A convoy of 100 special automobiles driven by well-known actors, athletes and pop music artists has left Miami for a 3,000-mile road trip to Mexico City with a stop in New Orleans this weekend.
In the midst of the journey the fleet of street-legal sports cars, antique racers and other specialty vehicles, will pause in the French Quarter, for a public exhibition.
The annual charity event, known as the Gumball 3000, is in its 27th year, founded by Maximillion Cooper, known as Mr. Gumball.
The long-distance drive was inspired in part by American-style unregulated Cannonball runs, in which old-fashioned gumball machines were awarded as prizes, according to online sources. Though Gumball 3000 organizers are quick to point out that the current event is a rally not a race.
Gumball 3000 rallies have taken place in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, as well as North America.
This year’s celebrity drivers include former New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, Cooper’s wife and rapper Eve, actor Michelle Rodriguez of the “Fast & Furious” movie franchise, electronic dance music icon deadmau5, soccer star Patrice Evra, Nigerian graffiti artist Olaolu Slawn and others.
Before reaching New Orleans on Saturday afternoon, the 2027 Gumball 3000 run plans a lunchtime stop in Gulfport, Mississippi.
The cars will assemble on Bourbon Street and Canal Street — no exact location provided — at 6 p.m. with live music and guest appearances from 9 p.m. through 11 p.m.
The event has a permit from the city and is welcome in the Quarter, New Orleans Police Department Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said this week.
