IT'S HARLEYWOOD
70,000 motorcycles at the 21st European Bike Week
- More than 120,000 visitors celebrated „their“ brand in Faak
- The complete lineup for 2019 in the Expo Tent
- The FXDR 114 available for test rides in Europe for the first time
- The New Roses, The Darkness, and the Backyard Babies, along with 28 other bands, will perform on stage at Europe's largest motorcycle festival.
- More than 10,000 participants in the parade covering a distance of 80 km
- One lucky winner will receive a Forty-Eight Special
From September 4 to 9, the 21st European Bike Week took place at Lake Faaker See in Carinthia, Austria.
Like all events this year, it was marked by Harley-Davidson's 115th anniversary and the 35th birthday of the Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.). The event, which is always free to attend and is considered Europe's largest motorcycle festival, attracted more than 120,000 visitors, who brought over 70,000 motorcycles with them to the south of the Alpine republic.
Once again, the heart of the event was Harley Village, which covered more than 40,000 square meters.
Not only were the original European Bike Week shirts, caps, and hoodies available here, but 21 Harley-Davidson dealers and over 170 independent traders and caterers offered a comprehensive range of motorcycle-related products and plenty of food and drinks.
Right next to the main stage, visitors to the large Expo tent were treated to the complete Harley-Davidson model range for 2019, which was on display in Europe for the first time.
The brand new power cruiser FXDR 114 was not only on display here, but was also available for test rides in the Demo Ride Area alongside several other models from the 2019 range. 1,250 visitors seized this opportunity and took a seat on one of the many demo bikes.
Photos from European Bike Week 2018 at Lake Faaker See
Live acts rocked the Village's main stage for five nights, including German rising stars The New Roses, British glam rockers The Darkness, and the acclaimed Backyard Babies from Sweden.
Before the latter took to the stage on Saturday, a brand-new Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Special was raffled off. Trevor Barton, International Consumer Experience Manager at Harley-Davidson, presented this exciting part of the event together with Ana Mamana, winner of the European Bike Week 2017 prize.
For one week, visitors had the chance to get their hands on one of the limited-edition, numbered wristbands, which served as lottery tickets, at the event merchandise tents.
The number was drawn from the lottery drum, and a simply speechless Valantis Pavlou from Cyprus was wearing it on his arm. He celebrated his luck exuberantly with 30 friends – all members of a Cypriot H.O.G. chapter.
Thorsten Schneyer is another winner at this year's European Bike Week. To mark the 35th anniversary of the Harley Owners Group, H.O.G. International presented him with a complete collection of all annual H.O.G. patches and pins from the last 35 years.
Of course, Jeep, partner and sponsor of Harley-Davidson events and rallies, was also there. Among other things, the company presented its iconic Wrangler, as well as the Cherokee and Renegade.
In addition to the Jeep Test Drive Area on the event grounds, guests were offered an off-road experience where drivers could take advantage of all the benefits of Jeep's four-wheel drive technology.
Motodrom Harley-Davidson Carinthia, the authorized dealer in Klagenfurt, was responsible for the service area, and the regional Alpe Adria Chapter organized trips to the fascinating Alpine surroundings.
On Friday, the Custom Bike Show kicked off with some of the most impressive conversions in Europe. The title „Best in Show“ was awarded to Radical Chopper from Italy.
And one day later, around 10,000 bikes set off on the annual parade through Villach, around Lake Ossiach to Velden, and back to Faak. Thousands of locals lined the route in late summer sunshine.
The next European Bike Week will take place from September 3 to 8, 2019, at Lake Faaker See. Further information can be found at http://events.harley-davidson.com.
