The European Bike Week at Lake Faaker See has had a few changes this year, but it was exciting to see how it would be received by visitors.
The new Harley Bar is well received
The big topic was moving the main stage to the Harley Bar, which is housed in the large tent. The new concept seems to have worked out pretty well, the party was going strong in the evening and the bikers were dancing on the tables placed in front of the stage.
It's a bit difficult for the bands when the audience is sitting at the table in front of them, but somehow it all worked out well. There are now generally a lot more places to sit and relax in Harley Village than in previous years.
In the area in front of the former stage there is the Loca bus from the Italians and the EXPO tent from Harley-Davidson. To the left of it, the new saloon, a beer garden that is quite cozy, has now found its place.
The Faaktoberzelt has also found its friends, there is also a lot of celebration there, but they can't compete with the Harley Bar. Only over at the Motodrom is there a comparably busy late evening.

Bill Davidson presents the trophies
Bill and Karen Davidson are both at European Bike Week this year. On Thursday there was a BBQ with some guests from politics and the tourism association from Lake Faak and Carinthia. Here the visitors from the USA were presented with good cuisine from the Carinthian region.
Carinthia shone with its specialties
What was more important about the relaxed BBQ grill evening was that Carinthia and the municipality of Finkenstein once again sent an example to the region that they are 100% behind the event and that we as visitors can therefore assume that the contracts for the European in 2023 Bike Week will go into a long-term extension again.
The tent is now gone at Area 1, there is generally a lot going on at Arneitz and you get the impression that less is often more. So far we've only heard good things.
The number of visitors is difficult to estimate, one has the impression that discovering the surrounding area has become more of a part of the program this year, as there hasn't been a big traffic jam yet, and bookings are good again this year, which speaks for that.
There was already a lot going on, the sun was shining on the most important days of the week and the weather was perfect for the event, the weather forecast told us otherwise, luckily that wasn't the case. You can't rely on the weather apps.
There were some controls again on Thursday, and in some places the speed was also monitored using a laser.
The thefts have so far also shifted to the surrounding area. One person could just see how his trailer and bike were being pulled away, but he didn't realize until too late that it was his trailer that was being pulled away.
Now it's time for the final sprint! Let's hope we can get through the weekend without any rain.
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