Central Otago car club Alpine Street Machines has hosted the event for more than 10 years, and used the event to raise money for causes ranging from the Cromwell Fire Brigade to the Cancer Society and St John.
Club president Steve Swift said last year $2000 was raised for the St John health shuttle.
This year the cruise would raise money for Camp Quality, a charity which holds summer camps for children battling cancer.
Entry costs $5 per person but people often donated more he said.
This year the cars would complete two laps of the town, with each lap taking 15 to 20 minutes.
"We start at seven [7pm] and then do a bit of a lap and then out to Bannockburn and then back again."
The cruise was also a spectator event, Mr Swift said.
In the past hundreds of people along the course would set up couches and chairs to watch and wave at the variety of cars passing by as they completed the laps.
The support of the Cromwell township was great with the Golden Gate Lodge offering the use of some land for an assembly point before the cruise, he said.
Keeping with the community spirit, police would also be involved, as would the Cromwell Volunteer Fire Brigade which would hold a sausage sizzle to help raise funds for the brigade, he said.
The brigade would also wet down the assembly point to ensure the old cars which sat low to the ground and ran hot didn’t start fires, he said.
As well as the cruise on Saturday the Southland Ford Falcon Club would host the Cromwell Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival and then on Sunday Alpine Street Machines and the Vintage Car Club would run a swap meet.
Mr Swift was looking forward to a weekend of cars and really good Cromwell vibes.
"I’ll be there at five o’clock, walking around, scratching my head, wondering who’s going to give me a job."
Participants and their cars can assemble in the field opposite the Cromwell Z station, beside Super Liquor, from 5pm and the cruise will begin at 7pm.
