Review – Harley-Davidson Euro Festival Saint Tropez

This route along the Mediterranean coast is one of the most beautiful that France has to offer, and the tour to the event alone is an experience. On the secondary routes, it feels like you're driving through a herb garden, as the spicy smell of Provence wafts through your nose.

This year the Harley meeting on the Cote d'Azur was on the road map for the first time. Via Switzerland along the Cote d'Azur through Monaco, Nice and finally arrival in Saint Tropez.

I was expecting a small event that would take place somewhere on a campsite with a few simple cabins. The whole area should be a place reserved only for the rich and famous of the world, with high prices and expensive accommodation and only French speakers expected.

The new date is from June 7th to 10th, 2018!

In the end, only one of these expectations was true, the thing with the language and the French. When they realize that you come from Germany, you have the feeling that they are stubborn.

But nonetheless it is a great country and there are also a lot of friendly French people. 80% of the visitors come from France, a majority from Belgium, Switzerland and Italy. Then I would first see the Germans, they exist, but there are not very many yet, but that will certainly change in the future.

But the real surprise was the Harley-Davidson Euro Festival itself. I had already heard a lot, but I had no idea how beautiful it really is there. For me it is one of the top Harley events in Europe and by no means a small event.

In terms of the number of Harleys, it certainly can't be compared to Lake Faaker See, but the whole area is geared up for the Harley meeting. A special highlight is the bike show from the Euro Festival in Grimaud, which takes place in a small old town near Saint Tropez takes place.

Great cafes, small streets and a quaint market square where the bike show shows everything that Europe's customizers have to offer - it really is a special atmosphere. Big names like Asso, Kodlin, Krugger and Augustin can be found here.

This year over 20,000 Harley riders arrived in Port Grimaud for the event site. The event started on Thursday and there was a lot on offer for visitors.

The presentation of the new Harley-Davidson Street Rod took place in the Dark Custom Zone area, where there were also other cool, some older models. A relaxation area with Harley No. 1 deck chairs to relax and the driving simulator were in great demand and therefore often occupied.

“A fantastic beach atmosphere – the stage is right next to the beach bar!” 

3 days of live music at its finest, the large stage right on the beach and everything in the area of ​​the large beach bar, simply fantastic. The cappuccino for €3.50 isn't too expensive for this environment, but the beer costs a little more.

But you can be prepared for that, the prices are generally normal, there are of course places where you can spend your money, it is always recommended to look at the map on the notice board beforehand. Four scoops of ice cream at the port of Saint Tropez for €6.50, but that's an ice cream that will fill you up.

There are also budget accommodation options, but maybe you should think about what you want, it's just beautiful here and certainly the wrong place for savers and people who don't know how to spend money.

The German Harley rider is known for being reluctant to pay admission for anything and that's where the problems start. You can get access to the site for three days for €125. As a HOG member you save €25. In my opinion, this should definitely be included in your budget.

“The festival area”

All I can say is crazy, you have more of a Caribbean flair here, palm trees everywhere and it's immediately noticeable that the colonial theme has been visually taken up here. The so-called huts are small wooden houses that can accommodate four to six people. They are available in three different configurations.

The Harley can be parked directly in front of the house, sea sand, palm trees and wooden houses, some of which are painted in the same style, in the middle of the event area.

You can practically walk from the party on the beach straight into the house. The houses are well equipped, all equipment variants have air conditioning, even a dishwasher or refrigerator does not have to be dispensed with.

There are large areas of dealers exhibiting their goods and of course well-known exhibitors such as “S2S Steel to Silver” on site here. Some even show their craft directly in the stand, which is very interesting, especially because there are also exhibitors who are not yet known from our events.

There are also various parking spaces and plenty of security on site, there is a shop for everyday things and also nice restaurants. Nobody has to starve here, regardless of whether they have a large or small wallet with them.

The parade

Over 2,500 Harleys took part in the parade. Unlike ours, the parade only starts in the late afternoon at 4:00 p.m. and lasts about 2 hours. It is incomparable, just a moment ago you are traveling on a wide street and you suddenly find yourself in the narrow streets of Grimaud, plus a short detour into the beautiful mountainous surroundings of Saint Tropez, simply fantastic.

At the port of Saint Tropez, visitors were already waiting for the Harley convoy, which made its way through the narrow shopping street to the port. We continued into the rural surroundings, where the welcome was no less friendly.

The parade concluded at the Jeep Adventure Adventure Area. At the Euro Festival it was also announced that Harley-Davidson and Jeep want to strengthen their relationship; the Jeep brand will continue to be an official sponsor of the major Harley-Davidson events in Europe.

There is a limited offer with preferential prices for HOG members; anyone who would like to buy a Jeep should inform themselves immediately.

This is the first exciting Harley Event event in Europe this spring - and it can be celebrated with enthusiasm. In St Tropez there is a fantastic area with Caribbean flair, live music, guided tours to discover the Var region, Dark Custom Zone, Jeep Test Ride, a Harley dealer area and a large dealer area where lots of accessories, jewelry and many others Items are offered.

The big Harley-Davidson test drive campaign was also present at the Euro Festival; the latest models, including the newly introduced Street Rod, could be test driven.

The event gets the rating: “Absolutely worth seeing!”

Further information about the 2018 event can be found in the event calendar in good time. Booking the houses in the event area will only be possible from December, when the prices for the 2018 season will be announced.