Last Updated on June 29, 2025
Route 66 celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2026!
Also known as the Mother Road or Main Street of America, it is one of the most iconic highways in U.S. history symbolizing American freedom, travel, and the rise of the car culture in the 20th century.
Established November 11, 1926, the almost 2,500 miles of highway starting in Chicago and ending in Santa Monica, CA also traverses Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
As if the Centennial year of the Mother Road in The Capital of Route 66 wasn’t big enough, the celebration will now be record-breaking.
The Tulsa Route 66 Commission has announced “Tulsa’s Route 66 Capital Cruise: World-Record Classic Car Centennial Parade,” set for May 30, 2026, along Tulsa’s stretch of Route 66. With a goal of more than 3,000 entrants, the Capital Cruise aims to set a world record, verified by an internationally acclaimed record-keeping organization.
“In Tulsa, we don’t do anything halfway—especially when it comes to honoring and recognizing our history,” Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols said. “The Route 66 Capital Cruise will be an important celebration for our community, and I want to thank the Tulsa Route 66 Commission, the City of Tulsa, Visit Tulsa, and so many local organizations for their hard work as we prepare for 2026 with an event worthy of our title as The Capital of Route 66.”
Though details are still being finalized, the aim is having of more than 200,000 spectators along the Cruise route, a day no one will ever forget.
“The Tulsa Route 66 Commission works to make sure the Mother Road isn’t just remembered but celebrated, and there won’t be a bigger birthday party in the country for the Route’s Centennial year than here in The Capital of Route 66,” Josh Stout, Chair of the Tulsa Route 66 Commission, said. “Tulsa’s Route 66 Capital Cruise will be a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration.”
Tulsa’s Route 66 Capital Cruise will be the crown jewel of Route 66’s Centennial year. The Route is already the main topic of interest by far for walk-ins at the Visitors Center. Powered by Visit Tulsa, with nearly 400 specifically mentioning Route 66 as the reason for their visit in fiscal year 2024/25, and that number is only expected to rise in 2026.
“With more miles of Route 66 than any other state, Oklahoma proudly embraces the road’s place in our history, and that includes Tulsa’s standing as its Capital,” Oklahoma Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell said. “The Tulsa Route 66 Capital Cruise will bring thousands of visitors to the city, generating major economic impact. Oklahoma is the perfect location to host the official Route 66 birthday party, and Tulsa’s Capital Cruise will be an important part of that celebration.”
