When is Bike Week 2024 in Daytona Beach? What you need to know
Yes, it’s still way to early for Halloween displays at area big-box stores, but Bike Week 2024 in Daytona Beach is already on the minds of web-surfing motorcycle fans.
If you’re among those making plans, Bike Week 2024 will unfold March 1-10, offering the annual influx of an estimated 300,000-400,000 riders and fans across a broad swath of Central Florida that includes Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns, Duval, Orange, Seminole and Brevard counties, among others.
The World’s Most Famous Beach remains the epicenter, however, where Harley-Davidsons rumble on the traditional hub along Main Street that’s Ground Zero for watching colorful people and machines.
At the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, the organization that coordinates the Daytona Beach event, there’s a logical reason for the August surge in Bike Week web searches: It’s the iconic Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota that opens on Friday, Aug. 4, and runs through Aug. 13.
“Whenever a big motorcycle event comes up, people start thinking about Bike Week,” said Janet Kersey, the organization’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. "It always amazes me how long the fingers are for it, and how long people think about it.”
Here’s what you need to know about Bike Week, what it means to fans and what’s on tap for 2024:
How long has Bike Week been going on? What's it all about?
Now in its 83rd year, Bike Week is an annual 10-day celebration powered by an array of vendors offering everything from custom sunglasses to exhaust systems, live music and opportunities to cruise everywhere from jam-packed city streets to scenic rural roads.
Looking back: Daytona Beach's Bike Week: A history of beer, bikes, cole slaw and 'rowdyism'
Here are a few must-do experiences:
Cruise Main Street: Although the event has expanded its footprint over the years, Main Street remains bucket-list worthy, especially for first-timers. Expect it to be packed elbow-to-elbow and tailpipe-to-tailpipe with motorcycles, onlookers, street vendors, bands and unusual characters from the Main Street bridge to State Road A1A.
Shop the Swap: Need a part or accessory? A complete engine? Check out the thousands of items for sale or trade at the annual Daytona Bike Week Swap Meet, a fixture for 45 years in the expansive grounds at 1471 Tomoka Farms Road, just south of the Daytona Flea & Farmers Market.
Rally in DeLand: Be sure to check out the annual DeLand Bike Rally, which features thousands of motorcycles along Woodland Boulevard. There’s a midway with motorcycle-related merchandise, as well as music, beer and food. Past events also have included a group biker wedding ceremony.
Ride the Ormond Loop: This famed 23-mile stretch from Birthplace of Speed Park to the Tomoka River basin is known for its lush canopies of live oaks and breathtaking ocean, river and marsh views. The trek, part of a larger 30-mile-plus double loop, takes riders past an assortment of oceanfront beach parks along State Road A1A, as well as North Peninsula State Park, Highbridge Park, Bulow Creek State Park and the Fairchild Oak, Tomoka State Park, Tomoka Outpost and the Ormond Beach Historical Society.
How are Bike Week 2024 preparations shaping up?
“We’re on track and it’s coming together the way it always does,” Kersey said.
That includes making connections with major event sponsors that include Harley-Davidson and Amsoil Inc., two companies that “move a lot of people to our area,” Kersey said.
The chamber also is coordinating details on the Bike Week master plan that covers rules and regulations for vendors, local businesses and visitors, a document that’s typically presented in December for approval by the Daytona Beach City Commission.
In the meantime, Daytona Beach will host the fall Biketoberfest event, set for Oct. 19-22. That event, a smaller-scale gathering organized by the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, is now in its 31st year.
What does Bike Week mean to its fans?
For the faithful, Bike Week is more than a seasonal event.
“We answer calls all year long,” said Kersey, who said that she is constantly surprised by the frequency of inquiries for the event throughout the year.
“The event is so filmed and so promoted beyond just the normal advertising and what we do,” she said, pointing to Google alerts about references to the event in death notices.
“I see a lot of people when obituary notices are posted will write about how someone loved to ride to Bike Week. So, to have the last words written about their life include Bike Week and its importance to them, that’s kind of remarkable.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Bike Week 2024: What you need to know to make your plans
