As the SEMA Show winds down on Friday afternoon the thousands of show attendees and participants begin to collectively breathe a deep sigh for the conclusion of a long week. Outside the many halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center, thousands of spectators have been gathering to witness the event that has opened up to the public. For them, the show has just begun.

The SEMA Cruise and SEMA Ignited are open to the general public. The SEMA Cruise had its humble beginnings as a gathering of the general public to take in the many hundreds of spectacular rides that would stream out of the SEMA Show on Friday at the conclusion of the show. This was the only chance the public had to see the many unique and special cars, trucks, UTVs, and sometimes motorcycles that would parade past eager crowds lining Las Vegas Boulevard.

That was then. Today, spectators are welcome to sit on the bleachers provided by the SEMA organizers and be witness to the vehicular splendor as they roll out and on to SEMA Ignited, an event which was also dreamed up out of the recognition of the public interest. While the SEMA Cruise is free and open to those who can secure a place along the route, the SEMA Ignited show is a curated event that has nearly all of the vehicles that have made their way along the exit route and then parked on display for a closeup look for attendees that have paid for tickets to the public event.

The SEMA Cruise is the best rolling car show you will find. The level of build quality and vehicle diversity is spectacular. Car lovers should try to attend this just to see what you will only see here. Many of these premium builds are manufacturer-sponsored vehicles, many are privately owned, all are unique and amazing.

Speaking of diversity, I can think of very few shows that have supercars rolling just behind a rusty rat rod, and just ahead of a high-riding diesel show truck. This roll-out keeps your eyes transfixed on the next and next. They stream past you seemingly endlessly. This year there are more than a thousand coming out of their week-long time on the carpeting inside the Convention Center halls.

They fire up at 4 when the show ends and are each guided from their spaces to the beginning of the Cruise route. The crowds get an exclusive look at most of the vehicles that lined the halls, were featured in booths, and on display in the outside area between the various halls. Many of their excited owner/drivers and passengers grinning ear to ear from the chance to be in one of the best rolling art shows on the planet.

As the chrome and paint parade passes the attending crowd cheers and applauds in appreciation. Two emcees, one at each end of the route in front of the Center, announce the stream of vehicles and single out some of the notable examples of perfection. They chat briefly with the owner/drivers to get the details on the ride and then send them to rejoin the group on their way to SEMA Ignited.

The show continues for those with SEMA Show credentials and all those who pay the admission, which is a reasonable twenty bucks. Included with this admission are a live band (who seriously ripped it up), Formula Drift, vintage dragster fire-ups, food truck options, drink options, and row after row of sweet rides fresh out of the SEMA Show. Lots of SEMA swag for those who wanted to take home an embroidered or printed garment to commemorate the event.

The grandstands were filled with spectators in the mood for more awesome SEMA Show vehicles. Those who came early got the prime seating. The parade passed in front of the grandstands and on through to the static display area where all vehicles would stop for the evening. More and more cars poured in as the band rocked into the night.

The event checked a lot of boxes. Vegas after all is Sin City. The night definitely proved itself to be a lustful event for all us car people.

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