In order to help hype the upcoming release of the new Disney-Pixar film, Cars 3, a promotional tour dubbed Road to the Races will roll into town next week on Tuesday, April 25, and set up shop at Public Square from noon to 4 p.m.

At the free event, patrons can take part in a host of activities and get a sneak peek of the movie as they interact with life-size, character look-alikes of the film’s characters, including Lightning McQueen, Cruz Ramirez and Jackson Storm.

A slew of corporate sponsors will be on hand for the event. Alamo Rent A Car will host a street art booth that includes with a giant coloring mural featuring Lightning McQueen and friends. Coppertone will create a racer pit crew that features a tire-changing activity and a photo-sharing opportunity. Crest and Oral-B will provide fans with an opportunity to create a digital postcard with Lightning McQueen and receive Cars-themed oral care products. Dole will offer samples of “high-octane fruit and vegetable smoothies,” and Mattel will present an interactive play area.

In addition, the sports national youth program NASCAR Acceleration Nation will display the science behind NASCAR racing and allow attendees to get up close and personal with the history of NASCAR.

The film opens on June 16.

This article appears in Apr 12-18, 2017.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.

6 replies on “‘Cars 3’ Promotional Event Headed to Public Square”

  1. noon – 4 on a Tuesday. Perfect for your target audience. I can’t imagine what anyone of that age group might be doing on a Tuesday afternoon in April.

  2. Exactly my thoughts. What a marketing mishap! I was excited to bring my kids until I saw the day and time!

  4. This pretty much eliminates any kids that might still nap or any child in school (also, any adult that may have standard working hours). Can anything be done about this? Can the hours be extended or have this moved to a weekend?

  5. Followup: I guess the target audience is 5 y.o. and under, and as I’m looking at public square out my office window right now I can firmly say: direct hit. It’s packed down there, and more are walking that way.

  6. Next time someone decided to block Public Square in this manner they might want to post signs to re-route normal pedestrian traffic. Why wasn’t this off to one side or the other so that the cross walk was not impacted.

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