Once a year, a single Mustang event (without contestation) trumps them all…and it lasts a full week. That’s right, a WHOLE WEEK. And it’s known as Mustang Week. Last night Mustang Week 2024, presented by Ford and CJ Pony Parts, kicked off in its original location, Myrtle Beach, SC with the Vibrant Performance Kickoff Party at The Hangout. 

At 4pm the lines opened up for event-goers to pick up pre-order merchandise, VIP packages (new for this year), car show registration packets, fresh Mustang Week 2024 event t-shirts and more while a DJ spun some bangers (as the kids say) at The Hangout. If you aren’t familiar, The Hangout is located next to Broadway at the Beach – close to downtown Myrtle Beach. It is a very popular spot with families because there games, live music, full bar, and lots of family-friendly fun. In fact, they have another location in Gulf Shores, AL that uses a similar formula. And it is surrounded by shops, other restaurants, mini-golf, and more.

While the party raged (in a wholesome way) inside, unbeknownst to us – the parking lot filled with thousands of Mustangs. Unfortunately, as tends to happen at Mustang Week, a few rambunctious individuals got a little carried away leaving the premises and it drew the fuzz. Before we knew it, the police were breaking up an impromptu to car show in the parking lot. For those wondering why the police were breaking up a gathering on “private property,” this was an unpermitted event, which was not being regulated. I spoke with Mustang Week’s Director of Events, Tom Myroniak, who said that he hoped to come back next year and include a small, informal cruise-in with security to cut down on any shenanigans next year to make that part of the kickoff party a little more welcoming.

The folks at Vibrant Performance sponsored the kickoff party, who were circulating and amazed at the plethora of impressive rides from the parking lot to display at The Hangout, which featured red, white and blue S550s and a trio classics (’67, ’68 and ’69). Vibrant will be giving away some parts at Mustang Week, and given the plethora of boosted Coyotes roaming the streets of Myrtle Beach right now – I’d say that was a welcome addition. If you aren’t familiar with Vibrant, its deep catalogue features literally everything you could need to fabricate a turbo system or exhaust, plus fluid delivery, air intake and heat protection. My personal favorite are Vibrant’s HD clamps, which are a great upgrade for any supercharger or turbocharger kit that come with worm clamps to keep your charge pipes from blowing off.