Celebrity car show planned at Bourbon Street attack site
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Luxury and sports cars are parked in Istanbul during last year's Gumball 3000 rally. Photo: Filip Stevanovic/Anadolu via Getty Images
New Orleans is hosting a celebrity car show on Bourbon Street at the site of last year's deadly terrorist attack.
Why it matters: City leaders and law enforcement have spent the past year restricting vehicular access to parts of Bourbon Street in response to the attack.
The big picture: More than 100 supercars and "huge numbers" of spectators are expected Saturday on Bourbon Street for the Gumball 3000, organizers say.
- They'll be at Canal and Bourbon streets, which is where Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a truck into the crowd on New Year's Day, killing 14 people and injuring 57 more.
- The intersection is still open to traffic during certain hours, but the vehicle barricades and increased security protocols remain in place.
- Other events have been rerouted off Bourbon over the past year, with authorities citing security concerns.
Yes, but: The Gumball 3000 supercar rally has a permit from the city, a New Orleans police spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
- NOPD officers will be working the event and there will be barricades.
- New Orleans & Co. has a marketing collaboration with the group for the event, Walt Leger III, president and CEO of New Orleans & Co., confirmed Thursday.
What they're saying: Bourbon Street is a venue that's hosted many special events, Leger says, and it's important that the city remains welcoming with its public spaces.
- Gumball is "utilizing iconic Bourbon Street to promote their brand in the way that the NFL used Bourbon Street to support their brand during the Super Bowl," Leger added.
- While it's a historic neighborhood, he says, it's an important business district, and conversations are ongoing about how to regulate traffic patterns.
What's happening: The Gumball 3000 started in Miami on Thursday and is headed to Mexico City.
- The rally is stopping in New Orleans along the way. They were previously here in 2003 and 2009, according Diane Lyons with Accent New Orleans, who's handling Gumball's local logistics.
- Celebrity drivers include the founder, Maximillion Cooper, and his wife, Ruff Ryders rapper Eve, along with "Fast & Furious" star Michelle Rodriguez, former Saints star Jimmy Graham, EDM superstar deadmau5 and other artists, athletes and YouTubers.
- "Bourbon Street will transform into a full-scale celebration of cars, music and culture as the world-famous rally rolls through New Orleans," New Orleans & Co.'s Instagram post reads.
Zoom in: From 6pm to 9pm Saturday, visitors will be able to see the "world's most exclusive supercars," the post says.
- NOPD will escort the cars from Canal Street into a "barricaded chute" on Bourbon Street where they will parade at low speeds for three blocks, Lyons says.
- Only the sidewalks will be open to pedestrians.
- From 9pm to 11pm, there will be a free music show.
Go deeper: Memorial renderings for Bourbon Street attack victims