The Saints Car Club’s annual Cruz car show, a staple summer event on the downtown Port Orchard waterfront, has been moved to the Rodeo Drive-In Theater in Bremerton and will be held Aug. 10 after organizers and the city of Port Orchard failed to reach an agreement on safety requirements.

City officials say the primary concern was the organizers’ request to allow vehicles to leave freely throughout the event while thousands of pedestrians filled the streets. The city determined that posed a significant safety risk. Conversations with the city’s insurance provider confirmed the concerns.

“As our neighbors in Gig Harbor experienced in 2024, and as incidents nationwide have shown, vehicle and pedestrian interactions at large events can result in serious injuries if not properly managed,” city leaders say in a statement.

The car club said in a statement: “We were told when people are down there, no car could move and that’s just not possible. It’s sad that this tradition had to come to an end. We would have loved to keep it in downtown Port Orchard.”

City leaders say they met multiple times with the organizers and offered alternatives to mitigate risks, but a resolution could not be reached.

“This is a very unfortunate outcome,” Mayor Rob Putaansuu said. “However, the city’s paramount duty is to provide for the safety of our residents and visitors. Allowing potentially unsafe conditions during public events is not a risk the taxpayers of Port Orchard and visitors should be asked to accept.”