An annual car cruise backed by In-N-Out Burger is movng to Redondo Beach in January.
It’s called Cruisin’ 2 Freedom, and it benefits the Slave 2 Nothing Foundation founded by In-N-Out owner and president Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson and her husband Sean Ellingson to fight substance abuse and human trafficking.
The foundation provides funds to grassroots organizations working in communities where In-N-Out does business.
It will take place Jan. 17 at Seaside Lagoon in the South Bay city.
Details are coming soon, according to the Slave 2 Nothing website, and people can sign up to receive notification when registration opens.
Slave 2 Nothing just wrapped up another major fundraiser, a concert called Rock 2 Freedom last weekend at the Hollywood Palladium, and broke the news in a save-the-date note at the end of an email to attendees thanking them for their support.
Both the cruise and the rock show have taken place in Orange County in recent years. Last year’s cruise began with a car show at Huntington City Beach on Pacific Coast Highway and proceeded to the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, where dinner was served out of food trucks, including a fleet from In-N-Out serving Double-Doubles.
Rock 2 Freedom has frequently been at the House of Blues Anaheim, near Disneyland, where the 2024 headliner was the Goo Goo Dolls. In-N-Out’s “family band” .48 Special usually opens for the headliners. It’s a large group made up of company associates, including the Ellingsons, and it puts on a flashy show with fire dances and aerial stunts.
Slave 2 Nothing’s cruises take place in January, which is Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
The rock shows take place in October, which is Substance Use Prevention Month. The Hollywood Palladium show, which included an hourlong set by Papa Roach, raised $934,700. Restaurants will continue to raise funds for the rest of that month with Slave 2 Nothing canisters set out on their counters. In-N-Out will match contributions three-to-one up to $300,000.
Slave 2 Nothing held a third major fundraiser in September, a three-day Tough Mudder Challenge at Big Bear Lake.
Seaside Lagoon has been the home to the BeachLife Festival, which will take place May 1-3. The lineup hasn’t been announced, but tickets are on sale.
The facility is closed until May 23, according to the city’s website, but can be booked for events off-season.
In-N-Out’s headquarters are currently in Irvine, but the chain has announced that by 2030 it will relocate its corporate offices to Baldwin Park, where it was founded by Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson’s grandparents in 1948. The chain is in the midst of a major expansion into Tennessee, where it expects to open offices next year and is building several restaurants.
Information: slave2nothing.org