car event has grown so huge that there’s nowadays even a Pre-Cruising meet held at the Malmi Airport near Helsinki centre.
This was years first pre-cruising event and it was packed with stunning muscle cars, classics, hot rods and more, here are the best bits, enjoy!

Every summer, cars start gathering at a former airport outside Helsinki hours before the main event even begins — a pre-party that’s grown so large it now rivals the cruise itself. What started as a small, informal warm-up meet has turned into one of the most photographed gatherings on the Finnish car calendar, packed with muscle cars, hot rods, and classics rolling in from across the region. This particular pre-party, held in May of 2016, was reportedly the biggest one yet at that point. What is it about an old airport runway that keeps drawing bigger crowds every year?

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A Tradition That Outgrew Its Own Beach

Helsinki’s cruising tradition traces back decades, with organized car gatherings dating to 1983, originally centered around Hietaniemi beach and the nearby Leppäsuon Esso station before traffic restrictions pushed the event toward Helsinki Market Square and Kaivopuisto. The modern format now has cars gathering at 5 p.m. before a slow procession into the city center, arriving at the Market Square by around 8 p.m. — a route that’s become as much a part of the tradition as the cars themselves.

Why Malmi Airport Became the Warm-Up Act

The Malmi Airport pre-party is the newer addition, first organized by the Finnish Hot Rod Association in 2014 and now running monthly from May through September on the first Friday of each month. It gives owners a chance to show cars in a wide-open setting before the tighter, slower-moving cruise into the city — which likely explains why a “pre-party” has become such a draw in its own right rather than just a staging area.

What Makes the Pre-Party Worth the Trip

Unlike the tightly packed procession into central Helsinki, the Malmi Airport setting gives photographers and spectators room to walk freely among the cars, which is part of why images from the pre-party circulate so widely afterward. It’s also a low-pressure entry point for owners who’d rather skip the slow-moving crawl through downtown traffic but still want to show off a build to a serious crowd of enthusiasts before the season really gets going.

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