Daytona Biketoberfest is just around the corner. What's on tap for 2023?

Jim Abbott, Daytona Beach News-Journal
Updated ·4 min read
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The sound of end-of-summer NASCAR engines have faded at the World’s Most Famous Beach, but it won’t be long until motorcycles rumble into Daytona Beach for the annual Biketoberfest celebration.

This year’s edition of the four-day fall motorcycle rally will unfold Oct. 19-22 in Daytona Beach and throughout Volusia and Flagler counties. Now in it’s 31st year, the event typically draws an estimated crowd of 100,000 motorcycle riders and fans.

What’s in store for the 2023 event? Here’s what you need to know about Biketoberfest:

What's the history of Biketoberfest?

The fall motorcycle event was added to the annual calendar in 1992, when Georgia Turner, then public relations director for the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Janet Kersey, then the bureau’s events director, came up with the idea to boost area hotels, restaurants and other businesses during a traditionally slow time of year.

This is the scene along Main Street in front of the Dirty Harry's Pub in Daytona Beach during Biketoberfest on Oct. 15, 2022. The building where Dirty Harry's is located is one of several on Main Street that were sold in December 2022 to CTO Realty Growth LLC which plans to look for new operators to take over or possibly redevelop those properties in late summer 2023.

Not only has the event withstood the test of time, but both of those leaders also remain highly involved in promoting tourism and businesses in the area: Turner is executive director of the West Volusia Tourism Advertising Authority, while Kersey is executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Is Biketoberfest as big as Bike Week?

Not quite.

Biketoberfest is a four-day event, while the annual Bike Week in the spring stretches across 10 days in Daytona Beach and across a broader swatch of Central Florida that includes Volusia, Flagler, Seminole, Orange, Brevard, St. Johns and Duval counties.

The estimated attendance for Bike Week is typically in the 300,000-400,000 range, according to the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, which coordinates that event.

Since you mentioned it, when is Bike Week 2024?

If you’re making plans, Bike Week 2024 will unfold March 1-10 in its traditional hub in Daytona Beach and throughout Central Florida. The event is now in its 83rd year.

And, no, it’s not too early to be making plans. Bike Week 2024 was already trending earlier this month amid interest in the legendary Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota that unfolded Aug. 4-13.

What is there to do at Biketoberfest?

Here are some must-do activities at the annual Biketoberfest event:

Make it to Main Street. Although Biketoberfest has expanded its footprint over the years, ground zero is still Main Street, 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.

Riders rolling down Main Street, Friday October 14, 2022 as Biketoberfest shifts into second gear in Daytona Beach.
Riders rolling down Main Street, Friday October 14, 2022 as Biketoberfest shifts into second gear in Daytona Beach.

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.

Part of a larger 30-mile-plus double loop, the trek 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.

Find details on this ride and others at biketoberfest.org.

Visit Daytona International Speedway. At the annual Fall Cycle Scene, the American Sportbike Racing Association and the American Motorcyclist Association host a weekend’s worth of on-track races on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway. Daily tickets and multiple-day passes range from $18-$56 at DaytonaInternationalSpeedway.com.

In addition, the Speedway also will host vendors, displays and entertainment in front of the track’s entrance at the Midway Marketplace, and admission is free.

Are there new things to do at Biketoberfest 2023?

Riders looking for colorful photo ops now can travel the Daytona Beach Mural Trail, a route promoted by the Daytona Beach Area CVB that highlights more than two dozen colorful murals throughout the Daytona Beach area.

Stops range from Main Street, the event’s Ground Zero people-watching hub, to Teddy Morse’s Harley-Davidson at the sprawling Destination Daytona complex at the intersection of I-96 and U.S. Highway 1 in Ormond Beach.

Dan Larkins joins other fishermen trying their luck, Thursday July 27, 2023 on the resently reopened Daytona Pier.
Dan Larkins joins other fishermen trying their luck, Thursday July 27, 2023 on the resently reopened Daytona Pier.

Other top spots to see include the scenic view from the new Riverfront Esplanade on Beach Street as well as the historic Daytona Beach Pier, recently renovated following damage from tropical storms Ian and Nicole.

Where can I find more information about Biketoberfest?

Visit the event’s official site, Biketoberfest.org, for more details.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Biketoberfest ready to roll into Daytona Beach again this fall